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Schoeneweis: Healthy and Ready to Impress
By J Platt on March 15th, 2008 8:43 AM |
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When the Mets signed Scott Schoeneweis last off-season to a three-year contract, their expectations were to add a big lefty pitcher who could help pave the way to Billy Wagner. Schoeneweis was coming off a year where he struggled in Toronto, but after being dealt to the Cincinnati Reds at the trading deadline he found new life. In his final sixteen appearances, he went 2-0 with a 0.63 ERA.
Well it looked like the Mets got the Blue Jays version of Scheoneweis because he was a mess. His 5.03 ERA and 1.525 WHIP were not what management was expecting out of thirty-three year old lefthander. I myself spent a good part of the season ripping him whenever the opportunity arose, because no lead was safe if Schoeneweis was coming in the game, especially if there were men on base.
Unbeknownst to me, Schoeneweis was pitching the entire 2007 season injured. In 2005, while with the Blue Jays, Schoeneweis slipped on a wet field and tore a tendon behind his knee. He’s been pitching on it ever since, which is what he attributes to his disastrous season last year.
“It was the most difficult season of my career,” Schoeneweis said. “I heard the boos, saw the looks, read what people wrote about me. I’m not going to lie about it. It was tough.”
Schoeneweis decided to do something about it in the off-season. In his Arizona home, Scott spent the off-season building strength in his left knee.
“I had to learn how to not use the hamstring,” he said. “I had to rebuild that whole area.”
His off-season program appears to be paying off as Schoeneweis has looked impressive this spring. In five appearances (six innings pitched), Schoeneweis has a stingy 1.50 ERA with 8 strikeouts.
“I feel night-and-day different from what I felt at this time last year — at any point in the season last year,” Schoeneweis said. “The injury won’t ever go away. But with all the conditioning and rehabbing I’ve done, and will continue to do, it shouldn’t give me any problems… I feel like I have something to show people here,” he said. “I want to show my teammates most of all.”
