Evan Marshall ready for big step of facing hitters
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- From brain games to again mastering the grip on his slider, Evan Marshall's recovery from a near-tragic comebacker has been little steps six months in the making.
Marshall will take another step in that process Saturday. This one, though, will be a big step.
On one of the back fields at Salt River Fields, the Diamondbacks reliever will throw batting practice to his teammates. Unlike his first live BP session, Marshall won't be behind a protective screen.
There won't be anything between him and the hitter.
It will be the first time Marshall is so exposed since Aug. 4, when he was pitching for Triple-A Reno against El Paso and was struck by a line drive traveling an estimated at 105 mph.
Marshall suffered a fractured skull, his brain was bleeding and doctors weren't sure he was going to make it through the night. After emergency surgery and with 20 staples in his head, Marshall nearly slipped into a coma.
"I understand how lucky I am and how close I was to losing all of it," Marshall said this week.
Marshall attacked his rehabilitation as soon as he physically could. He was determined to pitch again.
But his rehab was just as much mental as physical. He had to relearn much. His brain didn't process things as quickly as it had before.
"I lacked focus and attention and would forget things," Marshall said. "But the more and more I did, the quicker it came back. It was very frustrating because being a professional athlete I hold myself to a higher standard as far as competing in things.
"That's how they got me to work harder at it: They turned it into games. I competed my way through it. Even I would fall I would just want to keep going; I'd want to get back up and try again."
Whether it was through his rehab at Barrow Neurological Institute or brain games on his iPad, Marshall believes he is smarter now than before. His test scores show so, too, he said.
"I'm trying to find all the silver linings in all of this, and maybe it had to happen just to wipe the slate clean," Marshall said, "and now I'm coming into camp ready to win a spot."
The 24-year-old right-hander's goal is to make the D-backs' 25-man roster out of spring training. There could be a couple spots in the bullpen available, but there's no shortage of competition.
"It's is phenomenal," manager Chip Hale said of Marshall's six-month recovery. "If Evan continues throwing the ball this way in games, he's going to make it tough on all these guys. He looks very good."
Marshall must show he can get hitters out -- something he was doing in Triple-A when his world changed in an instant. And to do that he has to face them again.
He did so Wednesday, from behind an L-screen.
"The L-screen was there, but pretty far away. Not right in my face," Marshall said. "They were swinging the bat, and I wasn't flinching. I'll call that a victory. It was uneventful, and uneventful is good.
"I first have to show I'm not afraid to face a hitter. After that, show I have the repertoire to get guys out."
Teammate Archie Bradley was hit in the face last season, and though his injuries weren't as serious as Marshall's, he had to make the same mental comeback to climb back on the mound and face major-league hitters.
"It's definitely a weird feeling," Bradley said. "You never get in a car wreck, and then you do, and every time you get in the car you think about the wreck. It's the same thing. You're used to throwing the ball and never thinking about it. But the first time you're out there (after getting hit), it's like, 'Wow, they are close.' It took awhile for me to get over it, and I think Marshall is on the same track.
"Mentally, it took me awhile to get over it. Even though I may not have shown it or talked about it. It really didn't even affect me while I was pitching. But sometimes when I would get off the mound, 'Man, this is still kind of in my head.' It's definitely a scary feeling that first time out there."
Marshall will tackle that next step like he did everything else the past six month.
"The end game is to have my best stuff against hitters in a game," Marshall said. "There's a lot of little steps between here and there. Taking out the L-screen is just going to be one of them.
"They're big steps, too. Not that they're any harder for me than anyone else, just that I'm so excited for them."
