Mariners’ Hultzen, Gutierrez both on long roads back to baseball

PEORIA, Ariz. – Two of the players I get asked about the most are two players that have spent the majority of their Mariners careers on the mend. Both are in camp with different paths in front of them. For left-hander Danny Hultzen, it’s about resuming his young career after a devastating shoulder injury. For center fielder Franklin Gutierrez, it’s about attempting to continue playing the game he loves despite having to manage a debilitating illness. Neither are expected to be on the Mariners’ opening-day roster, but both provided what I felt to be the most welcome sight of early spring: the ability to participate on the field with their teammates.

Hultzen is a full-go in camp after spending all of last year recovering and rehabbing from shoulder surgery. Not any shoulder surgery, mind you. Surgery to repair the labrum, rotator cuff and capsule – the dreaded trifecta. Prognosis for return is questionable with any of the three, but in the video above you can see Hultzen throwing his second bullpen session of the spring. He threw 38 pitches, mixing in his full repertoire. He was deliberate in the exercise, stopping often to talk with the coaches. He looks different, standing up taller in his delivery with the cross-body arm motion gone. These changes were implemented on day one in his rehab and he looks completely comfortable with them. His next milestone will be to throw to hitters in live batting practice (although he did some of that in Arizona last September) most likely in the next few days.

Mariners notebook: Full squad in Peoria and ready for work

As for Gutierrez, he was actually the first player I saw when I arrived in camp. A lot of people down here have been commenting on how good he looks. To me he looks like Guti, which is a good thing.

He said he was a little bit nervous walking back into the clubhouse for the first time in over a year but was thrilled to be back with the team that has given him his best opportunities. He expanded a bit on a conversation we had last May in Miami when he stopped by the team hotel to visit with his then-former teammates. He had to take time to not only learn to manage his condition, ankylosing spondylitis, but also take a mental break.

“Last year was a tough year for me. I thought I couldn’t do it anymore,” he said. “It was a process for me. They (his family) encouraged me to keep doing it. I really appreciate that. I will try to give it a shot. I have nothing to lose. I still have to manage the symptoms I have with the arthritis, and that’s it.”

Gutierrez, 32, admitted that he isn’t always 100 percent. Those with his condition have days where they feel normal and other days where they can barely move. A.S. is tough to diagnose as there are a number of symptoms one can have, most that are more likely the result of something else. Once the diagnosis is made then treatment can begin, but finding the right medication can be a challenge, too.

Gutierrez dealt with A.S. for far longer than we knew. Longer than he knew, for that matter. Dealing with the frustration of constantly being sidelined, often when he thought the problems were behind him, and the labels that were put on him as a result was something he had to fight to get through. He believes he is stronger for it.

“I learned a lot,” he said of that time. “I guess the people who talk like that don’t know what the people are going through. It causes inflammation with your joints. It is hard to move, to run, to do all the stuff in your normal life. I learned to be strong mentally. It doesn’t matter how many times you fall, you have to learn to stand up again. I also learned that family is the most important thing in our lives. It was a tough process for me, I am still going through it, but I am here again. I still have the opportunity to play, to show what I can do now.”

Gutierrez talks of good days and bad days. The bad days are fewer and the A.S. is mostly managed. Regardless of whether or not there is a spot for him on this team, he needs spring training to determine if this is something he can do. In his mind, one thing will determine if he is able to continue.

“I just want to see if my legs are ready,” Gutierrez said. “If my legs are ready, I think I can continue to keep playing. That is the most important thing for me to play baseball. If my legs are ready, I think I am going to be around for a long time.”

The road back started on a baseball field in Venezuela. Gutierrez joined his hometown team for a handful of games to try and gauge where he was physically. His return was story-book, a home run in his first at-bat.

“That was amazing. That day I had a lot of anxiety because of all the things I have been going through. I never thought that I could make contact in that first at-bat, but whoa,” he recalled with a smile, “I just made contact. He threw me a curve ball. I hit it good and after that I remember I knew that I belong there.”

Gutierrez will have to prove not only to himself that he belongs but to the Mariners and the rest of baseball. He most likely will have to do that in the minor leagues.

“I’m not thinking about anything right now,” he said when asked if he was willing to take a minor-league assignment. “I will be glad if I make the team. If I don’t make the team, it’s okay. I just feel like I want to try this, I want to be here again, it doesn’t matter what happens. I don’t want to think about what happens next, I just want to live day-by-day, and if everything goes well, I know what I can do on the field.”

For Gutierrez, it’s one day at a time. See how his body responds, see if he has his legs. It’s not something he has to do. He has done well financially in this game. He could retire and spend time with his young family. He’s not ready for that just yet.

“I think because this is what I have been doing my whole life, I don’t see myself doing anything else,” he said. “I really love the game. I really love this team, too. This is like a family for me. I really appreciate all the confidence they put in me. I just want to be here and have fun and don’t think of anything else. I just want to keep playing as long as I can.”

Notes

• Felix Hernandez has determined that he will throw his first bullpen session Thursday. He’s been on a little bit of a different get-ready plan the last couple of years and it’s hard to argue with the results.

• Dustin Ackley is a new dad. He and his wife had a very eventful drive to spring training as their son, Parson Bennett, decided to make his appearance one month early. Parson was born last Thursday in Oklahoma City. While he had to spend some additional time in the hospital, mother and baby are doing just fine. Dad appears to be okay as well.

• No hints regarding backups today. When the infielders ran their drills, the “ones” were on Field 6. Kyle Seager at third, Brad Miller and Chris Taylor at short, Robinson Cano and Willie Bloomquist at second and Logan Morrison at first. I was hoping to see a backup at first but the only other person to step over there was Alvin Davis, who assisted in some throwing drills.

• I will get this out of the way now. Hair update: Brad Miller’s is long. Rickie Weeks’ dreadlocks are gone. Logan Morrison’s is growing out. “Probably my last chance to do this before I start losing it,” Morrison said. Felix, next. Ackley’s beard is very much still there.

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