Sample Player Profile Page

DICKEY, R.A.


Nickname:	N/A	Position:	P
Home:	Nashville, Tennessee	Team:	METS
Height:	6' 3"	Bats:	R
Weight:	220	Throws:	R
DOB:	10/29/1974	Agent:	N/A
Birth City:	Nashville, Tennessee	Draft:	Rangers #1 - 1996 - Out of Univ. of Tennessee
Uniform #:	N/A		Rangers #1 - 1996 - Out of Univ. of Tennessee

YR	LEA	TEAM	SAL(K)	G	IP	H	SO	BB	GS	CG	SHO	SV	W	L	OBA	ERA
1997	FSL	PORT CHARLOTTE		8	35	51	32	12	6	0	0	0	1	4		6.94
1998	FSL	PORT CHARLOTTE		57	60	58	53	22	0	0	0	38	1	5		3.30
1999	TL	TULSA		35	95	105	59	40	1	0	0	10	6	7		4.55
1999	PCL	OKLAHOMA		6	23	23	17	7	2	0	0	0	2	2		4.37
2000	PCL	OKLAHOMA		30	158	167	85	65	23	2		1	8	9		4.49
2001	PCL	OKLAHOMA		24	163	164	120	45	24	3	0	0	11	7		3.75
2002	PCL	OKLAHOMA		37	154	176	109	47	19	1	0	0	8	7		4.09
2003	PCL	OKLAHOMA		3	15	14	4	3	2	0	0	0	1	1		1.20
2003	AL	RANGERS	$300.00	38	117	135	94	38	13	1	1	1	9	8		5.09
2004	AL	RANGERS	$337.00	25	104	136	57	33	15	0	0	1	6	7		5.61
2004	TL	FRISCO		4	14	16	9	1	4	0	0	0	1	1		1.98
2005	PCL	OKLAHOMA		19	122	152	81	39	17	1	0	0	10	6		5.99
2005	AL	RANGERS	$372.00	9	30	29	15	17	4	0	0	0	1	2		6.67
2006	PCL	OKLAHOMA		22	132	134	61	46	19	3	1	1	9	8	0.272	4.92
2006	AL	RANGERS	$380.00	1	3.1	8	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0.471	18.90
2007	PCL	NASHVILLE		31	169.1	159	119	60	22	3	0	0	13	6		3.72
2008	PCL	TACOMA		7	49.2	58	30	8	7	0	0	0	2	5		3.44
2008	AL	MARINERS		32	112.1	124	58	51	14	0	0	0	5	8	0.284	5.21
2009	AL	TWINS	$525.00	35	64.1	74	42	30	1	0	0	0	1	1	0.29	4.62
2009	IL	ROCHESTER		5	33.1	39	18	9	5	1	1	0	2	1		5.13

PERSONAL:
Dickey didn't sign with the Tigers after they picked him #10 in June 1993. In 1994, R.A. was Baseball America's Freshman of the Year. He is a perfectionist. He is never satisfied and has a great work ethic. He was an English major at the University of Tennessee. Dickey says he enjoys bluegrass music, especially Allison Krauss. His favorite TV shows are "Seinfeld" and "Friends." FUNKY LIGAMENT	Dickey had agreed to a bonus of $810,000 from the Texas Rangers. But during the team's physical exam, tests showed he has no ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, so the joint has no stability. Dr. James Andrews said that R.A. may have been born without one, or he could have torn the ligament and it never regenerated. Andrews and Dr. Frank Jobe had never heard of such a case. And so the Rangers signed him for just $75,000. "The Rangers have put a dollar figure on R.A.'s elbow ligament," said Mark Rodgers, Dickey's attorney. "They can't put a dollar figure on R.A.'s heart and soul." That bizarre twist came after Rangers trainer Danny Wheat looked at the cover of Baseball America's July 22, 1996 issue, which featured Dickey and four other members of the U.S. Olympic team's starting rotation. Dr John Conway, Texas' orthopedic consultant, was bothered by the look of Dickey's right elbow in the picture. His arm did not hang naturally like the others. Conway's concerns raised Rangers' worries. R.A. was very durable at the Tennessee, working as a starter and reliever, setting school records for appearances and even threw 160 pitches in an NCAA regional game. "All this stuff was news to me," Dickey said. "I've never been to the doctor. I've never had an injury. I've never missed a start. The Rangers drafted me on my ability and that's still there. You could say I lost $810,000, but I never really had that. What you can say is I got $75,000 and a chance to pitch." The Rangers factored in Dickey's determination and competitiveness while rolling the dice. Texas GM Doug Melvin was struck by the tears that welled in Dickey's eyes as he talked about not lost money but possibly losing his chance at a dream.

Dickey says, "A lot of doctors think the lack of the ligament causes laxity in the elbow, but in college I threw about 200 innings a year, and I was also the quarterback on my high school football team. After the diagnosis, I had a lot of doctors around the nation wanting to do case studies about how I performed without it. I said 'forget it.' "I shouldn't be able to shake someone's hand," Dickey said. "I shouldn't be able to do a lot of little everyday things. Throw a Frisbee. Play golf. Hold my baby. There are a lot of different things that, medically, people can't explain about this condition." There is no logical explanation, except that he has been blessed by God, for how R.A. can play baseball, let alone throw 93 mph fastball. He does not have, and probably never has had, an ulnar collateral ligament on the inside of his right elbow. "Doctors said I shouldn't be able to turn a doorknob or start a car without feeling some pain, much less throw a fastball or curveball," said Dickey. R.A. says, "If I can be an inspiration to anyone with any kind of infirmity or ailment, that would be so great and would take a lot of the sting out of what happened to me. In my humble opinion, everything happens for a reason. Maybe my situation could be a way to tell young people not to give up."	Rangers minor-league pitching instructor Lee Tunnell, pitching coach for several of Dickey's teams in the minors, counts himself as one who knew what Dickey could do all along. He discovered quickly that Dickey's elbow condition was much to do about nothing. "It's just one of those things that just is -- it doesn't bother him," Tunnell said. "I've played long toss with him hundreds of times. It's not even an issue. We've never talked about it in all these years. He has a deep faith in God and a purpose in his life, and I think he has a lot of peace about things." (MLB.com's Thomas Harding-01/04)

Dickey and his best friend, fellow Rangers pitching prospect Jonathan Johnson, started a nonprofit organization called "Honoring the Father," aimed at reaching out to today's youth via speaking at school, athletic and church youth groups, mostly during the off-season. Johnson and Dickey first met when they were assigned to room together with Team USA in 1994. Both originally hailed from Tennessee, though Johnson had moved to Florida, and the pair found they had much in common. "We just hit it off immediately and became best friends," R.A. recalls, adding that when he was drafted by the Rangers -- the same team that made Johnson it's first pick in 1995 -- it was one of the happiest days of his life.	Dickey is a hard and willing worker and a fierce competitor. "You can ask my friends and, whether it's golf or playing basketball or whatever, winning is something I always take seriously," R.A. said. "I consider that the biggest part of the story," Dickey said. "Here I am, a human being who has a condition that doctors can't really explain; it's kind of a phenomenon, yet God has given me the ability and the platform to be able to reach a lot of different people. Everybody in the world has an ulnar collateral ligament, but I don't, and yet I play a game that depends on the use of that ligament."

On June 22, 2003, Dickey pitched five innings, giving up six hits and one unearned run for the Oklahoma Redhawks in Iowa, after being on his cell phone and helping his wife, Anne, through labor. She had been scheduled to deliver two days later, but went into labor before the game. So R.A. got on the phone and patiently talked his wife through delivery of their daughter, Lila Anne. After the 2003 season, R.A. helped deliver donated equipment to Cuba. He helped collect the stuff for Honoring the Father Ministries, a Christian organization that Dickey has been involved with for several seasons. A group of former and current Major League players make the trip to Cuba every offseason to personally deliver the equipment to those in need. Herbert Perry, pitcher Jonathan Johnson, infielder Warren Morris, and J.D. Drew are a few of the players that make this charity possible.	He took another trip in December 2003. "We're going to collect as much equipment as we can and take it over there and distribute it. We'll also put on some camps and other stuff. Those guys over there don't have anything." Dickey said. "They're playing with cardboard taped up to their hand for a glove, no shoes -- it's unbelievable. That's why some of those guys field so well." When R.A. returned, he said, "It's neat to talk to them, find out what their needs are and be able to provide them. Things. like medicine. But if they want to go to the doctor, some go 18 hours by horse. Baseball is the universal language, but it allowed us to really reach out to people."

Dickey and his wife Anne have two daughters. R.A. was named the 2007 Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year. NICKNAME Dickey, whose legal name is Robert Allen, said he went by "Robert" until he reached the seventh or eighth grade. "Everyone in my family and friends called me R.A., and when anyone called me Robert, I would tell them my name is R.A. Heck, it's just a nickname, anyway." Same with his mom's father, who has gone through life known as R.G. Bowers. R.A., meanwhile, said he has had several teammates remove the periods from his nickname.	"Some guys call me RA [as in rabid]," he said. "You might not know this, but RA means sun god in Egypt, but I'm not a sun god. [Roy] Corcoran calls me ARA [as in aura]." (Jim Street/MLB.com July 9, 2008) TRANSACTION REPORT June 1996: The Rangers took him in the first round, out of the University of Tennessee. January 12, 2007: Dickey signed with the Brewers organization. November 29, 2007: Dickey signed with the Twins' organization. December 6, 2007: The Mariners chose Dickey out of the Twins' organization in the Rule 5 Draft at the MLB Winter Meetings in Nashville. December, 2008: The Mariners granted Dickey free agency.

December 24, 2008: R.A. signed with the Twins. October, 2009: Dickey became a free agent. December 23, 2009: R.A. signed with the Mets, getting a $600,000, one-year contract if added to the major league roster and have the chance to earn $150,000 more in performance bonuses.

PITCHING:
Dickey is now a KNUCKLEBALLER. He also has an 86-91 mph FASTBALL, CURVE, a SLIDER and excellent CHANGEUP. Late in 2005, R.A. revealed a new two-seam sinking fastball. And the Rangers talked to him about making his KNUCKLEBALL his primary pitch. He has, and he can even change speeds with it, enabling him to be successful. R.A. has a hard knuckler that breaks sharp and late and tops out at 81 mph. The slower one dips to 61 mph and "can break three or four times" as it flutters to the plate. But in 2008, after a conversation with Charlie Hough, former major-leaguer and coaching mentor, about pitching strategy. Dickey decided to settle on a "comfort zone" of about 74 or 75 mph with his knuckleball, then throw a slower or quicker one to change things up.	"Everything's going to work off a certain speed and being able to slow it down or speed it up off that speed," he said. (Geoff Baker-Seattle Times-5/23/08) Dickey has to get his knuckleball to move in two or three different directions during its flight to the plate. Connor said he's getting that now, rather than just one break when he first started using it in 2005. The ball has to start one way, then go another way. R.A. must realize that slower is better. Dickey's most enduring assets have been his aggressiveness, lack of fear and gung-ho attitude. A knuckleballer must be more sedate. A slow, dancing knuckleball can be more effective than a hard one that could maim or kill his catcher.

If Dickey loses the feel of the knuckleball in a game, he must be able to get it back quickly. "You can't wait for three or four or five batters before you get the feel again," Rangers manager Buck Showalter said. (T.R. Sullivan-MLB.com-3/20/06) He has excellent poise. R.A. doesn't have the fluid arm action of some of his contempories. But he is someone who pitches with a lot of heart. His fastball is just a cut above average, but he can reach back for a little extra when he needs to. He has good command, throwing strike after strike. And he is very durable. Few can match R.A.'s passion for competition. He is a workhorse.	His delivery needed work. And he pitched a whole lot of innings at the University of Tennessee. Though predominantly a starter in college, R.A. occasionally relieved between starts. And for part of his junior year he was a closer. During 2005 spring training, the Rangers had umpire advisor Steve Palermo meet with R.A. Dickey to discuss balks. Dickey was called for a balk early in camp and was called three times for them in 2003-2004. Dickey's leg occasionally will rock once his hands come to the set position, which is technically a balk. The Rangers want to do as much as possible to make it clear to him what constitutes a balk.

Dickey is a strike-thrower, very competitive�with no ego. He is willing to do what it takes to win. His success has been his ability to change speeds with the knuckleball. LEARNS FROM THE MASTERS With less than two weeks left in the 2005 season, Charlie Hough�who won 218 Major League games in his career with the Dodgers, Rangers, White Sox and Marlins�spent 90 minutes in the Angels bullpen passing on to Dickey the secrets he learned from his knuckleballing forefathers, Hoyt Wilhelm and Phil Niekro. R.A. impressed Hough with his arm and the movement on his knuckler. Dickey was impressed, too, after an enlightening hour and a half with a 25-year Major League veteran.	"It was a transforming experience for me," Dickey said. "I learned more in 90 minutes with him than I did in three months by myself and working with people who never threw the knuckleball." Dickey spoke with the reverence of someone who's just gotten an unexpected gift, and he planned to spend time working with Hough, who lives in the Los Angeles area, this offseason. As someone who's tutored pupils both successful and not, Hough was optimistic about Dickey's chances. "I think he's pretty good ... He has a chance to be a real knuckleballer," Hough said. "He's got an advantage over me in that he's got a [much] better arm." Dickey's experience as a conventional pitcher in the Major League helps.

"I know how to pitch," he said. "Even when I don't have a great knuckleball, I can still manage counts with my other pitches." During their bullpen session, Hough talked to Dickey about the philosophy of the knuckler�when to throw it, how hard to throw it�as well as the mechanics of Dickey's delivery. Hough made one important adjustment to Dickey's grip that helps take spin off the pitch, which ideally approaches the plate without any rotation, making its movement more unpredictable. "He'll change his spot on the ball and realize mechanically it's closer to being a normal pitcher than you might think and it's hugely important to develop a release point that's repeatable," Hough said. "[We were] trying to get where his thumb and ring finger can get out of the way so it doesn't impede the ball." (Mark Thoma-MLB.com-9/20/05)	On August 17, 2008, Dickey tied a major league record for wild pitches in an inning when he uncorked four in the fifth inning Sunday. "It was moving violently. If I could have thrown it for strikes, it would have been a real fun day, I think," Dickey said. "But I couldn't throw it for strikes." Dickey, who has 11 wild pitches in 97 innings this season, became the fifth Major League pitcher to throw four in an inning. Philadelphia's Ryan Madson was the last to do it, in 2006. Another knuckleballer, Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, is on the list. So is Hall of Famer Walter Johnson and current Marlins closer Kevin Gregg�who was with the Angels when he tied the record in a game against the Mariners at Safeco Field in 2004.

Dickey throws his knuckler harder than most, and he said that despite perception throwing the knuckler requires great skill, not a reliance on air currents and luck. "Charlie (Hough) was my original mentor,'' Dickey said. "I went to LA twice to work and stay with him. Tim Wakefield and Phil Niekro have both been generous with their counsel. I've been able to add to that foundation and slowly add my own personality to pitch. My grip is identical to Charlie and Tim's. Success has to do with the release point. If your release point can be consistent, then you can impart the right amount of spin. "Now if you throw a pitch with absolutely zero spin�and that happens once or twice a game�then it is luck. The part that requires skill is being able to impart maybe a quarter of revolution of spin from the time it leaves your hand to the time it reaches home plate. If you can do that, you have a real good idea where it's going, how it's going to break and where to start it.	"You can stay behind it a little longer, to make it go down and in to righties. You can get on the side of it a little bit to sweep it away to righties. There's lots you can do with the pitch, once you throw it awhile and get a good feel for it.'' (Jim Souhan-Minneapolis Star Tribune-6/28/09) In June 2004, the Rangers moved R.A. to the bullpen. His ERA was 6.07 in 13 starts, at the time. BREAKDOWN VS. LEFTIES AND RIGHTIES In 2003, this righty pitcher allowed lefthanded batters to hit .279 with 11 home runs in 63 innings. And righthanded hitters hit .307, but with only 5 home runs in 54 innings. In 2004, Dickey allowed a .281 average with 11 home runs in 56 innings vs. lefthanded batters, and a .343 average with 6 home runs in 48 innings.

In 2008, Dickey allowed a .260 average with 9 home runs in 215 at-bats to lefties. And righthanded batters had a .306 average with 6 homers in 222 at-bats. In 2009, R.A. held lefty hitters to a .250 average with 4 homers in 112 at-bats. But righthanded hitters had a .322 average with 4 home runs in 143 at-bats. As of the start of the 2010 season, R.A. had a career record of 22-28 with a 5.43 ERA. He had allowed 69 home runs and 519 hits in 442 innings.

FIELDING:
Dickey has a reputation for a good pickoff move. And a knuckleballer must hold runners and field his position. From 1982-1990, Charlie Hough was tied with two left-handers for the most pickoffs in the Major Leagues during that stretch.

CAREER INJURY REPORT:
May 1997: Dickey was shut down with his bad elbow. But this was actually a bone spur that required surgery to remove. Some doctors say R.A. tore his right UCL as a youngster. Some doctors say he was born without the UCL in his right elbow. Dickey believes the latter. "Because if it would have torn," Dickey said, "they said I definitely would have felt it. I mean, that's a major deal." And Dickey has had no major deals in the elbow injury department, other than bone spurs, a common pitcher's problem. June 26-July 20, 2004: R.A. was on the D.L. with a strained right rhomboid. July 30-August 23, 2004: Dickey was back on the D.L., again with a strained right upper back (rhomboid muscle).	April 13-May 25, 2005: R.A. was on the D.L. with inflammation in his right triceps. May 18-26, 2006: Dickey was on the D.L. with tendinitis in his right shoulder.