San Diego offers Peters a September tryout
CARMICHAELS – Chris Peters iced down his left shoulder on the bleachers at Carmichaels High School on Sunday after pitching perhaps his best game since 2001 as a member of the Montreal Expos. The Expos may be history, but the former Pittsburgh Pirate who spent four years in the majors isn’t about to become a defunct big leaguer quite yet.
After pitching a complete-game, two-hit shutout with five strikeouts, one walk and most importantly no pain for the Carmichaels Copperheads County League team on Sunday afternoon against Bud Murphy’s, the 33-year-old pitcher mused for awhile without much prompting by a visitor.
“It makes me wonder if I can make it back,” Peters pondered.
Peters, he of the 4.81 career earned run average and 19-25 record as a Major League pitcher from 1996-2001, is in the third week of training for a return to “The Show.”
Coincidently, a few days into his training Peters was approached by a pro scout for the San Diego Padres at a celebrity softball game held at the Washington Wild Things’ Falconi Field during the Frontier League all-star game festivities.
“He asked how I was doing,” Peters said, “and I told him, ‘It’s funny that you ask.'”
The scout, Hal Fichman, reports to Bill Brik a former member of the Pirates front office who’s now with the Padres.
“Two weeks ago I was thinking, Should I give it a shot or not?” Peters said. “I was going back and forth. But now I’m more optimistic. I have something to shoot for: a date, a time and a place.”
The Padres offered Peters a tryout in September to be held in Chicago, but was also notified that the team may try to bring Peters in earlier to get some action for one of their farm teams if “something pops up.”
Until then, Peters will continue to pitch for Carmichaels (22-4) where he is now 6-0 after struggling for the Copperheads last year while not fully recovered from rotator cuff surgery.
“I’m in better shape,” said Peters, who’s now working as a car salesman in Bethel Park at South Hills Chrysler. “My control is there I just have to get my fastball up and increase velocity. I’m working hard and hopefully I can make it.”
Peters, who is pitching in the low 80s, needs to increase his velocity to at least 86 on a consistent basis to even be considered for a return to pros.
“Five to seven miles per hour sounds like a lot,” Peters said. “But knowing I’ve been there I think I have a better chance. I see some of the guys on TV and I see a lot of left-handed pitchers. It gives me hope and there’s no reason why I can’t.”