O’Connell Regaining Form After Tommy John Surgery

The discomfort in his throwing arm started after a promising freshman season at Polk State College that saw Colyn O’Connell start 11 games.

What followed was a prognosis that was far from good for the tall right-hander: the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in the elbow in his pitching arm was so damaged that it required Tommy John surgery.

The operation, which necessitates that a hole to be drilled into the elbow to replace the tendon using a tendon from another part of the body, usually takes a year of rehabilitation for pitchers.

“I put everything in perspective because I did not play baseball at all last year,” O’Connell said. 

O’Connell underwent Tommy John surgery—named after the first baseball player to undergo the procedure in 1974—in August of 2013. After the surgery, O’Connell rehabilitated  extensively at a facility called The Winning Inning Baseball Academy located in his hometown of Clearwater, Florida.

Now healthy, the six-foot-five, 210 pound O’Connell has found a new home at Miami Dade College. The brawny sophomore is 1-0 this year in two appearances for the Sharks. He has eight strikeouts in 12 innings pitched with a sterling 0.00 ERA.

O’Connell’s fastball is better than ever. He is topping out at 93 miles per hour on the radar gun—before the injury his fastball was clocked in the mid-80s.  

“Post surgery, my arm has been feeling great,” O’Connell said. “I have been playing better and throwing harder.”

Through hard work and perseverance, O’Connell has managed to resurrect his career. As a senior at Dunedin High School in Pinellas County he struck out 72 batters in 64.1 innings pitched while posting a 1.63 ERA his senior year.

Because of that potential, O’Connell was drafted in the 19th round in the 2012 Major League Baseball draft by the Cleveland Indians, but he opted to attend Polk State College instead. During his freshman season at Polk State College, he posted a 4.82 ERA in 11 starts and had 27 strikeouts.

“I want [O’Connell] to get better every time he gets out there and to help the team,” said Sharks Pitching Coach Kevin Long. “He is a big guy and has the bearing of a professional pitcher.”

Florida Atlantic University has already granted O’Connell a scholarship to study and play baseball for them this coming Fall.

But the 21-year-old O’Connell is taking it all in stride. He is staying humble and keeping it simple.

“I want to compete,” he said. “Keep my team in the games we can win.”