Mark Rogers: how is his arm? Latest: Baseball America with an Exciting Update

[jjjf44]

I noticed Rogers pitched batting practice a few weeks ago and was sent down to minor league complex soon after, is he still throwing and how is his arm? Will he be pitching in minors soon after they start up?

[Mass Haas]

There have been no addiditonal reports since Rogers assignment to minor league camp three weeks ago. He might surprise us with an assignment to a club to start the season, but is more likely to start pitching in live games (almost assuredly with Brevard) in May or June. Keep reading here, when there's news, you'll be made aware. Thanks.

[jjjf44]

Thank You

[AJhawk50]

In other transactions RHP Mark Rogers, the Brewers' first-round pick in the 2004 draft, was optioned to Class A Brevard County.

[BrewCrewForever]

I'm still very optimistic on Rogers. Hope he can get all the way to the big club some day.

[Kevbo74]

Rogers to Brevard County!? I'll actually get to listen to him pitch!

I don't think the news could be any better at this point.

 

Does this mean I won't see him at Maryvale? I planned to go at least 3-4 more times.

[TheCrew07]

MiLB player break camp after the big club don't they? Is he pitching in any of the scrimmages yet?

[Mass Haas]

As far as we know, Rogers is still expected to spend the first month or two of the season at extended spring training in Maryvale. Maybe that has changed, but this option assignent has nothing to do with that.

 

As far as the assignment of the option goes, keep in mind that because he (and Alex Periard and others) are on the 40-man but won't be on the 25-man roster, these announced assignments are made. And yes, when Rogers makes his 2009 debut, it will almost surely be in Brevard.

[Never Outhustled]

I'm hoping Rogers is developed as a reliever from here on out. To me, trying to stretch him out to start is too risky. He could be similar to Brad Lidge, who was also switched to relief work after repeated injuries in the minors. It will give him a quicker path to the majors, which will be important, as he has now used his 1st option.

 

The Brewers had fixed Rogers pitching mechanics, but after poor results, they backed off some of the changes part way through his 2006 season at BC. Predictably, he both began to show results, and got injured. If he can only show results with the semi-modified mechanics instead of the complete overhaul, then he will need to have his workload reduced to try to prevent further injury.

[Kevbo74]

Seen Rogers play a bit today. Not sure what I was expecting, but, man..

When he didn't walk someone, someone hit him. Then he hit Brendan Katin. He was going against Looper (who got beaned in the head on a comebacker by Maldonado). Mark didn't look incredibly comfortable, but he didn't look too bothered by what transpired either. At least he's on the comeback trail.

 

figured people might not have seen Rogers pitching lately, so here's some pictures:

http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv349/BrewAz/Rogers2.jpg

http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv349/BrewAz/Rogers1.jpg

http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv349/BrewAz/rogers3.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Mark Rogers on the mend

Former Mt. Ararat High School baseball standout still has eyes for the major leagues

By Bob Conn, Brunswick (ME) Times Record Staff

 

BRUNSWICK - To say that former Mt. Ararat High School pitching standout Mark Rogers has had a frustrating time of it since being drafted fifth overall by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2004 Major League Baseball draft would be an understatement.

 

Following consecutive lost years after two shoulder surgeries, Rogers is attempting another comeback with the Brewers this spring.

 

However, for the first time in a long time, the 23-year-old fireballer is pitching pain-free and looking for a successful, injury-free season.

 

"My arm feels really good, and now it's just a matter of getting out on the mound and pitching some innings," said Rogers from the Brewers' baseball complex in Phoenix.

 

The Orrs Island resident is on the Brewers' 40-man roster, and has thrown several bullpen sessions. Still, he is on a very limited pitch count.

 

"I have a 35- to 45-pitch count, and the first time out (against minor leaguers from the Los Angeles Dodgers) I faced seven hitters, allowed one hit and struck out two. But more importantly, I felt good during the game, after the game, and the next day," said Rogers, who is scheduled to face a minor league team from the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. "I was so concerned about my arm, but now I can just worry about pitching and not all the other stuff because the arm feels good."

 

Note: Doesn't match up with the box score info or reports we received, but perhaps Mark is referring to Tuesday's matchup vs. Mariners prospects, those numbers are closer to the quote...

 

A tough two seasons

 

After being drafted by the Brewers, Mark headed to Arizona to pitch in the Arizona League, normally a first stop for Milwaukee rookies. He had six starts, finishing with an 0-3 record with a 4.73 earned-run average.

 

The Milwaukee coaching staff worked on changing some of Mark's pitching mechanics. They adjusted his pitching motion from his normal across the body approach to an over-the-top release point, with the goal to keep the power pitcher from putting too much strain on his shoulder.

 

Over the next two seasons, he pitched in West Virginia (Class A, 20 starts, 2-9, 5.11 ERA) and Brevard County, Fla., (Advanced A, 16 starts, 1-2, 5.07 ERA, 96 strikeouts in 71 innings). But Mark was in pain and the Brewers shut him down in July 2006, trying to figure out what was wrong.

 

"My shoulder pain was determining how I was going to throw, and I knew that my mechanics were never going to be perfect, and I felt that I was making progress, but my shoulder hurt a lot," said Mark.

 

After two MRIs revealed little, a third was ordered. A partial tear in the front of his labrum, located in his shoulder socket, was discovered. Major surgery forced the righty to miss the entire 2007 season.

 

"It was tough to get over the surgery, and it really wears on you mentally," said Mark, who began light throwing nearly a year later.

 

However, things weren't right, and more tests revealed even more damage in Mark's shoulder, requiring another surgery and another year on the sidelines.

 

This time, Mark could feel a difference as he healed with no pain from his right arm. He worked extensively with Brewers' physical therapist Kenny Paterson, who brought Mark back slowly while building up his shoulder strength.

 

The organization showed faith in Mark's progress by adding him to the 40-man Major League roster. Now, all that was left was to prove that he was ready to move forward.

 

"It felt good to get that first time on the mound out of the way," said Mark after that initial spring training test. "I'm very confident in my mechanics now. I just need to stay healthy.

 

"There are some good things that comes out of going through surgery," Mark continued. "I had to learn how to throw the ball correctly because if I don't, my shoulder tells me. I am throwing without pain, so that tells me that I'm doing it right and on the right path. I feel that I'm somewhere between where the Brewers want me to be mechanically and where I was when I became a pro nearly five years ago."

 

Little change

 

Mark feels that he hasn't changed much from his days of mowing down Maine high school hitters with 95-mile-per-hour fastballs while leading Mt. Ararat to the Class A State title game in 2004.

 

"In high school, I let my raw talent get me by," said Mark. "I have had great coaches all my life. My dad (Craig) knows a lot about the game and brought me along when I was a kid. With Milwaukee, I have been fortunate to have knowledgeable coaches. Those in Maine that knew me as a high school athlete would see someone who is pretty much the same physically, but is a lot more knowledgeable in the way I approach the game."

 

For this season, Mark is slated to head back to the Breward County Manatees in the Florida State League's Advanced A league. The 6-foot-2 power pitcher hopes to advance to the Brewers' Double-A affiliate in Huntsville, Ala., this season, but even that is not the most important thing for Mark.

 

"My number-one goal is to stay healthy, and the rest will take of itself," said Mark. "My goal remains to one day be a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. I have a new pitching coordinator who has preached for all of us to get ahead of the hitters and that the first three pitches should be strikes. I try to get ahead, and not be afraid of contact because I have seven guys behind me who are good and several catchers that know what they're doing."

 

As far as the organization goes, Mark is excited to see how hard the Brewers have worked to put a quality product on the field.

 

"Last season, the Brewers made a big move in bringing in (pitcher) C.C. Sabathia (now with the New York Yankees), and that showed that we are ready to compete now and willing to do what it takes," said Mark, who watched as Milwaukee fell to the eventual World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies in the National League playoffs. "There are a lot of good baseball players in the organization. Last season was not a fluke. Our upper management knows how to put out a good product and the clubhouse is great to be around. I just hope to a part of it some day."

 

Mark recalled a story of his experience hanging out with Milwaukee slugger and veteran outfielder Mike Cameron in the early stages of spring training.

 

"In the clubhouse, someone was showing a clip of when Cameron hit four home runs in a game, and here I am sitting in the locker room with him and these major leaguers," recalls Mark. "It definitely motivates you and shows me how much that I want to be here.

 

"I have been picking guys' brains, and it's pretty neat. Being around these talented guys can only help me to move forward."

[Never Outhustled]

Note: Doesn't match up with the box score info or reports we received, but perhaps Mark is referring to Tuesday's matchup vs. Mariners prospects, those numbers are closer to the quote...

 

 

 

Thats Mark's exact line from the box score posted on 3/22. Inland Empire is a Dodger affiliate. Apparently this article was old by the time it hit print. Still, any good news on Rogers is good to hear. Great to here him now embracing mechanical changes.

 

The article doesn't answer the question I'm dying to have answered though. Is his fastball back?!

[Mass Haas]

Thanks for the leg work dissecting that box score line, X.

[foamboy1]

Maybe it's the uniform or the angle, but Mark doesn't look in the best of shape. Granted he was 18 when he was drafted, but he looks 20 or more pounds heavier, especially in the lower body. I hope he makes it through the season without injury, and then really builds in the offseason to emerge as a good prospect again in 2010. I'm looking forward to hear about his fastball, but I think making it through the season without incident places him in line to really build himself next offseason with 2010 being his key, potential breakthrough year.

[PlayerHader]

I don't think it is strange at all for an 18 year old to put on a lot of weight once they get into a professional (or even college) conditioning program. A couple pitchers that I faced in hs went on to college and after seeing them a few years later they were noticeably bigger, especially their calves.

[DHonks]

I like how good of an athlete he looks like. He has a solid build. There aren't many good pitchers that are built like runners. Having a strong base should help him.

[Never Outhustled]

So far, so good for Mr. Rogers. Congrats to him. I was worried nerves might hurt him tonight. Its great to see him get some validation for his hard work. Anybody listen to the audio and get a radar gun reading on him?

[DHonks]

Congrats for Mark. I would assume he was pitching to contact. That means his control can't be quite as wild as what we heard in spring training. Hopefully over time he continues to build arm strength and learn from this injury. I'm really pulling for him and his teammate, Mike Jones.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

BY RACHEL LENZI, MaineToday.com

 

Friday in Viera, Fla., Mark Rogers made his first professional start since Aug. 18, 2006, after undergoing two surgeries on his right shoulder.

 

Rogers, a right-hander from Orr's Island and Mt. Ararat High School, pitched three scoreless innings in his first start of the season with the Brevard County Manatees -- a Brewers' farm team -- in the Class A Florida State League. He will make his second start Thursday when Brevard County faces the Tampa Yankees.

 

Rogers threw 44 pitches, giving up two hits, a walk, and striking out one in a 7-6 loss to Daytona. The Brewers wanted him to throw no more than 50 pitches.

 

"I stuck to my strengths," said Rogers, 23, whom Milwaukee selected fifth overall in the 2004 amateur draft. "I watched the team the night before and took notes, and when it came time to pitch, I stuck to my game plan.

 

"Having a game plan and staying within yourself is a plus. When you're younger, you're just pitching, and that's the name of the game but there's a way to accomplish it. It's more methodical, and it's not about being gung-ho."

 

Reid Nichols, director of player development for the Brewers, expects Rogers to remain on a limited pitch count through the first half of the season with Brevard County. Nichols said that Class A -- with a 25-man roster, as opposed to 24 at Double-A -- is ideal for a pitcher on a limited pitch count to develop. The Brewers' medical staff, he said, will determine if and when his pitch count could increase to up to 75 a game.

 

"We don't want to extend him too far and we don't want to overtax him," Nichols said. "We're all hopeful he will be a major-league starter for us. But we're patient as he works through this."

 

Rogers, 23, spent the summer of 2004 in the Arizona Rookie League, the 2005 season with the low-Class A West Virginia Power and the first half of 2006 with Brevard County before he injured his right shoulder during a game. Six months later, after going through physical therapy, Rogers underwent surgery to repair a labral tear and to tighten a loose ligament in his shoulder. He sat out the next two seasons of baseball. Last June, Rogers underwent a second surgery to remove scar tissue that developed after the first surgery. A day after the surgery, Rogers said he started rehabilitation and resumed workouts, focusing first on range-of-motion exercises and progressing to a point where, six weeks later, he began throwing.

 

In October, Rogers began throwing bullpen sessions in an instructional league in Arizona. Rogers took four weeks off for a hunting trip to Saskatchewan in November with his father, and when he resumed throwing right before the holidays -- and right after the Brewers added him to the 40-man roster -- he felt a difference. Rogers has been actively pitching since the start of spring training in February.

 

"I was very fortunate to be around a lot of very good pitchers during my rehabilitation, guys like Mike Jones and Chris Capuano, and I owe a lot to my pitching coach, Steve Cline," Rogers said. "He's helped me so much, with the mental side of the game, the correct way to go about business and to be a professional."

 

Rogers said that since his first surgery, he has become a student of the game, whether he was working out at the ballpark, throwing, or watching other players.

 

"Rehab is a grind," said Rogers, who lives in Arizona in the offseason. "It's hard because some of the guys I was drafted with and some of my good friends are in the big leagues now.

 

"But you also learn about the game through the process and I've found that I've improved. My body strength is better, my endurance is better and my pitching is better."

[Never Outhustled]

Good news! BA with a Mark Rogers article, including news that his fastball is back! I was concerned since his K rate is down, but apparently he's learned how to get guys out without striking them out. He's saying all the right things in every interview. He is really turning his layoff into a positive. Who new all Rogers needed to do to start getting results on the mound was to take 2 1/2 years off?

[Gobias Industries]

97 mph in his second start!?! That is really great to hear.

[WisconsinSportsRule]

97 mph in his second start!?! That is really great to hear.

Exactly what I thought. He still has time to get to the big leagues.

[PlayerHader]

Why not put him in the bullpen right now? I wonder if Nick Nuegebauer, JM Gold, Mike Jones...etc. could have been excellent contributors in the big leagues if they had been moved to the bullpen at some point.

[Never Outhustled]

Why not put him in the bullpen right now? I wonder if Nick Nuegebauer, JM Gold, Mike Jones...etc. could have been excellent contributors in the big leagues if they had been moved to the bullpen at some point.

I agree, but being on a 50 pitch limit is just like being in the bullpen. We can figure out a future role for him when they think he's ready for his pitch count to jump up to 70, but they said that would be awhile yet.

[Tbadder]

Why not develop him as a reliever? At 97mph he should be able to get it done if that lands in the strike zone. What do the Brewers have against developing relievers?