The Comeback is Greater than the Setback
Anthony’s minor league career got off to a, well, interesting start as compared to the typical experience. After being drafted in the 1st round by the New York Mets in June 2016, there was a lot of pressure as people’s expectations of him were extremely high. They all said that he should have a fast road to the big leagues. They all were counting on him to be a top prospect that would make an impact. And then all of a sudden, it was taken away from him before it even started.
The post-draft physical revealed a slight tear in his UCL. Not uncommon for pitchers, but definitely a not-ideal time to discover it. While he still signed (well below slot), he had to sit out for months watching his teammates play and wondering what his fate held with respect to the injury. The doctors attempted a PRP injection treatment with the hope of healing the ligament without operation for a rapid return, but unfortunately it didn’t work. We knew what option that left us with…in October, 2016 Anthony underwent Tommy John surgery.
We had a long rehab process ahead of us. It started with a range-of-motion arm brace to gradually – I’m talking inches at a time – regain full motion of the elbow joint. A lot of physical therapy sessions followed in the next few months to build strength. Finally, he was ready to throw a ball again. It wasn’t until he faced a live hitter for the first time before he felt like he was actually back in the game. Something he longed for over the last year with his competitive nature. At first he was just proving that he could still throw, then the challenge was to actually pitch again.
His professional debut finally came in the 2018 season in Single-A ball. Now he was healthy, but he wasn’t performing like he did prior to TJ surgery—he wasn’t dominating his command. Perhaps the scariest part of it was that he lost his ace pitch, his changeup, which is what got him this far and was deemed his “ticket to the big leagues.”
There were surely times of doubt, and I would be lying if I said that he didn’t struggle a bit with patience. You see, an injury like this is a mental setback just as much as a physical one. You wonder…Is he ever going to get his pitching authority back? When will he see the next level? The noise that came from critique – from the analysts, reporters, and fans – certainly didn’t help in maintaining focus. But I think everyone was forgetting that he was still recovering from a traumatic surgery. He had to completely relearn all of his mechanics…from grip strength to release points to posture to delivery tempo and so on.
I wasn’t worried at all because I knew what he was capable of. I knew his talent, his determination, and most importantly his heart. I knew that all he needed was to give himself more time and I kept encouraging him in that. The most amazing part of it all is that as soon as I turned it over to God, expressing my concerns and desires, letting go of the idea that any of it was within our control, the very next start is when everything changed.
That was the game he recorded 11 strikeouts—tying the Columbia Fireflies franchise record. That was the game that got him promoted to the next level of High-A. That was the game that restored his confidence. This allowed him to continue strong through the rest of the season. It was amazing to see him as the dominant pitcher I’ve watched since high school and throughout college. It was the best feeling in the world to see him being his normal self again, with that competitive drive, skill and power in his performances. It was inspiring to support him through his comeback season.
Let this serve as a reminder for anyone experiencing an injury and rehabilitation to have patience, trust the process and keep the faith—because God is good and everything will happen as it’s supposed to according to His plan with perfect timing.
