Jameson Taillon threw his latest live batting practice today, pitching in front of several pitching coaches and coordinators, including Special Assistant to the General Manager Jim Benedict. Taillon threw 21 pitches, which was one extra than he had planned. Video of some of the outing can be seen below, including Taillon going up against 2014 first round pick Connor Joe (second batter).
“The elbow feels great, so that’s a positive,” Taillon said after his outing.
The right-hander was throwing all of his pitches, both in his bullpen and in the live BP. He had some control problems in the live BP, although that is to be expected from a guy returning after such a long layoff. Command is usually one of the last things that returns. In Taillon’s case, he’s found command in flat grounds and bullpens, but needs to carry it over to the field.
“I’ve been playing catch for so long with my rehab, so my throwing programs, my flat grounds are extremely synced up,” Taillon said. “Now my bullpens are starting to feel really good. I’m executing pitches in there. So just finding a way to carry out that competitive delivery from the bullpen to a sim game or a game, that’s probably my next step.”
No word yet on the plan from here or the next steps in Taillon’s rehab. He said that his next bullpen might be on Saturday, and that the team will continue to monitor how he feels after each step as a precaution. Taillon said that’s not a concern, since he feels fine and doesn’t anticipate any soreness. At this point, he’s looking forward to taking the next step and getting closer to game action.
“I feel like I’m ready for the next step,” Taillon said. “I don’t like throwing with the screen in front of me. I never have.”
https://youtu.be/tGHBf_eR8EM
