Jonny Venters will take another step in his return from a second Tommy John elbow surgery when the Braves left-hander throws flat-ground pitches Sunday. Then in two weeks, he’s scheduled to throw from a mound for the first time since surgery.
“Bullpen (session) on (March 5),” he said, smiling. “Slowly but surely, it’s getting there. It feels good. Bouncing back really well. And I’m throwing pretty hard, from 120 feet yesterday.”
This is big stuff for Venters and the Braves, who know how much better their already formidable bullpen could be if the 28-year-old Venters comes back anywhere close to peak form. Venters had a 2.23 ERA in 230 appearances in his first three major league seasons through 2012, with 258 strikeouts in 229 2/3 innings.
That included a spectacular 2011 season when he posted a 1.85 ERA and 1.091 WHIP in 88 innings over 85 appearances — six more appearances than anyone else in the majors.
Venters missed last season after tearing the ulnar collateral ligament late in spring training. Dr. James Andrews recommended a platelet-rich plasma injection in hopes of healing the ligament without surgery. Venters tried but it didn’t work, and so on May 16 he joined the small fraternity of pitchers who’ve had two Tommy John surgeries.
Now, he hopes to follow in the footsteps of Brian Wilson, the former Giants closer who had the second Tommy John surgery of his career early in the 2012 season and came back strong in the second half last season with the Dodgers.
Wilson had a 0.66 ERA in 18 regular-season appearances, with 13 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings. He also had six scoreless appearances in the playoffs, including three in the division-series win against the Braves. Venters was encouraged.
“That was awesome to see that,” he said. “Because not many people have come back from two Tommy Johns. But I think it’s becoming more common now. I think guys are starting to get the surgery younger, which means there’s the opportunity to get it a second time.
“Seeing him come back and have the same stuff he had before, it was awesome. It gave me a little confidence boost.”
Venters had his first Tommy John surgery in 2005 as a minor leaguer. He said the rehab has been smoother this time, because he knew what to expect and because he hasn’t impatiently pushed the envelope trying to get back sooner than recommended.
He would like to return around the 12-month mark in mid-May, but has been told it could be a few weeks or a month longer because it’s his second such surgery.
“I couldn’t ask for my arm to feel any better, really, than it does,” he said. “I think it’s going to be fine, I really do. I don’t see it being any different as the first surgery. I’m just a little older and not as immature as I was the first time.”
Rainy Saturday: The Braves' workout Saturday started three hours later than usual because of morning physicals, then lasted only about an hour before thunderstorms moved into the area and a drizzle turned to heavy rain. Pitchers who were scheduled to throw live batting practice Saturday had that scheduled pushed back a day to Sunday.
Position players hit in the covered batting cages and didn’t do any throwing, which manager Fredi Gonzalez said was probably a good thing for some of them after they had been working hard and throwing a lot in the first week of camp.
Rookie on little pink bike: If you attended a Braves workout the past two days, you may have noticed a player in uniform riding a tiny pink bike out to the back fields. So what was that about, you ask?
Pitching prospect Shae Simmons, in the first week of his first major league spring training, made the mistake a few days ago of hitching a ride on one of the golf carts that are driven by clubhouse staffers to take veteran players, coaches or team officials to their cars or back to the clubhouse or wherever. Some veterans noticed and weren’t amused.
B.J. Upton meted out good-natured discipline by purchasing a kid-sized bicycle that Simmons, 23, has been required to pedal to and from the back fields at the beginning and end of workouts the past two days, passing in front of curious fans.
Call it a teaching moment for Simmons, who has excelled since being selected him in the 22nd round of the 2012 draft out of Southeast Missouri State. He had a 1.69 ERA in 50 appearances last season at Class-A Rome and Double-A Mississippi, with 82 strikeouts and 22 walks in 53 1/3 innings. In 39 games at Rome, he recorded 24 saves with a 1.49 ERA.
In two seasons, he has a 1.62 ERA in 66 relief appearances, with 118 strikeouts, 38 walks and no home runs in 78 innings.
