The Cardinals were convinced Mike Hampton. who kept them from getting to the World Series in 2000, would enable them to get there in 2001.
In December 2000, the Cardinals thought Hampton, a left-handed pitcher and free agent, would accept their offer of a seven-year contract for $91 million.
Instead, Hampton signed a deal with the Rockies for $121 million over eight years, making him the highest-paid pitcher in baseball.
Two months earlier, Hampton made two starts against the Cardinals in the 2000 National League Championship Series and won both, carrying the Mets into the World Series against the Yankees.
Later, when Cardinals manager Tony La Russa made a pitch to Hampton to join the Cardinals, he told him, “With you, we go to the World Series” in 2001.
Right stuff
After entering the majors with the Mariners in 1993, Hampton was traded to the Astros and developed into an ace. He was 22-4 for them in 1999.
Knowing Hampton could become a free agent after the 2000 season, the Astros dealt him to the Mets in December 1999. The Mets, expecting to contend in 2000, were willing to risk having Hampton leave after a year.
Hampton was 15-10 for the 2000 Mets, who qualified for the postseason as a wild-card entry and defeated the Giants in the National League Division Series.
The Mets advanced to face the Cardinals in a best-of-seven series to determine the 2000 National League pennant winner.
In Game 1, Hampton started, pitched seven shutout innings and got the win. Boxscore
In Game 5, he pitched a three-hit shutout for the pennant-clinching victory. Boxscore and video
“He isn’t a dominating left-hander by any means, relying on good movement and location of his pitches rather than sheer velocity,” Mike Eisenbath of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted. “The tougher the situation, though, the better he is.”
Sales pitch
The Cardinals were a team Hampton was interested in joining. According to columnist Bernie Miklasz, Hampton told Cardinals players Darryl Kile, a former Astros teammate, and Fernando Vina he’d “like to sign with the Cardinals.”
The interest was mutual. Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty said the club wanted a starting pitcher “who can put us over the top,” and viewed Hampton, 28, as that kind of talent.
Joining the Cardinals as leading contenders for Hampton were the Braves, Cubs, Indians, Mets and Rockies.
The Cardinals were invited to meet with Hampton and his agent, Mark Rodgers.
“Several Cardinals employees helped the team’s recruiting pitch by posing for photos in front of various Hampton Avenue street signs throughout St. Louis,” Miklasz wrote.
A Cardinals contingent went to Houston, where Hampton resided, to recruit him. It was well-received. Rodgers told the Post-Dispatch, “To be honest, I thought it was going to be really tough to beat St. Louis. They’ve got a dynamic ownership group that’s trying to win, and great fans.
“Mike was going to have to see something very significant not to go to St. Louis,” Rodgers said. “Tony La Russa walked in, sat down and said, ‘With you, we go to the World Series.’ Coming from him, that meant an awful lot. Tony La Russa blew us away.”
Feeling jilted
On Dec. 4, 2000, Jocketty met with Rodgers near the agent’s home in Palm City, Fla., and made an offer of $91 million over seven years.
“Hampton and Rodgers both said the Cardinals were the leaders” in the bidding, according to the Post-Dispatch.
“As recently as (Dec. 7), the Cardinals thought they had the left-hander,” Rick Hummel of the Post-Dispatch reported.
On Dec. 8, however, Hampton reached agreement with the Rockies, who offered $30 million more than the Cardinals: $121 million over eight years.
“I’m very disappointed,” Jocketty said. “I’m also very surprised because I thought we met every part of his criteria.”
Jocketty said Hampton “would have made us a lot better.”
“I talked to several of our opponents in the division and they’re so glad we didn’t get Hampton,” Jocketty told the Post-Dispatch. “They would have just shut the door. That’s part of the reason we worked so hard at it. It just would have put us at a different level.”
Rocky time
Hampton’s decision to go with the Rockies was criticized by some, who noted his career ERA at Denver’s Coors Field was 6.48. Eight months earlier, on April 28, 2000, Hampton punched a water cooler in frustration after giving up seven runs in five innings to the Rockies at Coors Field. Boxscore
“The entire baseball world was surprised an elite pitcher would choose to spend the prime of his career at Coors Field,” Ken Rosenthal of The Sporting News wrote.
Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd said, “We didn’t lie to Mike and try to sell him on Coors Field as a pitcher’s heaven.”
Some pitchers were convinced Denver’s high altitude caused their pitches to flatten and become more hittable. Hampton said he believed he’d succeed because his sinker and cut fastball induced grounders.
After missing out on Hampton, the Cardinals acquired starting pitcher Dustin Hermanson from the Expos.
With a starting rotation anchored by Darryl Kile, Matt Morris and Hermanson, and including Andy Benes, Woody Williams and Bud Smith, the 2001 Cardinals earned 93 wins and qualified for the playoffs.
Hampton beat the Cardinals on Opening Day in 2001, but for the season he was 14-13 with a 5.41 ERA. A good-hitting pitcher, Hampton batted .291 with seven home runs, but it didn’t compensate for his pitching. Overall in 2001, left-handed batters hit .346 against him, and his ERA at Coors Field was 5.77. The Rockies finished at 73-89.
In 2002, the Cardinals again thrived and the Rockies faltered. The 2002 Cardinals had 97 wins and won a division title. The Rockies were 73-89 again. Hampton was 7-15 with a 6.15 ERA. Overall in 2002, left-handed batters hit .376 against him.
Though Hampton hit .344 with three home runs in 2002, it wasn’t what the Rockies were paying him top dollar to do.
In November 2002, the Rockies traded Hampton to the Marlins, who two days later flipped him to the Braves.
Hampton had 14 wins for the Braves in 2003 and 13 in 2004. Sidelined in 2006 and 2007 after having reconstructive elbow surgery, Hampton went on to pitch for the Astros again and Diamondbacks.
His record in 16 years in the majors was 148-115, including 10-9 versus the Cardinals.
RetroSimba 
Whether or not you agree with the decision that Mike made in choosing to sign with the Rockies. Mike Hampton wasn’t to far off the mark in regards to his sinker and cut fastball. Even though he had mixed results overall in Colorado, pitching at Coors Field, he was 12-9. For his career he went 18-10 pitching at Coors Field.
The Rockies sure didn’t get a good return on that investment.
[…] Mike Hampton indeed went on some kind of run from 1997 to 2000, employing one of the game’s best sinkers to rack up a 129 ERA+ and an average of 223 innings per year. But while the Rockies and Hampton himself believed his stuff would play even at Coors Field, basically everyone else was skeptical. […]
[…] Mike Hampton indeed went on some kind of run from 1997 to 2000, employing one of the game’s best sinkers to rack up a 129 ERA+ and an average of 223 innings per year. But while the Rockies and Hampton himself believed his stuff would play even at Coors Field, basically everyone else was skeptical. […]