Brandon Woodruff’s EPIC comeback

00:00:00
Speaker 1: I don't know if this is it here or not, but like I know, I needed to throw again for sure in this uniform.

00:00:05
Speaker 2: So that was a big driver.

00:00:13
Speaker 3: There.

00:00:14
Speaker 4: He is Brandon Woodrif Big Woo from the Milwaukee Brewers, back on FT and really most importantly, back on a big league mounds, big Wu. Awesome to see you, man, Congratulations on making it back in great first start. How you doing man, it's been a.

00:00:28
Speaker 2: Minute, Man's I'm doing good.

00:00:32
Speaker 1: I've blown off Cratzy quite a few times.

00:00:35
Speaker 2: Not intentionally, but just yeah, I was laying low. Man.

00:00:39
Speaker 1: You've tried to have me on there in the past, just like come back on the show, and I'm just like, I really just don't want to, just want to lay low for a little bit.

00:00:47
Speaker 2: But you know what, I'm back man. Good to see you, Big.

00:00:52
Speaker 5: I would never have texted you broken to come on the show. I would never have been like, big Woo, your shoulder is not working, come on the show. I would never never, once or seven times texted you that.

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Speaker 3: But right, right, that's funny.

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Speaker 4: Hey, the show's made moves since we last talked to Man, it's it's.

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Speaker 2: You got now. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

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Speaker 4: You've upgradd a little bit since we last were making a little dough a little few more fans. So so since we last had John tell me how life has been up to this point and and how you're feeling, Like, do you feel like a different person once you've actually gotten through the rehab process and now you're like a normal big leigure again on a mound?

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Speaker 2: You know.

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Speaker 1: Well, I've got our son just had his first birthday yesterday, So that's that's new, and that's been fun. And yeah, just just rehab. Man, it's been it's been a long journey. It's it's it's weirdly been a long journey, but it's been a strangely kind of quick. Once you get caught up in this, just like a season, it's like you look up and it's like, man, six months is going by, you know, years going by, just like that. But I mean it's been, uh, it's we can we can get into a lot here, but it's it's been a long journey.

00:02:12
Speaker 2: It's been. Uh, it's definitely had its ups and downs.

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Speaker 1: But I've definitely got a lot of a lot of family time, which which you don't get during the season.

00:02:21
Speaker 3: Yeah, and that's probably the best part. Now I want to go through a little bit of the down as you were rehabbing you had an ankle injury and you got hit with a comeback or like, yeah, tell me about your mind, like your process, like what goes through your mind. You're rehabbing, You're almost there, and then boom, these two things happened and you're like, dude, what is going on? I got to start all over again, a different injury. It must have really, it must have hurt. Honestly at the end of the day, you know, physically and mentally, Yeah, no doubt.

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Speaker 1: I mean the ankle thing honestly came out of nowhere. I was getting ready for my last start, and you know what, I progressed.

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Speaker 2: Very well.

00:03:00
Speaker 1: I mean up and up until that point, I'd progressed very well. And yeah, it came out of nowhere. Couldn't walk for two days basically, and then but I mean it was it was a very minor thing. You just had to get through the first week of getting inflammation calm down in the ankle. And once I did that, it was I mean I kept throwing. I just wasn't able to push off and uh so that was that was that was good. And then you know that that ankle thing probably bled a little bit into Once I got back going, the velocity had kind of gone back down, and it's like, you know, I'm trying everything I can to to to.

00:03:39
Speaker 2: See some VLO.

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Speaker 1: You know, not not only personally, but because I was in a great spot before the ankle thing happened, and you know, I'm sure the team was wanting to see a little bit more out of me. And you know, I get to the end of the the ankle rehab and I mean, twelve pitches in I get smoked with I think it was one of eight off the elbow, and that was one of those moments where you know, the initial shock of getting hit, I mean it it's stung pretty good. But then walking back to the dugout, it was like, uh, the thought of if there's something broken here, like you know, I'm potentially done for the season. So I had that running through my mind going up to before I got got it checked out, and thankfully everything checked out.

00:04:24
Speaker 2: Okay.

00:04:24
Speaker 1: Then it was just getting swelling out and trying to you know, just proceed again. But I mean it was it was you get to the finish line twice and then some unforeseen stuff kind of pops up. But you know what, that's that's live man. That's uh, and that's that's kind of it's kind of the the rehab process and blessing in the skies. Honestly, just give gave me a little bit more time to work on my body, work on my delivery a little bit and just try to get everything as in sync as I could.

00:04:53
Speaker 2: And you know, hey, I was able to do that for for at least one start here.

00:04:58
Speaker 5: Yeah, I love that you said it was it was a blessing in disguise, like it was something that like I think sometimes guys come back too early from injuries. But I want you to comment on that a little bit. But I also wanted to, like, come on a line, drive back at you. The Paul's got a rubber center, big will Like it's like it's leather string and a rubber center. Like one time, one time, feel the ball, they give you a glove.

00:05:22
Speaker 2: You talk about hey, like that was just reacting pure reaction. I tried to catch it.

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Speaker 1: I should have kept spinning and I would have took it right off the butt and I would have been good to go. But man, there was there was no getting out of way of that dude, it was. It was smoked. And then I get back to Milwaukee and I'm seeing, you know, I think we're playing the Padres and I think Manny Machado and you know, Fernando and these guys were hitting balls like one o six, one eight, one oh nine, and I'm looking at them come off the bat and I'm like, good lord.

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Speaker 2: Man like that.

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Speaker 1: You don't realize how hard that ball is hit until you sit on the side and see it come off the bat like that. But yeah, there was no escape in that one for sure.

00:06:04
Speaker 5: Okay, So talk about the blessing in disguise. I talk about I talk about all the time. People are like, well, four weeks, he's going to be back in four weeks. How much do you think, because now you've thrown one game in the big leagues, how much do you think if you can go back to ray before your ankle was hurt, you could have done the same thing at that moment that you did. Now I think it was it a month and a half later.

00:06:30
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's it's crazy. Now I know exactly what you're saying. And I think the tough thing for me this year was going to be how am I going to manage innings to a certain extent, you know what I mean. Like if I'm feeling good, that that's great. But anytime you have a shoulder injury, any injury, elbow, whatever it is for a picture, the reality is, man, you've got to You've got to somehow manage a little bit. And heck I was, I was on the way back in middle of May, and you know, I don't know how I would have been at this point or what would have happened. And you know, I think back to, you know, before my debut in seventeen, or you know, I was in Saint Louis and I pulled my hamstring before I even picked up a baseball, And I looked.

00:07:26
Speaker 2: Back on that moment, and I honestly believe, like leading.

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Speaker 1: Up to the official debut in Tampa, like I knew what it felt like all the way up until I threw a pitch, you know what I mean. So I slept a little bit better. I was able to prepare for it a little bit better. And sometimes as a competitor, you get caught up in the moment and you just can't see ahead, you know what I mean, Like you're just you're caught up in that, But honestly, you know, who knows. I really don't have an answer for you.

00:07:58
Speaker 2: How would have win?

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Speaker 1: How would have felt? All I know is everything let up until last Sunday, And you know, I've I've tried to put myself in the best position and put my body in the best position, and and no doubt, like having that extra time allows you to just keep working on things. And you know the biggest thing I've learned with this injury is time is your best friend. And you know, I'm not obviously not getting any younger, but my body feels great, and.

00:08:30
Speaker 2: It just takes time. And there's no other way to put it. It just takes time.

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Speaker 1: And there's no magical day where it's like ahh, like I feel great.

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Speaker 2: You know, like you have to work.

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Speaker 1: On your body every day, and as you know, as you get older, it just takes a little bit more time getting ready. And that's okay, and that's kind of where I'm at. But I think everything kind of led up to that day to put me in a good position to be able to perform.

00:08:55
Speaker 4: Hey, let's do a little player spotlight thanks to Arena club A. Jake, give me a player season that you think is underrated and you might want to try and grab his card.

00:09:03
Speaker 6: James would.

00:09:04
Speaker 5: I don't know that he's underrated, but Washington National's superstar in the making, and the first slab pack I ever opened had him innut his rookie card, and the value.

00:09:12
Speaker 6: Is only going to go up and up and up. And I'm not gonna sell it Kwi yet, Scott.

00:09:15
Speaker 5: I'm gonna hold on to it because after he continues to hit big homers and put up the stats make All Star teams, it's going to get more expensive for someone to buy.

00:09:23
Speaker 3: For me.

00:09:23
Speaker 4: This is his first full season in the majors. Keep that in mind. I think he's underrated. He's on a Nationals team that's may adding enough attention.

00:09:31
Speaker 6: He might underrated. When he makes the All Star team this year, They're not going to be underrated.

00:09:36
Speaker 2: That helps.

00:09:36
Speaker 4: He's been intentionally walked four times in a game. Anyway, If you want to try and find a Wood rookie card, go check out slab packs on Arena Club and right now you can get twenty percent off your first lab pack, Or if you just want to go with a card purchase, go to Arena club dot com slash f oul use code foul.

00:09:51
Speaker 2: If you I sell, trade collect, go for it all right.

00:09:55
Speaker 5: One comment, two questions. First of all, that body is not it is not okay, It's just as nasty. Nobody needs to see it. One thing that I want to know is how have you recovered? How have you recovered? But also how good is your stuff?

00:10:11
Speaker 6: Because I heard you.

00:10:12
Speaker 5: Talking about your change up. You're like, man, it's been like a year and a half of my change up has been I know what you wanted to say, but you said, dug crap.

00:10:21
Speaker 6: Yeah, change up has been terrible. How is your stuff?

00:10:24
Speaker 3: Like?

00:10:25
Speaker 6: Do you stand over the rubber and go, I got this?

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Speaker 1: Like, let me tell you. I'll let you in on it. Like I've been recovering great. The shoulder has been consistently recovering good now for I mean pretty much the whole year. Each each step I would take, you know, the first outing in Nashville, I was a little beat up after that one, which to be expected. And then it's just continue to make adjustments with recovery in between. And the more the more you do this and let your body know that this is what it's supposed to do, that's what it's used to doing. He kind of just fall into a better groove with recovery. So, uh, that's that's been pretty stable. And you know, I know what to kind of make adjustments on. If I'm feeling something here, feeling something there, I can able, you know, to attack it a little bit better. And so that's been great. And I'll tell you what. I walked into the meeting in Miami, and you know, we I talked to Hassi a little bit the day before on the bench and and I was like, look, man, I don't know. I was like, I honestly, I don't know what I've got for you tomorrow. Like, you know, I got too fastballs to change up, curveball and uh and uh and a slider. I was like, the change ups working, we'll throw it if the If the slider's working, we'll throw it. I said, but we're gonna have to identify that in the bullpen pretty early. And then once we get into the game. And then I get into the you know, picture catcher meeting with Hooky and the coaches, and I'm like, all right, I said, you know, we'll just figure it out once we get out there. And uh, you know, it's kind of lined up exactly how the whole rehab is going. I pop in for a rehab for a day. I don't know a soul in the lineup. I show up and I try to pitch. And you know, that's what I've always prided myself on. You know, I've had the stuff, but I always wanted to be a pitcher. And because as as you get later in this game, that's that's one day it's going to help you out. So I have no doubt that approaching it that way, and rehab helped me the other day. And uh, and I mean I did video work, I did all the stuff. But I mean, you know, once you get to the big leagues, stuff ticks up a little bit. And then I get I start warming up, start getting in the pen and pre game and the body's moving a little bit different. But yeah, I mean as far as metrically and stuff like, I pay attention a little bit to that stuff, and uh, you know, slight differences, nothing crazy. But I did not have a change up pretty much the whole rehab process. It was very, very, very hit or miss. And but once I got out there, man on that mound and and it's kind of like a weird place. It's I'm very comfortable out on that mound, and the body starts moving a little bit different. You get a big league hitters in the box and things change. So I had no expectations, none, And I said that, look, I've got no expectations, you know. Quite frankly, I didn't care if I gave up six seven runs whatever.

00:13:32
Speaker 2: It was.

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Speaker 1: Just going through what you go through for almost two years just to get back on a big league mound is is pretty cool in itself. So yeah, I really didn't care how it went. But you know, it's just icing on the cake of kind of how it did go. So I definitely enjoyed that day and the day after, and you know, but it's back to work.

00:13:57
Speaker 2: You got to get ready for a note ball club, all right.

00:14:00
Speaker 6: Well it's not all about you. How did Jonie handle this? Your wife?

00:14:05
Speaker 2: Right?

00:14:05
Speaker 5: How did she handle this? Because I'd be remiss to not ask how he she handled all this? Because I saw when you guys were dating, Now you're married, you've gone, She's gone through your entire process, going through rehab.

00:14:21
Speaker 6: We suck like we suck.

00:14:22
Speaker 5: As players human beings when things aren't going well.

00:14:26
Speaker 6: How did she handle it?

00:14:27
Speaker 2: Oh? Man?

00:14:28
Speaker 1: Uh, I gave a lot of folks, some some gray hairs in this process. And honestly, it's tough being you know, just being at home and seeing when the team's on the road and you're rehabbing at home, and you see what those families go through and those wives go through with those kids when when you're not around, and then when you're there full time, you know, sometimes it wears on you more more than it does at the field, you know what i mean, just being around the field. Then she's had to listen to all my crap, you know what i mean, coming to the house thinking my shoulder was done, thinking, you know, having the bad days and uh and just sitting there listening and then some days just telling me to shut up and suck.

00:15:15
Speaker 2: It up, you know what I mean.

00:15:16
Speaker 1: And and that's real too, Like it's it's it's not easy on on your significant others for sure. And and then honestly, you get to that point and like the day before Miami, like it was it was one of those you know, you have those thoughts like I don't know what it's going to be, Like.

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Speaker 2: I know, I know when I'm.

00:15:35
Speaker 1: Right and I'm and I'm good, like I'm I'm good but it's like it's been almost two years, man, I you know, and then you that stuff sets in and it's like, look enjoy the moment. And she gave me the best advice. Uh, we were sitting at dinner the night before. Just just go enjoy it, have fun. You've worked, you know, too hard to be so hard on yourself, and you know, sometimes you need to sit back and you need that and sometimes you need that tough love.

00:16:00
Speaker 2: And she was able to provide that for me. And you know, it was funny.

00:16:04
Speaker 1: I could hear I didn't know exactly where she was sitting, and you know, her and my daughter Kyler, she hadn't seen me throwing, you know, two years, so she barely even remembers it. Last time that I threw in twenty three and of course our son bo who just turned one. But I could hear her screaming, you know, over the dugout after that first strikeout, and so I mean there was a lot of emotion for her and just to kind of see I mean, she's she's seen everything behind the scenes, she's seen the worst of the worst, she's seen the good day, she's seen everything. So it was it was a big day for her and my family as well. So it was, yeah, pretty cool.

00:16:44
Speaker 5: All I'm looking I asked you, I got to ask you about the contract that you signed with the Brewers.

00:16:50
Speaker 6: You got hurt. One other teams were one of our teams were.

00:16:54
Speaker 5: In the mix, and what is that like, it's kind of a unique mutual option two that's coming up, and I get it.

00:17:02
Speaker 6: All that stuff's for later. It's the end of the season. You got to keep going.

00:17:05
Speaker 5: But one of their teams were in the mix to sign you to basically they had to sign you to rehab you and hope you made it back for where you're at right now.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, as soon as I was non tendered, I probably over half the league reached out to my agent, you know, and it was it kind of happened like all real fast, and a lot of teams were hot on me from the beginning, and then kind of free agency, you kind of hear this and then then it kind of slowed down. Uh, didn't hear much. But I knew from the beginning. After after I was non tendered, I wasn't gonna sign until February. I knew that, you know, from the beginning, So I was very patient with with everything and you know, I don't want to get in too much of the specifics with with certain teams and stuff, but I mean there was definitely a few teams there at the end, and obviously the Brewers and you know, and it and it happened pretty quick with the Brewers there at the end. But you know, some teams approached it in a different way. You know, they didn't want to sign me for two years and then essentially rehab me and if you know, things go well and then and then lose me. So there was different teams approached it different ways with the with the rehab. But as far as with Milwaukee, like I knew for me, I knew I needed to throw again in this uniform, and I knew that that was important to me, and and and a big driver for me in that whole process was I gotta balance. One, you got to balance the money and one you gotta balance putting yourself in the best position, uh medical wise, to be able to continue to continue my career, uh later down the road. So our pt here, Brent Hester has had three of these injuries that I've had, So that was a big factor for me. He understood, you know, kind of what that took to rehab this and you know, honestly, a lot of the teams great medical staffs, like you know, it's it's It was good to see the other side of it, you know, I know it was non tendered and whatnot, but I was able to see kind of what other teams had to offer.

00:19:24
Speaker 2: And and.

00:19:26
Speaker 1: There's a lot of a lot of great medical staffs out there. But I knew I had to throw again in this uniform. And that's honestly what was a big driver. And and and getting things done here. And you know, I don't know if this is it here or not, but like I know, I needed to throw again for sure in this uniform.

00:19:46
Speaker 2: So that was a big driver.

00:19:47
Speaker 3: I love that mindset is a huge thing in this whole baseball People don't understand how hard it is, especially what you went through last question here before we let you go. I'm looking at this lineup, pitching wise, top to bottom, old and all. You got a plethor of really good pictures. But the guy I'm thinking about is is the myths big nickname, Jacob Misowski. I mean, talk to me a little bit about him and what he's brought to the table for the birds.

00:20:12
Speaker 1: Oh man, look, he he deserves all the hype, like he you know, I've I never got to really watch him in spring training, but man, like I saw him a little bit in Triple A when I would go rehab and then kind of just seeing that transfer over to here and just learning a little bit about about the background. Great kid, super humble, uh, everything in between. And obviously you see the stuff and all the hype surrounding it. I mean it's I mean, it's one hundred to one hundred and two coming right at you, and he's got a nasty two nasty breaking balls and.

00:20:52
Speaker 2: You know he's he's flying high. Dude, Like, if he really hones us.

00:20:56
Speaker 1: In and and and and really understands himself, I think that's the next next step for him, is just really understanding like this dude has a superpower, man, and if he really learns how to hone this thing in, it's it's gonna be something pretty cool.

00:21:11
Speaker 2: So great kid, he's wanting to learn.

00:21:14
Speaker 1: He's always uh, he's he's always smiling in the clubhouse.

00:21:18
Speaker 2: So that's that's great.

00:21:19
Speaker 1: You know, we we give him some crap, you know, just as a new guy, but man, he's the Brewers found a good one in him for sure, and hopefully he uh he continues to do what he's doing. But man, he's yeah, I mean it's I mean, come on, like it's it's one hundred, like every pitch, like it's, you know, fastball pre surgery seventy percent of the time, Like if I had one hundred, it's probably a good ninety to ninety five percent of the time I'm throwing fastball for sure.

00:21:45
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:21:45
Speaker 4: Man, that slider special too. There's some bilo on that on that slider, So don't sleep on that, right. Slider's like nineties touching ninety seven. It's ridiculous, isn't that crazy? Gosh, Yeah, it's fun to watch. You got a good staff that you're joining back in for so good luck this weekend. Awesome to see you, Brandon. Thanks for the time and now you can't be a stranger again. You're back, so keep doing against the world.

00:22:08
Speaker 2: Missed these chats.

00:22:11
Speaker 1: Yeah, thank you guys. Just can't wait to come back on and thanks for having me. It was a good see you guys.

00:22:17
Speaker 5: You too.

00:22:17
Speaker 4: Congrats again on the return.

00:22:19
Speaker 2: Good luck this weekend. Talk soon. Thanks