The other NL East phenom (we all know who the top one is) is tossing a baseball for the first time since Tommy John Surgery.
↵Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg's surgery on Sept. 3 of last year cut short one of the most exciting debut seasons for a major leaguer in quite some time. Naturally, there were plenty of articles and reports after the injury that Strasburg's mechanics were a ticking time bomb for his elbow, and there is justification for that, but it really wasn't so glaring that everybody could point it out. He's simply a young pitcher who has thrown a good number of innings during his developmental period.
↵Strasburg may not see any innings at all in 2011 due to his late surgery date last year, but the chance for rehab innings is possible. He has a long way to go, but this is always a big step for a guy who has been doing this since he could walk. I know pitchers who have the surgery must go stir crazy when they cannot even toss a ball for a long time.
↵Our own Tommy John victim, Kris Medlen, had his surgery in mid-August and is working toward a possible return by the end of the 2011 season. It is possible for him to get major league innings before the season ends if everything goes smoothly.