After setbacks, Mariners prospect faces live batters for first time in over 2 years
More than a few curious onlookers quickly assembled on an empty practice field at the Seattle Mariners’ spring training facility Friday afternoon — certainly more than usual for a short minor league pitching session.
When pitching prospect Sam Carlson took the mound they watched in excited silence.
It had been nearly 32 months since Carlson — who debuted as a top-three prospect in the Mariners’ organization three years ago — had faced a live batter.
The young right-hander worked smoothly through 20 pitches, his elbow concerns now behind him, walked back down the mound with a satisfied smile, and was swarmed by teammates and coaches offering hugs and high-fives.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHow will we cover spring training in 2020?
The Seattle Mariners are ready to report to spring training and so is The News Tribune. Beat reporter Lauren Smith will be on the ground in Peoria, Ariz., from the first full squad practice. And our coverage will continue through the final roster decisions at the end of March, bringing fans the latest on the second year of Seattle’s rebuild. Click on the arrow in the top right for more.
Looking to the future
While the Mariners aren’t exactly expected to contend for a playoff spot in 2020, these six weeks of preseason workouts and games will give us a closer look at some of the top prospects — like outfielders Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez, and former first-round draft pick Logan Gilbert — expected to be key pieces of the club’s future, and some of the young players battling for Opening Day roster spots. We’ll also be able to catch up with the more experienced players — like veteran third-baseman Kyle Seager and ace pitcher Marco Gonzales — already in Seattle’s clubhouse.
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“I was nervous, man … but it was cool,” Carlson said. “This is what I love doing, so it was awesome. I’m just excited to get to work. I’ve been dying to do this since I was 18, and had to put it on hold.”
Carlson, now 21 years old, was drafted by Seattle in the second round out of a Minnesota high school in 2017.
After he signed, he promptly reported to the Arizona Rookie League, but threw only three innings over two appearances before he was shut down with elbow soreness.
His elbow discomfort persisted as he attempted a comeback the following spring, and he was shut down again, and underwent Tommy John surgery that summer.
“Nothing went as planned, to say the least,” Carlson said. “Everything that was supposed to happen didn’t happen, and I had to wear it off the chin and take a new route at things.”
Carlson paused to collect his thoughts as he recalled the long road to recovery, setbacks in his rehab, and many sleepless nights.
“I’ve been at points in the game where I’ve literally hated it,” he said. “And thought, ‘Am I ever going to throw again?’ I’ve had days where I have cried myself to sleep. It’s been a lot, and it really just tested my character.”
Last summer, when he was about a year removed from surgery, Carlson still felt distant from a return to the mound. His elbow joint wasn’t moving as smoothly as he had hoped, and at one point he thought he may have torn his UCL again throwing a bullpen session.
“That was two years after being in rehab, and I just didn’t really know what to think,” he said. “I was in a very dark place. I ended up taking the rest of the season off, figured it out this offseason, just building every day, taking it one step at a time.
“You can’t look at it in the long haul. I wasn’t looking at it as, ‘A year from now I want to be healthy.’ I was taking it day by day.”
Even when the setbacks piled up, Carlson stayed motivated in his pursuit to make it back to the mound.
“I always had a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “I know how I feel when I’m on the mound. It’s like I’m in my own world.
“I’ve got such a great support group with the organization, with my family and close friends, and I want to do what I love, man. This is what I love. I’ve just got this burning drive in me, and it just kept me going.”
That desire, and focus on day-to-day progression has led Carlson back to Mariners mini camp this spring.
“I’m just doing what I can to be the best player I can,” he said. “I have no scale. I have no standard. I’m just doing everything that I know I can do to perform at the highest level and fulfill my dream one day.”
He wants to see his teammates do the same. After he wrapped up his live session, Carlson watched attentively as two more Mariners minor league pitchers, Max Roberts and Juan Mercedes — who are also rehabbing from elbow injuries — threw their sessions. Many of the others players watching the three pitchers are also working their way back from injuries.
“Before I had surgery, I didn’t understand what it really was, what it felt like and how to go about it,” Carlson said. “When you go through it with other guys, you learn from each other, and there’s a bond you create when you go through that.
“A lot of those guys will be in my wedding someday. It’s hard to put into words, but I love those guys. They’re all awesome.”
Carlson vowed to watch as each of those teammates return to the field in the coming weeks or months, and is anticipating his own return to playing in games after Friday’s successful pitching session.
“This is not the end goal, by any means,” he said. “This is just a step along the way.”
This story was originally published February 21, 2020 at 5:00 PM.
