2004 Upper Deck Vintage, Gil Meche

#238 Gil Meche

I am short on time and need to be getting ready for a wedding. But I wanted to get in a post, so here is a short one.

Right now, Gil may be my favorite Royal and it's not because he is their ace pitcher. I like Gil because he has integrity, which is something that is rarely seen in professional sports anymore. Four years ago, Gil signed a five year/$55 million deal with the Royals. He became their ace by default and, as a result, he pitched too many innings and was generally overused by Trey Hillman. The end result was a torn-up shoulder that required surgery last season. Gil agreed to the surgery until he found out how long it was going to keep him out. Once he found out that he was going to miss all of 2011, the final year of his contract, he backed out.

Instead, he went on a rehab assignment to become a reliever and he finished the 2010 season in the Royals bullpen. He still pitches fine, he just doesn't have the stamina to pitch more than a couple of innings. It looks like he may be one of the set-up men for Joakim Soria this season and I wish him the best of luck.

I am just curious what Gil plans to do after 2011. Does he stay a reliever or does he have surgery, miss a season, and then try to get a one-year contract to prove that he has recovered? That is a tough position to put yourself in. But, as a Royals fan, I am proud that Gil had the integrity to fulfill his contractual obligation to the team.

Thank you, Gil. I wish that Zack would have followed your example.

This is the very first card that I got signed by Gil and I got it card signed at the first Royals Fanfest in 2008.