Ex-Rebel Fedde stays patient after Tommy John surgery
Last year at this time, Erick Fedde was nervously awaiting the major league draft.
He had undergone Tommy John elbow surgery, and Fedde didn’t know if he would remain in the first round as projected or drop to the second.
“Just pretty much every emotion you can think of,” he said.
Fedde, the star right-hander at UNLV, wound up going in the first round, taken 18th overall by the Washington Nationals.
This year’s draft begins Monday, and College of Southern Nevada pitcher Phil Bickford is expected to go in the first round. He doesn’t have to worry about whether Tommy John surgery will drop him on teams’ draft boards.
The advantage for Fedde last year was such a procedure has become common, the many success stories easing concerns over the years from team executives.
But that doesn’t make the rehabilitation process any smoother. Fedde had the surgery June 3, 2014 — two days before the draft. He reached a deal with the Nationals a month later, receiving a $2.5 million signing bonus.
It wasn’t until March 16 that Fedde took part in a bullpen session in Viera, Fla. He has stayed in Viera to continue the rehab process as part of an extended spring training. Fedde (6 feet 4 inches, 180 pounds) will throw five innings today in what will be his final rehab start.
“My most recent start, I was starting to feel a little bit like myself,” he said. “It’s definitely been quite a process, a little frustrating coming back and never having the same command I’m used to and having the same life on my pitches. But I can see it coming back from start to start, and looking forward to keep moving forward and getting back to my old self.
“The hard part is mentally pushing past the fact that (the elbow is) fixed and surgery worked and it was successful and not worry about blowing out again.”
Fedde said no firm plan has been established about where he will begin pitching in games, but the short season in Auburn, N.Y., is a possible starting point. That season begins June 19.
The Nationals are used to dealing with players in similar situations, guiding Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann and Lucas Giolito after they underwent Tommy John surgery. The club’s approach has been to err on the side of caution, so don’t expect Fedde to pitch in the majors until the Nationals are certain he belongs there.
He is ranked as the Nationals’ fourth-best prospect by Baseball America and MLB.com.
“I’m trying to get back into the swing of things,” Fedde said. Nationals executives “know what’s best. They’ve been through this process with a lot of guys, so I’m pretty much going to let them tell me what to do.”
Fedde, a Las Vegas High School graduate, gave the Nationals plenty to get excited about as a junior last year at UNLV, where he went 8-2 with a 1.76 ERA. Fedde was so dominant he was named the Mountain West Pitcher of the Year despite missing the final month of the season because of the elbow injury.
He delivered top results using a 95 mph fastball, a slider and a changeup despite the constant presence of radar guns at Wilson Stadium during his starts. Fedde focused on the task at hand and didn’t get caught up in the pressure that could come with performing with so many eyes on him.
Maybe it’s prepared him for eventually joining the Nationals. He has the inspiration of seeing a bunch of locals — Bryce Harper with the Nationals, Kris Bryant with the Chicago Cubs and Joey Gallo with the Texas Rangers — find success in the majors.
“You turn on ‘SportsCenter’ and see these guys’ faces I grew up with makes you want to get there as quickly as possible and do the same thing,” Fedde said. “It’s definitely crazy seeing that. I need to be patient with my surgery and not try to get there too quick.”
Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.