RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The Manhattan College Athletic Department has highlighted former Jasper baseball standouts during the summer tracking their progress within their respective minor league organizations. This series keeps fans up to date in the Jaspers' quests to reach the Major Leagues. The final installment features Mike Parisi who started the season with the Chicago Cubs organization.
Parisi on the recovery trail
By Ronak Patel
Ex-Jaspers pitcher Mike Parisi (2002-04) never fears a trip to the doctor. But Parisi's most recent trip to the doctor was nerve-wracking and met with a little trepidation.
For Parisi, this was no ordinary visit. Parisi was picked up by the Chicago Cubs - he previously pitched with the St. Louis Cardinals' organization - in last December's Rule 5 Draft. Early this season, when Parisi was pitching for the Cubs' Double-A affiliate Tennessee Smokies, he had a bone chip in his throwing elbow (Parisi is right-handed) that knocked him out for the season. In mid-May, he had surgery on it.
A couple of weeks ago, he flew from Mesa, Ariz. - Parisi is residing there while he battles back from the ailment - to Chicago for a follow-up appointment with Cubs' team physician Dr. Stephen Michael Gryzlo.
The verdict: Parisi can begin soft tossing. Gryzlo's evaluation was a shot of adrenaline to Parisi's psyche and most of all, his pitching arm.
"I'm going to soft toss in increments," said Parisi, who won 14 games during his three years at Manhattan College. "It will increase in distance once I get back in rhythm.
"I'll begin throwing from 45 feet, then go to 60, then 75 and finally, a very firm long toss before reaching 150-180 feet."
Parisi, who was plucked by the Cardinals in the ninth round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft, felt pain before the injury occurred.
"I pitched three innings before the bone finally gave way," said Parisi. "I wasn't pitching too well and I was hurting a little bit, but I was trying to push through."
Parisi, who's appreciative of the Cubs' organization for letting him rehabilitate in Arizona, hopes to pitch in the Winter Leagues in either Mexico or the Dominican Republic.
"I want to show people I'm back and 100 percent," said Parisi. "I'm a free agent now and hopefully get offered a job."
During his non-throwing hiatus, Parisi couldn't use his elbow much, but was working on strengthening other arm extremities at the Cubs' Mesa facility.
"A lot of the rehab for the elbow is icing and resting," said Parisi. "I do a lot of forearm and shoulder exercises.
"The elbow is an in-joint and there's not too much I can do to strengthen the joint; so you work on the other muscles around it."
When Parisi is not working out, he's spending time with his fiancée, Leah, who's helped him tremendously through the injury ordeal.
"If she wasn't out here right now, it would be so much harder," said Parisi. "When guys get hurt, it's kind of like a punch in the stomach; you need that support system and she's been a tremendous help."
NOT PARISI'S FIRST INJURY
It's tough for pitchers to come back from one season-ending injury, but this is Parisi's second comeback. In 2008, Parisi was in the Majors Leagues with the Cardinals but went 0-4 with an 8.22 ERA in 12 appearances. He was sent down to Triple-A Memphis, where he was an impressive 8-2 with a 3.86 ERA in 15 starts. But in August of that year, he injured his right elbow, which required Tommy John surgery.
"I was in the bullpen for awhile and then I went to a starting role for two starts. I didn't pitch to well," said Parisi of time in the Big Leagues. "Then I was in the bullpen for a while and all of the sudden, I was throwing four to five innings, but then I got sent down to Triple A.
"I had a no-hitter in the fifth inning and my arm just snapped."
Parisi pitched briefly last year, including a stop in the Arizona Fall League with the Surprise Rattlers where he went 3-2 with a 4.50 ERA in seven appearances (six starts). Then he was picked up by the Cubs in the Rule 5 Draft.
The road back has been tough at times for Parisi. Prior to the injuries, he was a robust up-and-coming pitcher. Now, he's working to get another chance.
"It's definitely frustrating," said Parisi. "In the '08 season, I went up to the Big Leagues, had a little bit of success and then everything was rolling in Triple A and things were starting to come together, and then 'Whack!' it just hit me!"
Amidst the Tommy John rehabilitation in Palm Beach, Fla., Parisi got a welcomed gift.
"When I was doing my rehab, I got to stay with my grandparents," said Parisi. "I got to see them the whole season; it was great to be around them the entire season."
GETTING BACK
Parisi is confident he will get back to the Majors. The first litmus test may come in late September. He hopes to be game-ready by then.
In the near future, Parisi may very well display the pitching talents that made him a star at Manhattan and the Minors prior to his injuries.
Parisi has the entire pitching package according to Jaspers coach Kevin Leighton.
"Parisi has the velocity, the overpowering fastball and a good slider," said Leighton. "He's a guy that if you look at him throw the ball, you figure he was going to make it to high level baseball."
But first things first, Parisi has to tackle a pitcher's toughest opponent.
"I know I'm going to get back there," said Parisi. "But it all depends on my health."
