Sidewinding Rangers reliever lands with hilariously named team to end career

While the Texas Rangers are a bit of a mess right now, we can at least take solace in the fact that the team’s biggest problem is an offense that should be better than it is, rather than a bullpen that leaks like a sieve. We can be somewhat relieved that even when the pen isn’t perfect (looking at you Luke Jackson) they’re not longer having to turn to arms like Jake Diekman.

Of course, there was a time when Diekman was quite the dependable reliever. After 13 seasons in the Bigs he posted a 3.91 earned run average and had more than a few teams calling on him to help their relief corps. That included the Rangers who routinely leaned on him from 2015 to 2018. However, his Major League options came to and last season, but his pitching career goes on.

Former Rangers reliever Jake Diekman signs with Lincoln Saltdogs in homecoming move

The south paw with the funky delivery has taken his talents to a totally different league, and in the process, he’s enjoying a homecoming of sorts. Late last week, the Lincoln Saltdogs of the independent American Association announced they’d signed the former Texas Rangers’ reliever to a new contract.

Diekman is a Nebraska native who grew up about an hour away from Lincoln. He would have pitched for the Nebraska Cornhuskers after receiving a scholarship offer from the school in 2007. However, when the Philadelphia Phillies drafted him out of Cloud Community College in Kansas, he decided to try his hand at professional baseball.

After signing with the semi-pro team with the funny name, Diekman talked to Chase Matteson of 10/11 News. 

“Pitch in front of my family, my friends,” Diekman said, “people who haven’t really watched me pitch in a while, yeah, it’ll be fun.” 

The veteran pitcher said he also relished the idea of being able to impart some wisdom to younger players who might be hoping to one day get the kind of shot to play in the Major Leagues he got for so long.

The Texas Rangers first acquired Diekman alongside Cole Hamels at the trade deadline in 2015 from the Phillies. He appeared in 26 games in that half season, posting a 2.08 ERA. He continued to be a solid piece of the bullpen until he was dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks at the 2018 trade deadline.