Tampa Bay Rays Jonny Venters gets back on the mound
By David Hill
Typically, Spring Training games are meaningless for veteran players, a time to get their timing back and get ready for the season. For Tampa Bay Rays reliever Jonny Venters, Sunday’s contest meant much more.
The Tampa Bay Rays have come to be known for their reclamation projects, particularly in the bullpen. They will find a pitcher who, for whatever reason, is not drawing much interest on the open market, signing them to a relatively inexpensive contract. Those pitchers have had success before, but due to injuries or mechanical issues, have fallen by the wayside.
Back in 2015, the Rays first agreed to terms with former Braves reliever Jonny Venters. At the time, he had already undergone three Tommy John surgeries, usually a death knell for a player’s career. However, Venters was determined to get back to the mound, and the Rays were willing to give him that chance.
It did not look good in 2016. Venters appeared in five games for a total of four innings before tearing his UCL for the fourth time. He underwent reinforcement surgery instead of yet another Tommy John procedure, and made his way back to the mound last year. In those 23.2 innings, Venters showed promise, with a 2.28 ERA and a 1.099 WHiP, striking out 29 batters in 23.2 innings.
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On Sunday, Venters continued his comeback. He took the mound for the Rays during their Spring Training game, throwing a scoreless inning. He did walk a batter, but generated two ground ball outs and reached 92 MPH on the radar gun. It was about as successful a Spring Training performance as anyone could have hoped for.
If Venters can return to form, he would be an intriguing option in the Tampa Bay bullpen. During his three seasons in Atlanta, when he was one of the top setup men in the game, Venters produced 2.23 ERA and a 1.241 WHiP, striking out 258 batters in 229.2 innings. He was an unstoppable lefty force, a vital piece of the Braves success.
It is now more than five years since those glory days. Venters is going to be 33 years old by the start of the season, no longer the young reliever he was. And yet, if he can get back to some semblance of that pitcher, his story would be one of the greatest comebacks in recent baseball history. His career was over – three Tommy John surgeries, and a fourth tear of his UCL – but he managed to persevere.
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The Tampa Bay Rays are always in the market for reclamation projects. They may have outdone themselves this time, especially if Jonny Venters returns to his former glory.