LAKELAND, Fla. — In some ways, Alex Faedo’s baseball journey can be viewed as a cautionary tale. Maybe if it's not broke, don't try to fix it. His plight is also an example of why teams are now spending millions of dollars on sports science and technology.
When the Tigers drafted Faedo in the first round back in 2017, he was a right-handed workhorse with a quirky delivery and was in the process of pitching the University of Florida to a College World Series title. Scouts and pitching instructors loved his athleticism, loved his cocky competitiveness, but that unconventional pitching motion didn't look healthy or sustainable.
So, when he got to his first camp with the Tigers, he was asked to alter his mechanics. Faedo did what any young player would do. He complied. He worked to raise his arm slot and smooth out his delivery.
And he hurt his arm. Go figure.
Flash ahead now to Tuesday.
There was Faedo, who missed the 2020 and 2021 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery and then missed the last two and a half months last year after hip surgery, throwing a bullpen — throwing again with the same quirky, three-quarter delivery he used at Florida.
“It was one of those things where the people (coaches and instructors) who were here prior said I wasn’t throwing correctly,” Faedo said. “As a player, you’re like, ‘All right, I have to change because that’s what I’ve been told.'"
Well, there is a new player-development team in place now, with far more resources, with technology and biomechanical knowledge that wasn't accessible in 2017. And the new science is telling Faedo to, as he put it, “throw more from the three-quarter arm slot. Just sling it and play like an athlete.”
“It’s crazy,” Faedo said. “Now, I throw a bullpen and when they ask me the next day how I feel, I feel great. I feel like I could throw another bullpen today. And that’s how I always felt. I never had arm pain.”
Faedo said he’s already thrown 10 bullpen sessions since he’s been in Lakeland. The first official pitcher-catcher workout is Wednesday, and his first official bullpen session will be Friday. He’s still got a lot of work to do strength-wise, in both his arm and lower body.
But, considering he’s this far along and ready to compete for a roster spot just a little more than six months out of major surgery on his right hip, is remarkable.
“I feel as comfortable on the mound as I’ve ever felt,” he said.
Time to see the doctor
He looked anything but comfortable when he walked off the mound in Kansas City back on July 11, after giving up four runs in 1.2 innings.
“Never in my life had I felt pain in my hip until last season,” he said. “It was one of those things where I was a little too stubborn, trying to keep pitching. Missing two years, I didn’t really want to be hurt again. I felt like I could still pitch. Stuff-wise, I didn’t think people could tell I was hurting. I just had to man up and get through it.
“But, eventually, it got to the point where I wasn’t only hurting myself; I was hurting my team.”
It’s not hard to figure out when the hip pain started impacting his performance. He made his long-awaited big-league debut on May 4 and through his first seven starts posted a 2.92 ERA in 37 innings, holding opponents to a .252 average and a .396 slugging percentage.
The next five starts, from June 15-July 11, were very different. His ERA ballooned to 11.34, giving up 21 earned runs in 16.2 innings with opponents hitting .368 and slugging .529.
"I was pretty horse(bleep) pitching with a hurt hip," he said.
It was time to see the doctor.
“I had a torn labrum, a torn capsule and they had to shave down both sides of the pelvis,” Faedo said, describing the surgery he had in Nashville at the end of July.
"It was tough," he said. "I allowed myself to be in a crappy mood for a week or two after surgery. Usually, I try to be more uplifting and positive. Finally, I just said, 'No, you need to get it out. Don't hold on to that.' And I've been good since."
Since that day, Faedo has been in the hands of the Tigers’ rehab team, led by Corey Tremble and Duncan Evans, with help from strength coaches Francisco Rivas and Ryan Maedel.
“They’ve been great,” Faedo said. “They’ve done amazing stuff, day in and day out, and I’ve felt better each and every day. To be honest, I’ve never felt (the hip) throwing, even from when I first started, which is really nice. Having surgery, you feel it in day-to-day life, but never on the field and never in the weight room.
“What Duncan does as a physical therapist and Corey running the show, guys always get better when they come down here.”
Feeling 'insanely' good
As for Faedo’s pitching mechanics and performance, they're under the supervision of the Tigers' new rehab pitching coordinator John DeRouin, assistant pitching coach and biomechanics guru Robin Lund and pitching coach Chris Fetter.
As for Faedo’s pitching mechanics and performance, that is under the supervision of the Tigers new rehab pitching coordinator John DeRouin, assistant pitching coach and biomechanics guru Robin Lund and pitching coach Chris Fetter.
“Once John got here, me and him clicked immediately,” Faedo said. “Three or four weeks ago, we started working on things. He talks to Fetter and Robin Lund on how my body moves and how I might have been compensating on things because of the injuries.
“We went through all these numbers and they wanted me to move a little more efficiently, and I’ve felt insanely good since. I still need to get stronger after the surgery, but off the mound, I haven’t felt this comfortable in a long time, maybe before my knee surgeries in college.”
And it all led back to him throwing the way he did back in college.
“I just feel way more natural,” he said. “I’m not trying to do too much. Just being myself and being OK with it.”
He’s in for a fight this spring, though. The Tigers’ rotation entering camp is mostly set, with Eduardo Rodriguez, Michael Lorenzen, Matthew Boyd, Matt Manning and Spencer Turnbull. Faedo is in a large pack of pitchers who could end up in rotation spots six through 11 — a group that includes right-handers Beau Brieske, Garrett Hill, Reese Olson, Rony Garcia, Mason Englert (Rule 5) and Brenan Hanifee, plus lefties Joey Wentz and Zach Logue.
“I’m ready to go,” he said. “Getting to the big leagues last year was awesome, definitely a confidence boost. I got that taste. I know what it’s like to be a big-leaguer and I think I learned a lot.”
Hindsight is irrelevant. But, man, it makes you wonder where Faedo would be if the Tigers knew back in 2017 what they know now.
