Tommy Toledo - A Fresh Start
Friday, February 19, 2010 | Baseball
By Stephen Kerkhof, UF Communications
After over a year without pitching in a competitive contest, Tommy Toledo is finally ready to make his return to the Gators' starting rotation. He came to Gainesville as a highly-touted pitching prospect out of Tampa and was a third-round selection of the San Diego Padres in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. Right away, the right-hander became one of Florida's most relied-upon pitchers. He went 4-4 with a 4.40 earned run average in 15 appearances as a rookie. During the season, however, Toledo started to sense that something was not right with his pitching arm.
“I could tell something was wrong. My velocity had come down, I wasn't able to control the ball and I wasn't getting warm and ready as quick as I usually do. It was just something that I battled through my freshman year.”
Possibly the best thing Toledo could have done would have been to take some rest immediately, but he was not ready to give up on his season while not knowing the severity of the situation.
“I had never been hurt before so I didn't really know what it was. I thought that maybe I was just getting tired because it was a little bit longer season than I was used to and I didn't know any better. I knew that my arm was bothering me but I didn't know how to go about it the right way. It wasn't something that happened overnight, it happened over time so that made it feel a little bit weird.”
That weird feeling that Toledo felt ended up being a torn labrum in his right shoulder. So, after a promising freshman year, he was told that he would have to sit out all of the 2009 season, taking a medical redshirt, in order for his shoulder to heal properly after corrective surgery.
“The worst part of not playing last year was realizing that I couldn't do anything to help the team out. I was always in the dugout cheering them on but it was rough to be sitting out and not able to play,” Toledo said of missing the entire 2009 season.
Although nothing quite beats playing experience when it comes to learning the game of baseball, Toledo still found ways to improve himself as a pitcher, even from the dugout.
“I improved my knowledge of the game and understand so much more about it now. I know how to take care of myself, before and after the game, with treatment. I also know how to go about getting warmed up and loose,” Toledo said. Much of what he learned came from watching the other pitchers on the staff.
The Gator coaching staff also did not forget about the ailing young pitcher throughout last year's campaign.
“Coach O'Sullivan helped me out a lot and I learned different ways to pitch. In high school, I would just go out and throw but now I understand the game a lot more, and I also understand all the different aspects of pitching. I know the importance of first-pitch strikes and getting ground ball outs and the whole philosophy of successful pitching. I have learned a lot since my freshman year.”
Toledo has also been able to share some of his experiences with the wealth of freshmen and sophomore pitchers currently on the Florida roster. After having been through a shoulder injury, he has preached the importance of handling an extended season at the college level as compared to what athletes experience in high school.
“I told them about the injury, how it's something that can happen to anyone and it's just something you have to live with. I was not the first guy to get hurt and I won't be the last,” Toledo said about sharing his story with younger teammates. “The main thing that I have talked to them about is just the process of getting loose and getting warm and taking care of themselves.”
Toledo was able to make the most out of a tough situation, but now that he has recovered and is healthy he can finally get back to helping the Orange and Blue where it matters most, on the diamond. He is scheduled to be Florida's Friday night starter and could prove to be the ace of the staff.
“It is going to be pretty exciting and will be a good experience. For Coach O'Sullivan to start me this weekend really means a lot and I could not be happier about it,” Toledo said about the opportunity to start in the opening series for Florida against USF at McKethan Stadium on Friday night, Feb. 19.
Although, Toledo is, admittedly, just trying to take it one game at a time, it will be tough for Florida fans to hold back their excitement for what he could do to improve the club's chances at another postseason run. On Friday night, fans will finally be able to witness something nobody has seen in over two years – a healthy Tommy Toledo.
-UF-
