Bartolo Colon. Big Sexy. 45 years old, 285 pounds, and a 22-year-veteran preparing for season No. 23. Full of ups and downs, Colon has had quite the career, pitching for the Indians, Expos, White Sox, Angels, Red Sox, Yankees, Athletics, Mets, Braves, Twins, and Rangers. With a career 4.12 ERA over 3461.2 total innings, Colon has seen several good seasons, as well as bad seasons. Only one of them can be the best, and it was 2013 with the Oakland Athletics. Colon pitched with the A’s in 2012 and 2013, and they were both terrific campaigns. In 2012, he went 10-9 over 24 starts and posted a 3.43 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 1.36 BB/9, 3.82 FIP, 3.96 K/BB, and 1.00 HR/9. He played a big role in Oakland’s outstanding 2012 season, as they shocked the world by clinching the AL West on the final day of the season against Texas. After losing to Detroit in the 2012 ALDS, the A’s were hungry for more in 2013. They would clinch the AL West for the second year in a row, led by a stellar rotation of A.J. Griffin, Jarrod Parker, Bartolo Colon, Tommy Milone and Dan Straily, with Sonny Gray making ten starts at the end of the season as a rookie. The leader of that rotation was no other than Bartolo Colon, who had an absolutely dominant year. Over 30 outings, he tallied 18 wins (4th best in MLB) and posted a 2.65 ERA (6th best), 1.17 WHIP, 3.23 FIP, 0.9 HR/9, 3.8 WAR and 1.37 BB/9.
Even at the age of 40, Colon was still one of the best pitchers in baseball. He’s had several solid campaigns throughout his career, including 20 wins and a 2.93 ERA in 2002, 21 wins and a 3.48 ERA in 2005, and 15 wins with a 3.43 ERA just a couple years ago with the Mets. Overall, I think we can all agree that his best year was 2013, pitching to a 2.65 ERA with the AL West-champion Oakland A’s. Photo Sources: USA Today, SFBay
