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With a sinker that dives at the mile-high elevation just as it does at sea level and an aversion to surrendering home runs, Hampton would seem an ideal fit — if there is one — for Colorado's thin air.
That's the hope of the Colorado Rockies, who signed Hampton to the richest contract in baseball history in a deal that became official on Saturday. Hampton, 28, will get $121 million for eight years. That's more than $15 million per year.
Hampton inks deal with Rockies
DENVER — If any pitcher can thrive in hitter-friendly Coors Field, surely Mike Hampton can.
Moreover, Hampton is happy to be with the Rockies, saying he made the decision mainly because of his family and the Colorado lifestyle.
The Associated Press
Hampton would also seem to have the mental makeup to survive pitching at Coors Field.
"we got ourselves one tough guy," general manager Dan O'Dowd said at a news conference in Denver on Saturday night that followed a similar session earlier in the day at baseball's winter meetings in Dallas. "We need tough players, and we've got a clubhouse full of them. We just added one right here."
"One thing I've learned from being here a year is that you can't be just a normal player to play here in Colorado." Rockies manager Buddy Bell said. "This is a tough place to play, so we need tough people. After spending just five minutes with Mike, I knew this was a guy we had to have on our ballcub."
Hampton's new applauded the signing, just five days after Colorado signed another left-handed starter, Denny Neagle.
"I'm ecstatic," said reliever Jerry Dipoto. "This gives us a legitimate starting rotation. I don't think they have
to change anything (to pitch at this altitude). Mike throws a hard cutter and a sinker, and Denny is a finesse pitcher."
"Every time I turn around, we keep getting better," Deean said.
Reliever Mike DeJane said the signings were a clear indication of management's intention to win a world championship.
"Mike wrote down nine teams," Rodgers said. "And the Rockies were not one of them. That gives you a sense of how far the Rockies have come in Mike's
Hampton, the top pitcher in this year's free-agent market, has gone 63-31 with a 3.30 ERA in the past four seasons. He went 15-10 with a 3.14
teams he might hope to play for long-term.
ERA for the New York Mets last season after going 22-4 with a 2.90 ERA with Houston in 1999 and finishing second in the Cy Young voting.
Among Hampton's free-agent suitors, the Rockies came from nowhere to get him.
After Hampton's trade to the Mets a year ago, his agent, Mark Rodgers, asked the left-hander to select the
Hampton insisted he wasn't concerned his ERA would likely soar as a result of pitching at Coors Field or, as some have cautioned, he might be throwing away a potential Hall of Fame career.
mind."
"Am I going to come here and lead the league in ERA? I don't know, probably not. But ERA has never mattered. What matters are wins. I'm 4-1 with a 6.88 ERA at Coors Field. Would you rather me be 1-4 with a 2.00? I don't think so. I think wins are what the fans want to see, regardless if it's a 10 game or a 20 game."
gotten more money elsewhere, but I wanted what was best for my family."
Hampton and his wife, Kautia, then met with Rockies officials last week at their home in Houston.
"I've had success with my sinker here," he said. "The movement is pretty similar to what it is anywhere else. I'm a sinkerball guy who keeps the ball down and doesn't give up many home runs. That's what I have to do to be successful."
Rodgers met with O'Dowd during the general managers' meetings last month, mostly as a courtesy, but the agent came away impressed with O'Dowd's energy and vision.
He is also convinced that the Rockies, 82-80 last season, can be winners.
"I knew probably two seconds after the meeting that they were going to be one of the five finalists," Hampton said. "We just knew these were our kind of people. I could probably have
"This team was better than 500 last year without a healthy Larry Walker," he said. "With him at 100 percent and the addition of Denny Neagle, this team can win, and win now."