R.A. Dickey

[William Malone]

Robert Allen Dickey was born on October 29, 1974 in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Texas Rangers drafted him with the 18th overall pick in 1996 out of the University of Tennessee. While undergoing medical testing before signing, doctors discovered that the UCL in his throwing elbow was missing. This reduced his signing bonus offer from $875,000 to just $75,000. Dickey reached the Major Leagues in 2001, even with the mysteriously damaged elbow.

He had a 5.55 ERA between 2001 and 2005, making 32 starts and 44 relief appearances for the Rangers. Dickey showed up to spring training in 2006 having developed a knuckleball in the off-season, which he said happened while trying to perfect his forkball. He made the Opening Day roster, but allowed six home runs in his first start as a knuckleballer. Texas sent him down to Triple-A, where he spent the rest of 2006.

Dickey spent 2007 in the Milwaukee Brewers minor league system, going 13-6 with a 3.72 ERA.

The Minnesota Twins signed Dickey to a minor league contract on November 28, 2007. Because he wasn't on the 40-man roster, this technically made him eligible for the Rule-5 Draft a few weeks later. The Seattle Mariners selected him. Dickey made 14 starts and 18 relief appearances for Seattle in 2008, going 5-8 with a 5.21 ERA. He tied the Major League record with four wild pitches in a single inning on August 17th, which came against the Twins.

Minnesota signed Dickey to another minor league deal the following off-season. This time, they waited until after the Rule-5 Draft to officially put pen to paper. He made their Opening Day roster as the fifth starter, allowing three runs in five innings during a win against the Chicago White Sox on April 10th. Dickey was moved to the bullpen after that start, with Scott Baker coming off his early season disabled list stint during the team's second trip through the rotation.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire predominantly used Dickey in long relief, asking him to get at least six outs in 16 of his relief appearances. Dickey completed at least three innings out of the bullpen six times, and at least four innings four times. He finished the year going 1-1 over 64.1 innings. His 4.62 ERA was a career best, at the time.

The New York Mets signed Dickey to a minor league deal in 2010. He started the year as a starter in Triple-A, throwing a near perfect game on April 29th. The very first batter reached on a single, and Dickey retired the next 27 in order. The Mets called him up in May, and Dickey quickly became a mainstay in their rotation. He went 39-28 with a 2.95 ERA over three years with the Mets, making 91 starts and three relief appearances. Dickey won the NL Cy Young Award in 2012, going 20-6 with a 2.73 ERA.

Unable to come to terms on a contract extension, the Mets traded Dickey to the Toronto Blue Jays in the off-season after his Cy Young year. He spent four years with the Blue Jays, going 49-52 with a 4.05 ERA. Dickey went 10-10 with a 4.26 ERA with the Atlanta Braves in 2017.

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