The story of Scott Rice began all the way back in 1999 when he was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 14th round. 14 years later, Rice has reached the climax of his story by playing in his first MLB season for the New York Mets. The turning point in his career came after years of minor and independent league, where Rice stayed ever committed to his dream and it finally paid off.
Unfortunately, today he will undergo surgery to repair a sports hernia that will end a season for the surprisingly effective lefty. His final line for the season: a 4-5 record to go along with a 3.71 ERA that included 41 strikeouts and 27 walks. In case you're bad at math, he ended up with 14 more k's than bb's in his 73 appearances, which is the most in the majors at this point of the season.
The numbers 14 and 73 aren't just special to Rice, they should without a doubt strike a cord with all Mets fans. Gil Hodges' number 14 was retired in '73 after his stint as the manager of the Miracle Mets. Scott Rice should stay with the Mets simply for his wonderful reminder of the past through numerology, but it also goes without saying that he earned the right stick with this team in 2014. Hmm... there's that number again.
Scott Rice mauled left-handers to the tune of a .174 average against and struggled with an average of .362 against righties. and the Mets put him to work in the same way they did, Pedro Feliciano. Rice should easily take up the Lefty's only role next year and he should thrive in it. He also will deserve it. Rice performed admirably in a bullpen that wasn't expected to be any good at all this season. One of the few bright spots and great stories on this Mets team.
Scott Rice came into the season with little fanfare. If anything, he was in the spotlight for being so unknown. 2013 has been the year of well known studs. We have eaten up every start from the likes of Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler. We have drooled over prospects in the works like Noah Syndergaard and Rafael Montero, but we have never stopped to appreciate plain old Scott Rice. All he did was do his job, a job that has been a long time in the making.
His career has been a slow cook but any good chef will tell you that rice is best when you give it some time. Scott Rice's time has come and I'll be rooting for him to make an impact in what should be an interesting bullpen next year. Too bad Frank Francisco won't be back. I love chicken and rice.
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