More than 2 years removed from his last big league start, Mariners’ Kendall Graveman is ‘ready to pitch’
More than two years have passed since Kendall Graveman last pitched in a regular season Major League Baseball game.
He remembers pitching that day at Yankee Stadium back in May of 2018. He tossed six innings and earned a win.
A few weeks later, he had season-ending Tommy John surgery.
By the following summer he was rehabbing in the Cubs system, and a pair of starts in the minors had him thinking he might get a September call-up, but it never panned out.
He signed a one-year deal with the Mariners in November, showed up to camp this spring ready to revive his career, and tossed four scoreless innings in two Cactus League starts. He was excited to make his debut as part of Seattle’s starting rotation, and prove he was healthy again.
Then, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down spring training, players were sent back to their offseason homes, and the start of the regular season was delayed.
Four months later and a week into summer camp, with the MLB season now scheduled to open at the end of the month, Graveman is done waiting to get back on the mound.
“I’m very excited,” he said during a video call with reporters Thursday morning. “I can’t hide it. I love this game. I have a passion for this game.
“I’m ready to pitch. I feel like I’m a big league pitcher. I feel like I can get guys out still. I feel like I can help a team win.”
Mariners manager Scott Servais said earlier this week Graveman has looked sharp so far in his early bullpens, the intensity level is up and the ball is coming out hot.
Graveman tossed his first live batting practice of the summer Thursday at T-Mobile Park, throwing about 40 pitches to four different hitters, with a short break at the halfway point of the session.
His fastball was coming out well, he said, and while he’s working on tightening up some other areas in his throwing, he was pleased with the results.
“I felt good,” he said. “Even coming into all of this, back home when I was in Alabama, I was able to get in some really good work. So, to throw 40 pitches today was good.”
Graveman said he worked with his trainer, Cal Tinsley, during the shutdown, and worked on maintaining his progress from spring training.
“The biggest thing I took away (from spring training) was I was healthy,” Graveman said. “I think there was a question mark around that. I felt healthy, but to go out and prove that I was healthy and the ball was going to come out the same as before surgery — if not a little better — I took a lot of confidence from that.
“It helped when I got home to continue to trust that what I was doing was working and that the arm was going to turn around as it had in the past. … The velo was there, the location was there, the ability to pitch was still there.”
In this shortened 60-game season, Graveman has less time to show how far he’s come in the two years since his surgery, but he thinks it’s enough to prove he’s back.
“There’s going to be 10 or so starts this year, and to go out and have sharpness in all of my pitches and compete, I think I can,” he said. “It will be a small sample size, but there’s a past that shows that I can pitch. …
“I believe in my heart that my stuff is better now than it was before surgery. I believe I’m a better pitcher, a smarter pitcher, I believe I can control the game a little bit better than I did when I was a little bit younger. I think that will show this year.
“I’ve learned some things along the way in this two years of being anonymous that I feel like I can take into the game — not only the (pitching) part of it, but the mental side, too. Being away from the game helps you reflect on some of that. Hopefully that shows throughout this year.”
2021 SCHEDULE RELEASED
MLB released its 2021 schedule Thursday, with the Mariners scheduled to open the season at T-Mobile Park, with a six-game homestand against the Giants and White Sox.
Seattle play will play teams from the National League West during interleague play, including hosting the Giants (April 1-3), Dodgers (April 19-20), Rockies (June 22-23) and Diamondbacks (Sept. 10-12) at T-Mobile Park.
The Mariners will also travel to play the Dodgers (May 11-12), Vedder Cup rivals the Padres (May 21-23) and the Diamondbacks (Sept. 3-5).
They host division rival Texas on Fourth of July weekend.
SHORT HOPS
Mariners No. 2 prospect, outfielder Julio Rodriguez, was seen on the field at T-Mobile Park for the first time during camp Thursday morning. He briefly played catch with top prospect Jarred Kelenic in the outfield before practice started, but did not participate in other on-field activities during the light practice. … In addition to Graveman’s live BP session, Aaron Fletcher, the No. 20 prospect in Seattle’s system, also faced batters for the first time during camp. … Tim Lopes, Daniel Vogelbach, Tom Murphy, Evan White and Brian O’Keefe all took swings during live BP. Murphy launched a home run to right center in his first at-bat against Fletcher. … The Mariners’ first intrasquad game of camp is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Friday afternoon. It will be broadcast on 710 ESPN Seattle. Starters Justus Sheffield and Justin Dunn are each scheduled to pitch two innings. … Top pitching prospect Logan Gilbert and No. 11 prospect Brandon Williamson are scheduled to pitch in Saturday’s intrasquad game. … Mariners ace Marco Gonzales is scheduled to start Sunday’s intrasquad game, and will line up to be Seattle’s Opening Day starter for the second consecutive season.
This story was originally published July 9, 2020 at 2:16 PM.
