It was a special day at Citi Field on April 14th. The New York Mets saluted one of the great pitchers in franchise history, Dwight Gooden. Doctor K, as he is called, had his number 16 retired forever. After well documented substance and other off the field issues, it was a great day in New York to see Gooden, seemingly in great spirits, allowing all of us to reminisce about a period in time in which he owned the Big Apple. Despite a fitting conclusion to Doc’s public baseball life, I can’t help but think he has more to offer.
In my opinion, Dwight Gooden would make a heck of a pitching coach.
I love listening to Gooden talk about pitching. You can tell that he has a reverence for the craft. He has had some tremendous teachers beginning with his father. It is fascinating to hear Gooden talk about his dad drilling him about how to become a pitcher. Mowing down Major League hitters at age 19 takes not only great talent, but a very high acumen. Gooden’s dad had a lot to do with his success in getting to the Majors at a young age but once there, Mel Stottlemyre tutored him on the art of a professional pitcher. Stottlemyre was one of the best pitching coaches of his era, first with the Mets and then with the New York Yankees. With those two great instructors, it’s no wonder Doc enjoyed a great deal of success early in his career. Combine that with his already high pitching brain and you can see why Gooden was the perfect pitcher for five years.
I don’t know what Dwight Gooden’s future holds. I would love to see him back in uniform imparting some knowledge on today’s young pitchers. Most hurlers today are power arms and do not know how to pace themselves. Gooden would be able to teach these youngsters how to throw hard AND throw smart. For Dwight Gooden’s final act, a stint as a Major League pitching coach would be jolt for the game.
Threeunassisted 