The unlikeliest comeback of the 2020 MLB season is complete.
Pitcher Daniel Bard, whose MLB career abruptly ended at the age of 28 due to severe control problems, has made the Colorado Rockies out of summer camp.
Daneil Bard will be on the Rockies' opening day roster, GM Jeff Bridich said. His comeback is complete…
— Nick Groke (@nickgroke) July 17, 2020
To give context to how unlikely this is, Bard’s last MLB appearance came for the Boston Red Sox on April 27, 2013 against the Houston Astros. He faced two hitters and walked both of them, throwing just nine pitches with eight of them balls.
That was emblematic of how Bard’s career collapsed. He could hit triple digits on the radar gun, and for the first three years of his career he was a quality reliever with a manageable walk rate. The Red Sox attempted to convert him into a starter in 2012, but his strikeout rates collapsed and he ended up walking 43 batters in 59.1 innings. Various minor league stints failed to fix his wildness, and he finally quit after a 2017 season that saw him issue 24 walks in just 9.1 minor league innings.
Bard turned 35 last month. He struggled in spring training, but impressed the Rockies during intrasquad games.
Daniel Bard went three up-down tonight at Coors Field. Murphy easy grounder, Story K, McMahon fly out. Bard looks goood. Rockies are very pleased. Seems to be pitching his way to opening day.
— Nick Groke (@nickgroke) July 14, 2020
Bard may or may not stick with Colorado this season, but the fact that he’s actually made it back to the majors after seven years is an accomplishment in itself. We’ve seen unlikely comeback attempts before, but those usually start overseas and lead to nothing. Bard has done much more than that.
