SE: TK McWhertor’s Long Journey Back from Tommy John ‘Worth it in the End’
Mar 29, 2018 | Baseball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
A year ago, TK McWhertor's pre-game routine started in the trainer's room and ended with him in the stands. Now, K-State's redshirt junior holds the team's second-best batting average (.354) and is its regular starter behind the plate.
In between the two lies a trying period of time.
McWhertor came to K-State from Cuesta College in California in 2016 and reinjured his elbow in his first fall with the Wildcats — the same elbow cost him most of his sophomore season at Cuesta, where he hit .303 as a freshman and was named Western State North Conference's Defensive Player of the Year.
Initially, McWhertor said he underwent a "special procedure" to fix it. He regained full strength for about two months, he added, before "it happened again during pre-game."
"We had to go for the full surgery that time," he said of his ulnar collateral ligament reconstructive surgery, better known as Tommy John, on October 27, 2016. "It was about a year of recovery, but I made it back."
To be clear, McWhertor said he did not make it back without great help. The first person he brings up when discussing the rehabilitation process — a 90-minute to two-hour daily grind — is K-State baseball's athletic trainer, Blaine Burris.
"I couldn't have done anything without him, especially with my other injuries that I've had, with my hip and my back. He's always nursed me back to health. I really, honestly wouldn't be here without him," McWhertor said. "Every day, he was with me with every new exercise. He always really took care of how I was feeling and making sure everything was going according to plan. With all of our guys, he's pretty much the backbone of our program. He keeps everybody healthy. He's not the kind of guy who babies you. He knows everybody wants to play and he'll keep you on the field as much as humanly possible."
While recovering and rebuilding, McWhertor's pre-game routine at home — he did not travel to road games — looked much different than it does now. Rehab work and weight lifting replaced batting practice and bullpen sessions.
During the game he was farther behind home plate, holding a radar gun in the stands to record pitch speeds. It was not easy to be away from his teammates and the team's unique dugout atmosphere that, this season, includes everything from turnips hanging up and, most recently, goldfish crackers being "sacrificed" for good luck.
Still, he tried to make the best of it.
"It was different. I wouldn't say it sucked. I was still around the team most of the time, so it was good to be part of the team," he said. "To sit in the stands during the game, that's tough, but you learn a different side of the game, analyzing, being a catcher. It was a little different, but you still get to see momentum changes and see really what influences the game from the outside.
"It definitely made me a smarter player, actively watching and knowing the guys and what they can do, learning guys' strengths and weaknesses. Coming into this year, having that leg up definitely has helped."
There were plenty of other key steps along the way.
McWhertor started a throwing program in February of 2017, which lasted between six to eight months, to rebuild his arm strength. Last summer, to start to get his timing back at the plate, he strictly served as a designated hitter in a league back home in California.
By last September, McWhertor was finally behind the plate again. Then the first "I'm back" moment occurred.
"My first fall game back, I threw out (freshman infielder) Dylan Watts, and me and Blaine hugged it out," McWhertor said. "That was a good moment."
Then there was McWhertor's first at-bat of this season. The 6-foot, self-described "singles hitter" smacked the second pitch he saw over the left field wall against 17th-ranked South Alabama. It was his first home run since his junior year of high school.
"I'm averaging about two per decade," he joked. "That was another big moment. Those two things really make you think, 'Thank God. It's been a long road but it's all worth it in the end.'"
McWhertor has started 18 of 25 games this season for K-State (13-12, 0-3), which opens its home Big 12 schedule against Texas (16-10, 5-1) on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. He's recorded seven multi-hit games and is hitting .400 (8-of-20) with runners in scoring position this season.
"It's not rocket appliances," McWhertor said of his hitting success, dropping in a line from "Trailer Park Boys," the team's favorite show. "You just have to see ball, hit ball, and just keep things light. My main thing, everybody gets on me about it, but I just keep the balls through the infield. Not much power, I have one home run, and it was my first ball of the season, and then I got my first extra-base hit this (past) weekend. Singles are fine as long as you put your pride aside and just let the ball hit the bat."
In K-State's first Big 12 series against No. 15 TCU, McWhertor went 3-for-9 with a hit in each game against a loaded Horned Frog pitching staff. He recorded hits off of Jared Janczak, who returned to TCU after being selected in the 11th round of the 2017 MLB Draft, Nick Lodolo, the 41st overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, and Sean Wymer, who played for the 2017 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.
"I honestly liked facing those guys," McWhertor said. "It's better facing that kind of pitching because it makes you a better hitter."
More than anything else, McWhertor is glad he's in a K-State uniform. While he had offers to stay close to home in California, a two-day stay in Manhattan sold him on the idea of getting away. Now, he's convinced the decision allowed him to return to form.
"If I tore my Tommy John somewhere else," he said, "I don't think I would have been back the way I have been."
A year ago, TK McWhertor's pre-game routine started in the trainer's room and ended with him in the stands. Now, K-State's redshirt junior holds the team's second-best batting average (.354) and is its regular starter behind the plate.
In between the two lies a trying period of time.
McWhertor came to K-State from Cuesta College in California in 2016 and reinjured his elbow in his first fall with the Wildcats — the same elbow cost him most of his sophomore season at Cuesta, where he hit .303 as a freshman and was named Western State North Conference's Defensive Player of the Year.
Initially, McWhertor said he underwent a "special procedure" to fix it. He regained full strength for about two months, he added, before "it happened again during pre-game."
"We had to go for the full surgery that time," he said of his ulnar collateral ligament reconstructive surgery, better known as Tommy John, on October 27, 2016. "It was about a year of recovery, but I made it back."
To be clear, McWhertor said he did not make it back without great help. The first person he brings up when discussing the rehabilitation process — a 90-minute to two-hour daily grind — is K-State baseball's athletic trainer, Blaine Burris.
"I couldn't have done anything without him, especially with my other injuries that I've had, with my hip and my back. He's always nursed me back to health. I really, honestly wouldn't be here without him," McWhertor said. "Every day, he was with me with every new exercise. He always really took care of how I was feeling and making sure everything was going according to plan. With all of our guys, he's pretty much the backbone of our program. He keeps everybody healthy. He's not the kind of guy who babies you. He knows everybody wants to play and he'll keep you on the field as much as humanly possible."
While recovering and rebuilding, McWhertor's pre-game routine at home — he did not travel to road games — looked much different than it does now. Rehab work and weight lifting replaced batting practice and bullpen sessions.
During the game he was farther behind home plate, holding a radar gun in the stands to record pitch speeds. It was not easy to be away from his teammates and the team's unique dugout atmosphere that, this season, includes everything from turnips hanging up and, most recently, goldfish crackers being "sacrificed" for good luck.
Still, he tried to make the best of it.
"It was different. I wouldn't say it sucked. I was still around the team most of the time, so it was good to be part of the team," he said. "To sit in the stands during the game, that's tough, but you learn a different side of the game, analyzing, being a catcher. It was a little different, but you still get to see momentum changes and see really what influences the game from the outside.
"It definitely made me a smarter player, actively watching and knowing the guys and what they can do, learning guys' strengths and weaknesses. Coming into this year, having that leg up definitely has helped."
There were plenty of other key steps along the way.
McWhertor started a throwing program in February of 2017, which lasted between six to eight months, to rebuild his arm strength. Last summer, to start to get his timing back at the plate, he strictly served as a designated hitter in a league back home in California.
By last September, McWhertor was finally behind the plate again. Then the first "I'm back" moment occurred.
"My first fall game back, I threw out (freshman infielder) Dylan Watts, and me and Blaine hugged it out," McWhertor said. "That was a good moment."
Then there was McWhertor's first at-bat of this season. The 6-foot, self-described "singles hitter" smacked the second pitch he saw over the left field wall against 17th-ranked South Alabama. It was his first home run since his junior year of high school.
"I'm averaging about two per decade," he joked. "That was another big moment. Those two things really make you think, 'Thank God. It's been a long road but it's all worth it in the end.'"
McWhertor has started 18 of 25 games this season for K-State (13-12, 0-3), which opens its home Big 12 schedule against Texas (16-10, 5-1) on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. He's recorded seven multi-hit games and is hitting .400 (8-of-20) with runners in scoring position this season.
"It's not rocket appliances," McWhertor said of his hitting success, dropping in a line from "Trailer Park Boys," the team's favorite show. "You just have to see ball, hit ball, and just keep things light. My main thing, everybody gets on me about it, but I just keep the balls through the infield. Not much power, I have one home run, and it was my first ball of the season, and then I got my first extra-base hit this (past) weekend. Singles are fine as long as you put your pride aside and just let the ball hit the bat."
In K-State's first Big 12 series against No. 15 TCU, McWhertor went 3-for-9 with a hit in each game against a loaded Horned Frog pitching staff. He recorded hits off of Jared Janczak, who returned to TCU after being selected in the 11th round of the 2017 MLB Draft, Nick Lodolo, the 41st overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, and Sean Wymer, who played for the 2017 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.
"I honestly liked facing those guys," McWhertor said. "It's better facing that kind of pitching because it makes you a better hitter."
More than anything else, McWhertor is glad he's in a K-State uniform. While he had offers to stay close to home in California, a two-day stay in Manhattan sold him on the idea of getting away. Now, he's convinced the decision allowed him to return to form.
"If I tore my Tommy John somewhere else," he said, "I don't think I would have been back the way I have been."
Players Mentioned
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