Getting to Know — Ian Gardeck
The Rays have been very good at helping pitchers come back from Tommy John surgery. Nathan Eovaldi certainly was impressive returning last year and Tampa Bay also helped Jonny Venters with his incredible comeback after three-and-a-half procedures. Perhaps Ian Gardeck will be this year’s great rehab story from Rays camp.
Gardeck, a 16th round pick in 2012 out of Alabama, was in great position to make make his MLB debut with the San Francisco Giants, making the 40-man roster in 2016. However, shortly thereafter, Gardeck blew out his elbow for the first time.
Gardeck, who threw up to 100 miles per hour with heavy sink, was taken off the roster, then needed surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip. After all that, Gardeck returned to the mound but by January of 2017 had a setback. While he tried to avoid surgery, Gardeck eventually needed a second Tommy John procedure that year, before finally returning to the mound last year, eventually reaching the Double-A level.
Obviously the Rays thought the 28-year-old Gardeck was worth taking a chance on, and in December he was selected in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. That means Gardeck can stay with the Rays organization all year in their system, and Gardeck was excited about that.
“I obviously reached out to (former Giants Christian) Arroyo and (Matt) Duffy,” said Gardeck. “They were super excited about what they had over here, so I was really excited.”
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Gardeck says he finally feels pain-free, and is back to where he was pre-surgery, throwing a heavy sinking fastball in the mid to upper 90s with a breaking ball and a changeup that he’s working on. That said, Gardeck’s pleased to have been selected to join an organization that has a training staff with a great reputation.
“It’s very comforting,” said Gardeck. “They’ve been offering whatever I need to get ready, to get the best out of my body, and they’ve been fantastic so far.”
Having baseball taken away from him for nearly three years, Gardeck says he learned a great deal about himself, and his family was terrific in helping him through his rehab.
It was during that second rehab that Gardeck was able to enjoy his younger brother Dennis’ journey. Dennis was training for the NFL draft in Phoenix, spending time with his brother while Ian was preparing his comeback. While Dennis wasn’t drafted, he was discovered by the Arizona Cardinals, and as a free agent out of Sioux Falls, ending up sticking on the roster all year in 2018. Ian Gardeck is the only player in Rays camp with a brother in the NFL.
“It’s super awesome,” said Ian Gardeck. “I’m super prideful of him. I probably brag a little bit more about him than anything else. That was probably one of the gifts that came out of my second Tommy John.”
Perhaps the next gift will be a journey with the Rays that ends up with Ian Gardeck’s first trip to Major League baseball. After two Tommy John surgeries, it certainly make that rehab even more worthwhile.
