Notes: Corey Knebel is ‘really sharp’ after the extra time to recover from Tommy John surgery.
Suffice it to say the coronavirus pandemic has created significant obstacles for many professions beyond those people put completely out of work.
One silver lining in the sports world, particularly in Major League Baseball, was it created additional time for injured players to heal.
Thanks to the three-month shutdown of the game, Milwaukee Brewers reliever Corey Knebel is 15 months removed from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, putting him on target to be ready when the delayed 60-game season opens at the end of the month.
Knebel jumped right into things when the Brewers opened summer camp on Saturday, throwing 15 pitches to hitters in live batting practice and impressing pitching coach Chris Hook with his performance.
“Was really sharp,” Hook said Sunday during a Zoom session with local media. “I think just getting the reaction of the hitters, it’s an uncomfortable at-bat. It’s really tough for them with that (arm) slot and obviously the velocity, plus that curveball. It looks really, really good as well.
“I think just the hitters’ reaction yesterday was really positive (for Knebel).”
Knebel, 28, was hitting all the milestones in his rehab process in February and March during spring training, and assuming no setbacks was expected to join the Brewers’ bullpen six to eight weeks into the season.
After the shutdown he stayed on schedule with his throwing program at home in Texas. That individual work allowed him to hit the ground running with baseball’s reboot, although the Brewers will be cautious with him over the next 21⁄2 weeks as the season opener draws closer.
Manager Craig Counsell’s adroit handling of his bullpen was a major reason for Milwaukee’s success the previous two seasons, particularly with expanded rosters in September. With Knebel back in the mix with star lefty Josh Hader, Counsell once again has two battletested closers.
Knebel saved 39 games and struck out 129 batters in 76 innings in 2017, earning his first all-star berth. He was solid again in 2018 with 16 saves and 88 strikeouts in 551⁄3 innings while pitching in several different roles out of the bullpen.
The calling cards of Hader and Knebel are their fastballs, which routinely reach the high 90s. Throw in Ray Black and minor-league prospect Drew Rasmussen – both of whom can reach triple digits – and Milwaukee’s bullpen potentially has a high-octane look to it.
“It’s very exciting,” Hook said when asked about the 1-2 punch of Hader and Knebel.
“Those two guys, they’re two different animals, and I’ve said this before, it’s an uncomfortable at-bat. These guys give you a different look that you don’t normally see.”
Thumb’s up
Major League Baseball’s operations manual for procedures in the COVID-19 era runs 113 pages and covers every detail, big and small. After only one workout, Ryan Braun went out of his way to praise the planning and effort on the part of both MLB and the Brewers that has gone into protecting the players and staff.
Braun also detailed some of the changes specific to Miller Park. No longer are all players housed in the home clubhouse, where meals were once eaten and which served as refuge for the team for what could stretch into 12-hour days at the ballpark.
“There are some guys in the home locker room, there are some guys in the visiting locker room,” he said. “They’ve emptied (director of clubhouse operations Tony Migliaccio’s) office to create additional locker space, they’ve moved some of the gym equipment out into the hallway.
“The kitchen is now in the concourse. We park in the players’ lot and walk in through right field but we’ll eat all our meals on the concourse. Everything is drastically different just to abide by the protocols that have been put in place and to try to help keep all of us as safe as possible.
“You’d have to see it for yourself to truly appreciate it.”
Strong like a farmer
During the shutdown, players returned home and established their personal workout routines with the resources at hand. Some pitchers threw off mounds at local diamonds, others set up nets – or in the case of Brent Suter, sofa cushions – as makeshift battery mates.
Black returned to his family’s farm in Hanover, Pennsylvania, and stayed in shape the country way, doing chores.
“I talked to Ray quite a bit during the offseason,” Hook said. “He’s in a really good spot.”
Black, who was sidelined with a lower back issue when camp was halted, was one of those who benefited physically from the time off. Now, he’s ready to work toward winning a job in the bullpen, with the benefit of being out of minor-league options, making it difficult for him to pass through waivers.
The Brewers acquired Black with veteran reliever Drew Pomeranz last July 31 in a trade with San Francisco for infield prospect Mauricio Dubon. Pomeranz became a star in the bullpen, helping the Brewers’ surge to a wild-card berth, but Black scuffled often during 15 relief appearances, going 0-1 with a 5.14 ERA over 14 innings (10 hits, including four homers, eight walks, 13 strikeouts).
“I think Ray was in a weird spot in spring where he had that little injury and he just didn’t feel like he was synced up very well,” Hook said. “But he’s coming in at summer camp here in a really good spot where he’s spent a lot of time just getting back his timing, backspin on the baseball like he likes to and in great shape.
“There’s a different kind of strength that he brings now where, when he came into spring training, he was fine, he looked great, but it looks a little different to me, and he’s throwing the ball great. I’ve had an opportunity to see him twice now and it looks really, really good.”