STARKVILLE — Spencer Price was, once again, doing his own thing in Starkville. His teammates on the Mississippi State baseball team were taking on a day they’ve been anticipating for months: postseason baseball, as they were in Hoover, Alabama, for the Southeastern Conference tournament.
Price was also living out a highly anticipated day. This was the day he would finally pick up a baseball.
After nearly four months of lifting, conditioning and physical therapy, Price started throwing in late May and has thrown a few times a week ever since. Now, he has reached the fun part.
“I felt great. I felt awesome,” Price told The Dispatch. “I wanted to throw further and longer, I hadn’t thrown in months, but (trainer) Jason (Wire) was like, ‘Hey man, take it easy, you’re going to be hurting tomorrow.’ I said, ‘No man, I’m fine.’
“I felt it the next day.”
That severe soreness came after just 30 throws at about 30 feet. The plan is to move out roughly 25 feet each week, giving Price opportunities to take an extra day of rest when it’s needed — as it was after that first day of throwing, but only once since then. Last week, Price threw 40 times at 90 feet and felt great doing it: “Just getting some air on it, nothing max effort.
“It’s elongating the arm, getting the muscles used to throwing that far,” he said. “I was like a kid in a candy store throwing. I missed throwing. Man, I’m ready to get on the mound right now and play.”
From that moment in May until he is strong enough to pitch against live batters, Price is living a balancing act. The operative factor is pain.
“They say when you start throwing again it’s going to hurt, but to not be afraid of it,” he said. “It’s not going to feel great some days, you just have to throw through it. I’ve had days where I didn’t feel great, but I needed to throw. If it’s not a sharp, agonizing pain, throw through it. It’ll work itself out.”
Price knew this pain was coming and knew exactly how to handle it. He estimates eight or nine members of the 2018 team had Tommy John surgery and he talked to all of them at some point about what to expect.
He admits it’s easy to take that advice while he’s watching those same pitchers thrive in their comeback seasons. Ethan Small missed the 2017 season recovering from Tommy John; he was a season-long starter this season and became the team’s postseason ace, ending with a 3.20 earned run average and 122 strikeouts that ranked second in the SEC. Keegan James also missed 2017 and returned to be a pivotal bullpen piece, appearing 26 times to log 47 2/3 innings.
James was also helpful in another regard, more specific to Price. Some Tommy John surgeries take a tendon from the wrist to place into the injured elbow; Price and James do not have that tendon on their injured arm, so the doctors took a tendon from the hamstring instead.
“I asked them what I need to expect and they said, ‘Honestly, your leg’s going to hurt more than anything.’ I have to rehab my leg and elbow at the same time,” Price said. “My leg felt terrible for about five weeks: I was limping around, bruised swelling, the whole nine yards.
“I’m basically going off the word of other people. I have to trust these other guys, and they’re performing on the field this season. They’re doing just fine.”
They’ve also given Price a good window into what is coming next, and it only gets harder from here. When Small looked back on his rehabilitation, what stood out was lengthy bullpen sessions in the peak of summer heat, bending over in desperation just to hear a coach call for yet another pitch.
Those grueling bullpen sessions are in Price’s future, too, but his won’t come until the fall; his fingers are crossed he’s spared from the heat.
Even if the weather cooperates with Price’s schedule, making those bullpen days easier, there’s no rush to get to them. When Price met new coach Chris Lemonis for the first time, Lemonis’ lone priority for him was to get healthy. Price is hopeful he reaches a point where he can face live batters near the end of MSU’s fall practice schedule, but he won’t accelerate the timeline to get there.
As long as all is well on the trajectory to opening day 2019, Price won’t veer from the plan.
“I never really had a scare — yet, hopefully not. Everything’s been smooth sailing so far.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
