CSN’s Shreve optimistic about draft despite injury

Most of the pain Colby Shreve experienced was emotional. His right elbow was hurt, and the injury was serious, but he was not in any kind of physical agony.

Shreve, the ace pitcher for College of Southern Nevada, was disappointed by the hand he was dealt.

"The reason I was so crushed when I found out was because this was the year I was looking forward to my whole life," he said.

In January, the 6-foot-5-inch, 220-pound Shreve was drawing comparisons to Roger Clemens because of his size and powerful fastball.

In late March, after blowing out his elbow, Shreve was hearing more about Tommy John -- the name for the ligament-replacement surgery he needed.

Shreve, ranked by Baseball America as the top junior college pitcher in the nation before the season, has overcome concerns about his future. His spirits are up, and the Bonanza High School product is not a forgotten prospect going into today's major league draft.

Last summer, Shreve was an eighth-round pick by the Atlanta Braves. He turned down the Braves' offer of a $125,000 signing bonus and returned to CSN.

He went 5-1 with a 2.30 ERA in eight starts for the Coyotes before the injury. But Shreve was shelved for the final two months of the season and had Tommy John surgery on May 15.

He still expects to go early in the draft and said there are "six or seven teams showing interest," including the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees.

"I could see Colby going in the first three rounds, or I could see him going in a later round and he gets third-round money," CSN coach Tim Chambers said.

By returning to college, Shreve said he hoped to get "double, triple or even quadruple" the signing bonus he was offered last year.

"I thought I could go back to school and be a first-rounder or second-rounder, and it was all coming together, too," Shreve said. "You never think you're going to get injured.

"I wanted to be an elite prospect. I would love to pitch in the major leagues; it's been my dream since I was 4."

Shreve, who had never suffered an arm injury before this season, had his surgery performed by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala. Andrews took a tendon from Shreve's left hamstring to reconstruct the elbow. The procedure took only about 90 minutes, but the recovery time is eight to 12 months.

"He has not complained once," Shreve's father, Doug, said. "The timing couldn't have been worse on this thing. That's just something fate throws you sometimes."

Shreve will wear a brace that controls his right arm's range of motion for two more weeks. He is rehabilitating by riding a bike and getting ice and massage treatments, and he soon can do light shoulder and wrist exercises.

At five months, he can start tossing a ball, and by the seventh month he should be cleared to throw off a mound.

"I talked to people who blew out their elbow, and they said it was excruciating," Shreve said. "But I don't really have any pain."

Shreve, whose fastball hit 95 mph, said he could return even stronger than he was before surgery.

About 10 Coyotes players are projected to go in the draft, including local pitchers Taylor Cole (Bishop Gorman), Tyler Lavigne (Centennial) and Drew Leary (Sierra Vista).

Two local high school players, Durango shortstop Niko Vasquez and Bishop Gorman pitcher Donnie Roach, are ranked as top 100 prospects.

UNLV junior first baseman Xavier Scruggs is expected to be selected in the first 10 rounds.