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Check out the bolded. :mrgreen:
It is not the most significant measure of Ryan Westmoreland‘s progress by any stretch of the imagination. Far from it.
At this point, the most significant elements of the 20-year-old’s recovery from March surgery to remove a cavernous malformation on his brain stem are taking place off the field. Even so, it was difficult for those who saw the moment not to be excited.
Westmoreland, who is in Fort Myers for the Fall Instructional League with other Red Sox minor leaguers, started taking batting practice again last week for the first time since the procedure. He is currently taking batting practice two or three times a week, and while there is a long, uncharted distance to the point where he once again might play in games, what Westmoreland has done already must be considered almost remarkable.
“He hit a ball off the fence in batting practice the other day,” farm director Mike Hazen marveled. “It’s been pretty cool to watch. He’s got a long way to go, but he’s definitely showing signs of progress and improvement, incremental in some areas, significant in others.
“We’re in uncharted territory, and we’re going to continue to be until there’s ultimate success of playing in a game. That’s what we’re shooting for right now,” he continued. “It’s really exciting to watch. He’s excited. It’s progress.”
Westmoreland’s baseball activities now include batting practice (while he is currently hitting 2-3 times a week, the Sox expect him to progress to hitting five or six times a week) as well as daily work doing tee work, taking flips and soft toss and doing some throwing (though no situational throwing at this point). Yet as significant as it is for Westmoreland to be back in a daily baseball routine, it is not the most important measure of the strides that he has made not just in the seven months since his surgery, but even in the last six weeks.
“[Baseball activities are] sort of the candy here for him everyday,” said Hazen. “It’s not really the focus of what we’re doing, but that’s sort of the fun part of what we’re doing, so we don’t get into that situation – just like with any guy who is rehabbing, no matter the injury – with stagnation.
“Five weeks ago in Lowell, he could not do four-fifths of the things he’s doing right now. Just taking that short window of progress, just from a volume standpoint – his stamina, his core strength, his body fat, his cardiovascular endurance – all of those things have taken a 180,” he continued. “For the first six months, he wasn’t really able to do much, and now he’s able to get after it. He’s working out in a pool, he’s doing all sorts of sprint workouts, agility workouts, ladder drills, he’s doing a lot of different things that he wasn’t doing a month ago. So I think those things are what give you the most optimism.”
Where that will lead Westmoreland, at least in his baseball career, no one can say with any sort of certainty. This is not Tommy John surgery, with a well-defined rehab path with a near guarantee of a return to the field. As he works to regain his motor function, there is a long road ahead for the outfielder, who entered 2010 as the top-rated prospect in the Red Sox system. There is no precedent to define how realistic the goal of a return to games is. And so, it remains unknown where his surgery and rehab, already a major success by just about any measure, will take him, and when — or whether he will fulfill the goal of returning to games.
Yet seven months into his recovery and rehab, Westmoreland continues to take steps that bring him steadily closer to his goal. While there are no guarantees for the 20-year-old’s career, nothing has been ruled out, either.
“You certainly can’t put anything past this kid,” said Hazen.
It is not the most significant measure of Ryan Westmoreland‘s progress by any stretch of the imagination. Far from it.
At this point, the most significant elements of the 20-year-old’s recovery from March surgery to remove a cavernous malformation on his brain stem are taking place off the field. Even so, it was difficult for those who saw the moment not to be excited.
Westmoreland, who is in Fort Myers for the Fall Instructional League with other Red Sox minor leaguers, started taking batting practice again last week for the first time since the procedure. He is currently taking batting practice two or three times a week, and while there is a long, uncharted distance to the point where he once again might play in games, what Westmoreland has done already must be considered almost remarkable.
“He hit a ball off the fence in batting practice the other day,” farm director Mike Hazen marveled. “It’s been pretty cool to watch. He’s got a long way to go, but he’s definitely showing signs of progress and improvement, incremental in some areas, significant in others.
“We’re in uncharted territory, and we’re going to continue to be until there’s ultimate success of playing in a game. That’s what we’re shooting for right now,” he continued. “It’s really exciting to watch. He’s excited. It’s progress.”
Westmoreland’s baseball activities now include batting practice (while he is currently hitting 2-3 times a week, the Sox expect him to progress to hitting five or six times a week) as well as daily work doing tee work, taking flips and soft toss and doing some throwing (though no situational throwing at this point). Yet as significant as it is for Westmoreland to be back in a daily baseball routine, it is not the most important measure of the strides that he has made not just in the seven months since his surgery, but even in the last six weeks.
“[Baseball activities are] sort of the candy here for him everyday,” said Hazen. “It’s not really the focus of what we’re doing, but that’s sort of the fun part of what we’re doing, so we don’t get into that situation – just like with any guy who is rehabbing, no matter the injury – with stagnation.
“Five weeks ago in Lowell, he could not do four-fifths of the things he’s doing right now. Just taking that short window of progress, just from a volume standpoint – his stamina, his core strength, his body fat, his cardiovascular endurance – all of those things have taken a 180,” he continued. “For the first six months, he wasn’t really able to do much, and now he’s able to get after it. He’s working out in a pool, he’s doing all sorts of sprint workouts, agility workouts, ladder drills, he’s doing a lot of different things that he wasn’t doing a month ago. So I think those things are what give you the most optimism.”
Where that will lead Westmoreland, at least in his baseball career, no one can say with any sort of certainty. This is not Tommy John surgery, with a well-defined rehab path with a near guarantee of a return to the field. As he works to regain his motor function, there is a long road ahead for the outfielder, who entered 2010 as the top-rated prospect in the Red Sox system. There is no precedent to define how realistic the goal of a return to games is. And so, it remains unknown where his surgery and rehab, already a major success by just about any measure, will take him, and when — or whether he will fulfill the goal of returning to games.
Yet seven months into his recovery and rehab, Westmoreland continues to take steps that bring him steadily closer to his goal. While there are no guarantees for the 20-year-old’s career, nothing has been ruled out, either.
“You certainly can’t put anything past this kid,” said Hazen.
