THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 18, 1995 TAG: 9506180155
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
Professional baseball didn't sneak up on Ryan Casey as much as it spied him from a distance and nearly trampled him in its haste to sign him up. So it is with the elbow trouble that has kept the former Virginia Wesleyan star on the bench of the Class-A Rockford Cubbies since late April.
Casey had never had an arm ailment because he had never really pitched. Then suddenly, there it was.
``When we first got here to Rockford, it was freezing,'' said Casey, who went to high school in Alexandria. ``One game the wind chill was like 4 degrees. I was pitching against (Kane County) and I snapped off a slider and there was a shooting pain in my arm. I tried two more pitches and they weren't going anywhere near where I was trying to get them to go.''
So Casey called for help and later went on the disabled list with a condition that he said was never clearly diagnosed, but is almost healed nonetheless. He is close to returning to the Rockford bullpen, he said, and continuing his first full professional season - a little more than a year after such a scenario seemed ridiculous to imagine.
In the spring of '94, Casey was preparing for his sophomore season at Wesleyan, but with a different twist. An outfielder, Casey was going to try pitching for the first time.
It had been discovered the previous summer that Casey's strong throws from the outfield translated to 90-to-94 mph fastballs when delivered from the pitcher's mound. He was beckoned from the outfield, strictly for relief, by coach Nick Boothe early enough last season that scouts began to swarm, chattering over Casey's potential.
The Chicago Cubs took the plunge, drafting Casey, a two-time washout as a walk-on outfielder at East Carolina, in the 15th round. So there he was, in rookie ball in Huntington, W.Va., learning how to pitch.
``I was being put in different situations as a pitcher that I never was in at Wesleyan,'' said Casey, a 6-foot-1, 195-pounder who will be 23 in August. ``My knowledge of pitching tripled, at least, last year. The Cubs think of me as a young pitcher because I have a young arm that hasn't thrown too much. Age doesn't concern me.''
Casey, a righthanded closer, led Huntington with three saves and compiled a 3-1 record, 2.91 ERA and struck out 43 in 46 1/3 innings. The elbow squawked a little, he said, but Casey carried on because Huntington was a short-season club that played only 67 games.
Real trouble followed Casey to the Midwest League, however, and stalled his learning. Before his elbow gave out, Casey was 0-2 with one save and a 7.84 ERA that was humongous after opening night.
Casey got the loss that night after he threw 10 consecutive balls upon entering the game, got an out, hit a man, then gave up a grand slam.
``That didn't bring me down,'' Casey said. ``That's baseball.''
The game can be frustrating, as the last six weeks have been while he was on the mend. Casey is more than ready to get back, and eager to see his arm meet the challenge.
He never expected to be here, sure, but he's not about to give it back lightly.
``I'm a huge competitor. Anything I do I do seriously,'' Casey said. ``I know I can pitch in this league. If I can stay healthy, everything should come along with that.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Working full-time as a pitcher hasn't been all roses for Ryan
Casey.
by CNB