Pedro Looks & Feels Good in First Rehab Start

The more I read about the progress of Pedro Martinez, the more excited I'm getting. After throwing 67 pitches through 5 innings of work against the Mets' Rookie Gulf Coast Rookie team, Martinez said he felt great. Pedro was originally supposed to throw 45 pitches but felt strong enough to go a little more. The biggest hump was getting over the fear of letting it all out, but once he did, he really settled inthrowing 24 of his last 28 pitches for strikes.

Needless to say Omar Minaya, who was not surprisingly in attendance, was quite pleased. It’s encouraging to see where he is today,” Minaya said. “He got better as he went along. He used his off-speed stuff, kept the ball down, and his pitches showed late movement, which is Pedro. It was a very positive outing.” It is worth noting for all of those media hypers out there who assume the Mets are banking on his return, that Omar was openly cautious.

I don't want to get my hopes up here and am still cautiously optimistic, but I am so pumped up for his return. Be well, Pedro. Be well.

For more on Pedro, check out the NY Times piece by CHARLIE NOBLES.