Cobb hits milestone in recovery from hip surgery
He threw a baseball Thursday for first time since operation, but when will he return?
SACRAMENTO >> There are few acts in the life of a professional pitcher more routine than throwing a baseball.
Some windups are more meaningful than others, though, just as it was this past Thursday for Alex Cobb.
The Giants' veteran starter picked up a ball for the first time since a troublesome left hip prematurely ended his season in September. Cobb, 36, had his left hip surgically repaired at the end of October, and this week took his most significant step yet on his path back to the field.
“Sixty feet. Nothing crazy. But it feels great,” Cobb said. “It feels way better than it did at the end of the year.”
Cobb made his final start on September 19, finishing the season with a 3.89 ERA in his most innings since 2019, and was on the operating table six weeks later. He had five anchors inserted into his left hip, three bone chips removed, and the bone shaved down to prevent from aggravating it again.
Cobb's anatomy, it turns out, means he is predisposed to hip issues. He had a similar procedure on his left hip in 2019, only with six anchors. “Normally they put two in,” Cobb said. “Basically the amount of anchors is how big the tear was. So it was a pretty big tear.”
The operation came with a six-month recovery timetable. Almost halfway there, Cobb doesn't have a particular date he's targeting to make his first start. But he does have a goal in mind.
“Hopefully my rehab goes smoothly and I'm able to join in the first half,” Cobb said. “I would like to be ready before the All-Star break, for sure.”
In addition to Cobb, the Giants expect to get Robbie Ray back around midseason, too. Ray, acquired in a trade from Seattle, is recovering from Tommy John surgery. As it stands now, though, Logan Webb and Ross Stripling would be the only members of the Opening Day rotation with a season's worth of starts under their belts.
The most recent addition to the rotation, Jordan Hicks, will be converting from five years of relief work.
The rest of the group consists of Kyle Harrison, Keaton Winn and Tristan Beck, all entering their first full major-league season.
“There'll be a good bit of time for those guys to prove themselves, at least it looks like right now,” Cobb said. “It's really cool the organization is showing that much confidence in the guys that we have. Everybody that truly watched them last year understands that those guys deserve the opportunity to get a chance.
“It's very interesting to see how Jordan Hicks works out. Everybody in this organization has seen what the Giants can do with pitching and get them to that next level. That guy has all the tools in the world to be a front-line starter. You can see all the potential happening with the rotation.”
Cobb was speaking from Sutter Health Park, home of the Triple-A River Cats, at the first of four FanFest events around the Bay Area.
Seated next to him for his meet-and-greet session with season ticket holder was new pitching coach Bryan Price, whom Cobb has already gotten to know well with both men making their offseason homes near the Giants' Arizona facilities.
It didn't take long after being hired for Price to reach out and arrange a meeting over coffee.
“It was really refreshing to hear his perspective is much more old-school, what I came up with,” Cobb said. “Take care of the fundamentals. Pitching philosophy. We have enough people talking about spin rate. I enjoy that stuff, too. But when you're on the mound, you need that mindset of setting up hitters, taking care of the fundamentals, covering first base. As elementary as it sounds, we lacked in a lot of that area last year.”
After using openers in a National League-record 30 games last season, Price's shift in strategy to trust his starters has pleased at least a segment of the fan base.
Approached with a request from one fan, Price offered a smile in response.
“I don't want to see any pitchers coming out before the second inning,” the fan told him.