Tucson – Rockies prospect Ian Stewart was two days shy of his fourth birthday when outfielder Steve Finley made his major-league debut with the Baltimore Orioles on April 3, 1989.
Sunday morning, the 21-year-old Stewart dressed for spring practice just a few locker stalls away from Finley, who turns 42 in two weeks.
“Playing at 42? That’s amazing. I would be pretty grateful if I could be doing that,” Stewart said.
The Rockies signed Finley to a one-year deal Saturday in the hopes he can add veteran depth to the outfield and an effective bat off the bench.
If he makes the 25-man roster and plays this season, he will become the oldest player in franchise history, passing left-handed pitcher Jeff Fassero, who was 41 years, 252 days old when he made his final pitch for the Rockies in 2004.
Finley, however, is not enamored with celebrations of age- based milestones. He says he is a baseball player, pure and simple. Not an over-40 baseball player.
“I just love putting on the uniform; it’s what I have done since I was 6 or 7 years old,” Finley said. “It’s the life I know. If I didn’t love the life of baseball, I wouldn’t work out like I do every winter. I know I can still play.”
While Finley isn’t impressed with his longevity, others are. Dave Veres, a 40-year-old reliever trying to make the squad after undergoing hip-replacement surgery last March, said it takes grit to do what Finley has done.
“I think it’s like any job,” said Veres, who hasn’t pitched a game in the majors since 2003. “When you have done something for so long, it gets hard, particularly when your skills deteriorate. But my case is different than Steve’s. He’s never really had to sit out. It was different for me because I was forced to retire. Now I’m trying to come back.”
Former Rockies shortstop Walt Weiss, now a special assistant to general manager Dan O’Dowd, played 14 seasons in the majors before retiring in 2000 at age 36. He is amazed at Finley’s longevity, particularly as an outfielder who started 103 games for San Francisco last season.
“Steve’s a freak of nature. He looks the same as when he broke in,” Weiss said.
Finley broke into the majors weighing 177 pounds. Today he weighs 190. He carries the added weight as muscle in his legs and still looks like a cover boy for Men’s Fitness.
While Finley’s fitness impresses Weiss, it is Finley’s mastery of the mental game that boggles Weiss’ mind.
“If this game doesn’t get you physically, it will definitely get you mentally,” he said. “For me, I was definitely ready to shut it down, mentally. When you get to a certain age you begin to ask yourself if it’s worth it. At that age, you really have to grind it out to compete at this level. It’s very tough to maintain. But he’s been able to do it.”
Finley has 303 home runs and 320 career stolen bases, one of only six players with at least 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases. Last year, he stole just seven bases, but was never thrown out. Plus, he hit 12 triples last season, tying Willie Mays for the Giants’ club record.
“Baseball is not a grind for me,” Finley said. “Everything still comes pretty easy right now.”
Critics, who watched Finley hit just .246 last season, wouldn’t agree. But even as he closes in on 42, Finley says his age is irrelevant.
“I don’t need to prove anything to myself,” he said. “There are always those naysayers out there who say this and that, but that is always my driving force. I still love the game of baseball, and I’ll come here and play hard and whatever happens, happens.”
Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
