A's pitcher Brett Anderson threw Monday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery on his business elbow back in July.
He made 20 pain-free throws from 45 feet before telling MLB.com, "It felt kinda weird, like how it would be if you were walking again or riding your bike again for the first time in forever. But after about 10 throws, I felt pretty good, and I realize it's just one other thing I have to do in this process."
Another thing the 24-year old has to do, admittedly so, is get in better physical shape. Anderson, listed officially at 235 pounds, has run into durability problems in his second two seasons as an MLB pitcher. After arriving with a 11-11 record in 30 starts his rookie season, Anderson hit the disabled list three times over the past two years. He started just 19 games in his sophomore campaign, and was limited to 13 starts last year.
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So, what is Anderson doing about it? The formerly-avid soda drinker has given up pop, and along with increased conditioning efforts, he is already 20 pounds slimmer since the surgery. While he won't admit he enjoys the extra running, he knows "you have to make the best of the time off to make sure something like this injury doesn't happen again."
In fact, Anderson made his feelings on running known via Twitter Monday.
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Brett AndersonI know it's good for you and i have to do it...but let's be honest, is there anything worse than running to run?
Nov 14 via EchofonFavoriteRetweetReply
Anderson is targeting a July 2012 return to the big league mound. He is set to earn 3.25 million next season as part of the four-year deal that makes him an Athletic through the 2014 season.
"I still have a long way to go, but I'm excited about what I can do once I'm back," Anderson said. "Hopefully things will continue to go smoothly."
Nate Stuhlbarg is a web producer at CSNBayArea.com. Follow him on Twitter @StuhlbargCSN.