Scott Kelly is back to his old self, better actually than his old self.
BRIDGEWATER -- Scott Kelly is back to his old self, better actually than his old self.
A year ago last month he was in his second season of professional baseball with the Atlantic League's Somerset Patriots, playing the infield in the game he's loved since before his high school days at West Windsor-Plainsboro North and The College of New Jersey.
That's when his right hand became swollen and purple.
Scott Kelly An ultra sound revealed a blood clot and a diagnosis of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS). As explained in Wikipedia, "TOS may result from a positional cause; for example by abnormal compression from the clavicle (collarbone) and shoulder girdle on arm movement.''
A rib in the upper right part of his chest was removed, and, in what you could call a poor man's rendition of Frankenstein, he actually throws better now.
"He looks a little more free throwing,'' manager Brett Jodie said about the 25-year-old righty. "His arm strength is better. I had a couple of surgeries when I played, and you kind of retrain your body to where if you had any weakness in your throwing arm or any mechanical flaws, you kind of straighten those things out.
"I do think his throws are cleaner now and I do think he gets his arm up a little bit better, and the ball is coming out of his hand better.''
Kelly missed more than half of last season, and while his throwing has improved, so has another area.
"I think I'm a better person, too. Every experience allows you to have a better understanding for everybody else. The support I received when I was out was amazing. Texts, calls, comments. When you try and do stuff for people,'' he said, "you become a better person.''
He compared his initial return to throwing the ball to a four-year-old, saying maybe three of 50 tosses to a teammate were actually catchable. It was one day at a time for a few months of rehabbing, focusing on the moment while counting down the days until spring training.
"This one was a little different,'' he said about camp, sitting on the top row of the dugout a couple of hours before a recent game. "I knew I'd be all right, and then there was a day when I was, 'You know what? I'm OK. Let's go!' It wasn't so much how I was feeling but more of performing from a baseball aspect. I had to find out on my own.
"It wasn't easy,'' he said. "You can take my rib out but you can't take my love of baseball out.''
The surgery was performed at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City by Dr. Darren B. Schneider, Director of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. Helping Kelly return to form were physical therapist Justine DeLuccio, trainer Kevin Wagner and acupuncturist A.J. Adamczyk.
As of Friday July 8, Kelly was batting .259, with eight doubles, 35 runs scored, and leading the team with 25 stolen bases.
"He's doing well,'' Jodie said about Kelly's comeback season. "He hustles everywhere and worked his tail off to get back to where he was. He's a joy to be around, a ball of energy all the time.
"He makes a lot of hustle plays and gets to balls that normal people wouldn't get to. He's swinging well. Overall he's been very solid for us. He's mature beyond his years with trying to gain knowledge being around guys who can help you.''
He especially enjoys chatting with veterans, some of whom played in the Major Leagues. Former Mets outfielder Endy Chavez, now with Bridgeport, was on second base when Kelly walked over to talk about, "The Catch,'' the grab above the top of the wall made in the 2006 NLCS against the Cardinals.
"You realize how surreal it is and think, 'This is really cool.' I appreciate the little things more than ever now,'' he added. "Even like putting the cleats on. And going between the white lines.''
Known as, "The Kid'' when he first made the team, Kelly has gone through a lot to shed that nickname. Jodie, however, continues to refer to Kelly as 206. That was his tryout number.
Maybe it's time to call him Kelly 2.0.
Follow NJ.com on Twitter @njdotcom. Find NJ.com on Facebook.