the rehab routine

Hey guys, this is Cody, and I’ll be a guest writer from time-to-time to give a first hand account of all things minor league baseball.

On April 9th 2014, I underwent the surgery that every pitcher who plays baseball worries about. Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction or more commonly known as Tommy John Surgery. This surgery brings about anxiety amongst players because of its drastic recovery time. A player who undergoes the surgery is usually cleared after 1 year. Yes, 1 year. That’s an entire season down the drain and replaced with endless shoulder, forearm, and wrist physical therapy. Not to mention a lingering 6 inch scar on the inside of the elbow. Sometimes I think it’s cool, like some sort of battle wound and other times it makes me wish I didn’t play year round baseball as a kid. Lesson to the kiddos, take care of your arm! Take some time off! Anyways, before I rant on about that, I mention this because this is the reason why I am in Florida in late January. If you know anything about minor league baseball you will know that Spring Training starts in March but I’m here in January. As is protocol for the Marlins players who undergo a major surgery or end the year with an injury, they have to report back earlier than usual. This makes sure the organization can oversee your recovery and implement its programs to get you back on the field.

So that brings us to now. Today is currently January 22, 2015 and I’m writing from the business center of the Marriott hotel in Palm Beach Gardens Florida. This is the team hotel for the Marlins and will be my home for the next two and half weeks till my amazing, wonderful, beautiful wife drives across the country to meet me. Did I mention how incredible she is?  Well she is.

Having said that I wanted to give you guys a little peak into my life and describe what a typical day looks like for me.

6:30am: Wake up and make the most delicious cup of coffee you have ever tasted in your entire life. That’s sarcasm if you didn’t catch it. My wife has made me into a bit of a coffee snob so hotel coffee doesn’t exactly scream single-origin pour-over.

*6:30am-7:30am: Read and pray to get my day started. I put an asterisk by this to indicate that this normally doesn’t happen because usually I have a roommate. And to be courteous to my fellow rehabber I don’t want to wake him up early when he would like to sleep longer. So I would normally read later in the day or at night. But for right now I have the room to myself. Which makes my normal morning routine quite nice and enjoyable.

7:30am-8:00am: Eat Breakfast. Free at the hotel. Score.

*Another asterisk. If it wasn’t for the Toth’s I would have to get a ride from someone with a car. But they have graciously allowed me to use their car until my wife comes! Thank you! Nothing like awesome friends who love the Lord and are ready to serve. Hope we can return the favor!

8:20am: Get to the field and get changed into my work clothes. Dryfit shirt, shorts and athletic shoes. Can’t complain about that.

8:30am-9:20am: I use this time to do my stretching everyday. Which includes various types of foam rolling, band work, and lots and lots of hip exercises/stretching.  Many people and especially athletes do not realize the importance of mobility stretching and training. It’s crucial for peak performance and is extremely helpful for your body!

9:30am: This is our team stretch. Everyone meets on the field and our strength and conditioning coordinator takes us through a methodical routine to get loose.

10:00am: Begin throwing with my partner. I’m coming up on 10 months post surgery so I’m almost back to playing shape so there are no special restrictions here. That being said, we usually long toss every day to about 180 ft.

10:30am-10:45: If I don’t have a bullpen that day, I will begin our conditioning program right after throwing which varies everyday. If I do have a bullpen, I will throw my bullpen and then do the conditioning after. Today was 100 yard shuttles for time. This after a while can make your legs feel like Jell-O.

11:00am-11:30am: Depending on if I have a bullpen or not, we will get back into the clubhouse around that time. If I have a bullpen it’s probably closer to 11:45am-12pm.Then I will cool off for a bit, catch my breath, see my phone and miss my wife then scroll through instagram and twitter.

11:45am-12:30pm: Then to end the day we workout. We workout everyday except Wednesday which is a day to recover.

12:40pm: After showering the day is over. I know that’s crazy. I finish work around lunch time. There will be days where we are finished by 11:30am too if things are going really quick.

And that describes my day as a baseball player. After that the rest of the day is free for the taking. Hope that was interesting and if not I’m sorry that you made it this far. Until next time, have a good one!