Fort Myers, Florida —— On Wednesday afternoon in Fort Myers, Baltimore Orioles right-handed pitching prospect Hunter Harvey made his second rehab start of the 2017 season in his return from Tommy John surgery. The highly-regarded prospect, who had the elbow surgery last July, threw two innings in Wednesday’s rehab outing for the Gulf Coast League Orioles on the road against the Gulf Coast League Twins. He allowed only one hit, and struck out one hitter, during the appearance.
Baseball Census was on site in Fort Myers to watch Hunter Harvey pitch, and we have mechanics video of him throwing the ball in just his second outing back from surgery and the long, strenuous rehab right here:
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You can tell Hunter Harvey is still in the very early process of returning from Tommy John surgery, for he only threw fastballs in his entire outing on Wednesday. The pitch was well-commanded down in the zone, though, which is a great sign for his long-term prognosis to see that he’s already getting on top of the ball with ease and throwing it with intent. The righty has always had somewhat long arm action in the back, and on Wednesday it looked similar to his pre-surgery days, which is another good sign that his mechanics should remain comparable and he’s come through the surgery and the rehab well. Velocity will come as he throws more innings and continues his rehab road, but command this early with only the fastball in use is a very good sign, and his extension out front at release tells me he’s feeling no pain and ready for more.
The Baltimore Orioles prospect made extremely quick work of the Twins’ GCL roster on Wednesday, and he’s setting himself up for the next step in this very long road back from elbow surgery. At his age (22), and considering he’s dealt with multiple injuries to this point in his career, there’s no point in the Baltimore Orioles pushing Hunter Harvey quickly to return to his likely destination in High-A Frederick. It’s likely he’ll make a few more starts in the Gulf Coast League to work in his off-speed stuff and adjust his repertoire to sequencing hitters. Wednesday was a very good day for Hunter Harvey, though, and no doubt a relief for the Orioles in seeing him throw free and easy with good command.
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