After bullpen session Minnesota Twins’ Joe Nathan feeling competitive – MLB News
It looks as if Minnesota Twins’ closer Joe Nathan is having a decent time as he is apparently feeling quite competitive after a recent bullpen session. He threw 50 pitches in the session and is looking good with his throws.
Nathan had Tommy John surgery back in March and is working very hard to get ready for the beginning of the regular season for the Twins. He has made tremendous strides in his pitching performance as his recent bullpen session has displayed.
Rick Anderson, the Twins’ pitching coach was also satisfied with Nathan’s performance in the bullpen session. Anderson understands the importance of having their closers healthy and fit for pitching, as they have the ability to win games in crucial situations.
Matt Capps is the other closer for the Twins and his performance is also looking very good as the two of them get their bullpen workout sessions in before the regular season starts. The Twins will be looking to these two closers during Spring Training to
get some valuable game time in and toss some pitches against some of the top batters in the league.
Anderson said, "It looks like they are going to bond well together. If one closes, the other sets up, and I think they'll be happy with it. It will be fun. That's a nice commodity to have, is two proven closers out there."
The Twins acquired Capps in an exchange with Wilson Ramos. Capps was brought on just in case if Nathan was not fully recovered from his elbow surgery and was not able to start the regular season. It has taken close to 11 months for Nathan to heal from his
surgery. This is truly a remarkable feat and usually it can take much longer than that to recover from Tommy John surgery.
Regarding his exemplary performance, Anderson stated that, "I told Joe, 'That's the freest and easiest that I've seen your arm. The ball came out of his hand good, and the biggest thing is he feels great. He looked really good, not favoring anything. It
just looked free and easy."
Although Nathan is not throwing too many pitches in the bullpen session, he is trying to ease his way back into form as he does not want to rush his recovery from surgery. It seems that the team is satisfied with his efforts and is confident that he will
be closing during the regular season.
The pitching coach Anderson will monitor the progress of Nathan during Spring Training and also the regular season. However, it is unlikely that the team will allow Nathan to play more than four games in row.
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