Bronson Arroyo's durability something to be desired

Bob Nightengale | USA TODAY Sports

ST. LOUIS -- Cincinnati Reds starter Bronson Arroyo is the anti-Matt Harvey.

Scouts don't haul their radar guns out of their briefcases to clock his fastball. The folks at ESPN and Fox don't promote his starts, making sure everyone tunes in when he pitches. And, no, he hasn't been asked to pose nude or have his mechanics illustrated as any gold standard.

Arroyo never enjoyed the notoriety of Harvey, the Mets' 24-year-old pitching sensation who unfortunately has a torn elbow ligament.

But Harvey never experienced Arroyo's health, either. Arroyo, at the age of 36, keeps pitching.

And pitching.

Over 14 seasons, Arroyo has made 349 starts, spanning 2,245 1/3 innings and 9,518 batters.

And he has never been hurt or spent a single day on the disabled list.

Arroyo has won more games than any other National League pitcher since joining the Reds in 2006, and, along with his 104 wins, he has made more starts than anyone else.

"That's where most of my ego lies, to be honest with you," Arroyo, who is 13-9 with a 3.42 ERA this season, told USA TODAY Sports. "I try to stay a humble guy, but we all got somewhat of an ego. If we didn't, we wouldn't be able to compete. Mine lies mostly in my durability and my consistency."

Arroyo, whose fastball rarely reaches 90 mph but has a beguiling 62-mph curve, is on pace to start at least 32 games for the 10th consecutive season, reach 200 innings for the eighth time in nine years (he pitched 199 in 2011), and win 15 games for the fourth time in six years.

It's a nice spot to be a first-time free agent, and though Arroyo would prefer to stay in Cincinnati, the San Francisco Giants, for one, have cash: $45 million with Barry Zito and Tim Lincecum's expiring deals.

"I love San Francisco," Arroyo says. "I love the whole vibe of the city. I love walking down the street and see a guy in a tuxedo, two guys holding hands and some girl with tattoos riding a skateboard. I love the eclecticness of the city. But to be honest, it's going to be sad if I have to leave here. There will only be one reason why, and that's the dollar bill."

Arroyo is about to find out what a human rubber band is worth.

"It's just amazing what he does," Reds manager Dusty Baker says. "He does everything you want a pitcher to do. He takes the ball every single time. You know how rare that is?"

Medical experts, doctors, trainers, executives and pitching coaches try in vain to concoct a magic formula to keep their prized pitchers healthy.

Then there's Arroyo, long hair flowing under his cap and not one to hide the fact he occasionally enjoys the nightlife. Who can forget his 2006 All-Star impromptu news conference when he apologized for missing the mandatory media session?

Instead of lying and telling us he had a stomach virus, he told the truth: He had a hangover.

"He's a guy that loves to have fun and is out there, if you will," teammate Homer Bailey says. "But people don't see how serious he takes his job. The dude works out every day."

Bailey is not exaggerating.

There's a two-week period after the season when Arroyo vegges out. That's it.

"Being a guy that wasn't equipped with an awe-inspiring amount of tools, if I disappeared on the disabled list for an extended amount of time, my value in this game would vanish," he says.

"This is a testament to studying nutrition, understanding the body and having a workout regimen that started when I was 6. You hear guys say they're tired this time of year. I could play this game for 365 days."

Still, no one emulates his routine.

He won't sit down in the games he pitches and rarely is in the dugout. He instead privately munches on bananas, protein bars and applesauce.

"I need my energy," he says.

Arroyo, like many players, took amphetamines for that boost before they were banned in 2006, but now he digests about a dozen supplements. They are not on MLB's approved list but have proved to be legal and seem to work better than the banned substances that were offered up at the Biogenesis clinic.

"When I first came up, you knew that stuff was rampant," Arroyo said. "But I believe this will be the last wave of (dirty) guys — not the last guy who tests positive — but the last big wave. We're under a bigger microscope and with that comes more ridicule and embarrassment.

"And with all those pressures, I think it will erode all of the PEDs."

Now, if baseball can only find a way to keep its pitchers healthy, Arroyo-style.