Ryan Westmoreland

Beomoose

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Where is Sprowl "The Reaper" when we need him?

Back on topic, this is great news. I'd love to know if he is doing any work on base running at this point. If he can run the bases and can start to hit live pitching again, he might be able to see some playing time at DH next year while he continues to try to recover his ability to play the field.

And, yes, I know I am getting way ahead of myself there. But, I can only imagine it would help his recovery to be able to get some at bats in real games at some point, if only for the psychological boost that would provide.
I'd love for our resident docs to weigh in on this idea, because it sounds pretty good to me.
 

soxfan121

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It gets a little dusty almost every time I read a Westmoreland tweet or article. What that kid has done - words can't do it justice. Toughness and perseverance have been redefined for me.

I've never rooted for an athlete harder and I don't even care if he plays in the majors. His story will be passed on to my kids. THIS is what you can do when life gives you a challenge.
 

JakeRae

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It gets a little dusty almost every time I read a Westmoreland tweet or article. What that kid has done - words can't do it justice. Toughness and perseverance have been redefined for me.

I've never rooted for an athlete harder and I don't even care if he plays in the majors. His story will be passed on to my kids. THIS is what you can do when life gives you a challenge.
Agreed. If he spends a single minute on the Red Sox active roster, I am buying a jersey.
 

jippaman

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Does he seem to be progressing faster than expected? Every few weeks he seems to be making huge strides. Amazing stuff.
I've worked with and seen young kids like Ryan make incredible strides in rehabilitation programs over what seems like very small time periods. The brains of people his age recover much more quickly than those of older adults and the elderly, and his own natural ability and the 24/7 care provided by the Sox organization play a huge role in his improvement. It's impossible to say without knowing him or his exact rehab protocol what factors allow him to regain his hand-eye coordination, speed, agility, etc. so quickly, but hard work and genetics are as critical as anything. I love seeing stories like his, and I hope that he'll be able to shed some public light on the importance of different therapies. I'd also love to meet his particular therapists, as I'm sure some of their tricks could be applied to non-athletes with similar deficits. That's all a personal interest for me, but regardless - great stuff.
 

MrDaniel

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Haven't seen this here anywhere yet. Pn the Soxprospects board last week they were saying that Ryan was not only watching but also swinging at pitches in a simulated game on 8/17. If its true its definitely another big step for him.
 

smackdown924

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More good news. I'm not sure how many of you follow him on Twitter @RWesty25 but he posted a picture yesterday of him taking BP (making solid contact on a beautiful swing), and another picture today of him dressed in uniform for the Greenville Drive, saying:
"Working out with the @GreenvilleDrive - feelin' great, looking to get a win tonight before heading to Hickory, NC."

I'm not clear if he's just traveling with the team or if he's really going to get game action, but either way just seeing him in uniform has me super excited.
 

Beomoose

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Ryan and his girlfriend were at the Pats home opener:
Great game! Got a new sweatshirt and an authentic Tom Brady jersey! Also, nice sweatshirt yourself @cmeta8690 :) http://yfrog.com/18zi7dj
 

sittingstill

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Worth knowing that many of the Dominican games are streamed live via the league website. A TV icon will appear in the box on the right if a game is streaming. Often there are three games but only one or two of them will be streamed. As of now Dominican time is an hour ahead of Boston.

Fingers crossed that we can see Ryan get some at-bats!

Edit: Per Speier it'll be the Instructional League, not the Winter League. Which makes more sense--but I was hopeful!
 

Ramon AC

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Red Sox assistant GM Mike Hazen reports that Ryan Westmoreland had five plate appearances in instructional league games in the Dominican Republic over the last two days.
...
Westmoreland grounded out twice, walked, struck out and was hit by a pitch.
 

pokey_reese

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Hey, he made contact twice and walked, not bad for first real action. Baby steps.

Of course the poor kid had to get hit.
At least the fact that he got plunked suggests that he wasn't getting any pity or special treatment from the pitchers. It makes the ground outs a little more impressive.

I admit, I might have been tempted to throw him a meatball in an instructional league game.
 
Ryan does a short interview with SiriusXM Sports (MLB Radio). The audio ends right at 3 minutes so I don't know if there is a larger, full interview.

Either way, he briefly discusses his first live at bats and how he picked up hitting easier than tying his shoes.

http://siriusxmsports.posterous.com/ryan-westmoreland-red-sox-of-prospect-discuss
 

Jeff Van GULLY

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Some article mentioned (not sure which) that he's in camp, hitting and taking part in drills. That's all I know.
 

SoxScout

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Edes said it was 'unlikely' that he would play this year two days ago. I'm sure there will be some feature article on him at some point by someone.
 
Nov 13, 2003
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can someone post a few details? I am being blocked by my works content protector. Does Westmoreland sound good? Last time I heard an interview with him you could tell something just wasn't right.

If this kid can make it back to being even a fringe prospect it is a once in a lifetime type story, absolutely amazing...
 

steveluck7

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Still a little slurred.

He talked about enjoying the fact that he's working on everyday, mechanical things such as keeping his back foot steady when he swings as opposed to "just hit the ball"
He talked about the Dominican winter league and how 2 or 3 of the first 4 pitchers he faced were lefties and how he saw lots of breaking balls. Also said he got HBP and said it never felt better.

Said his specific goals right now are to get comfortable once again in playing in games regularly.
"I'm gonna get a lot of at-bats. I don't know where, I don't know when but it's gonna happen"
"I'm willing to test the limits and push myself as long as i can until someone tells me i can't."
"90% baseball activity now, 10% rehab stuff"

He hopes to get out of Fort Myers this year.

Overall, while his speech was a bit slurred, I thought he was "quick" with responses and didn't struggle to get anything out, which, to me, is a positive sign.
 

someoneanywhere

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I just saw that. I'm pretty sure I'm making my first trip to Greenville this year and if Westmoreland does come up, I may have to make a second.
Come on up, Ras. I was at the ballpark the other day -- it's looking just about as fine as it ever has, and the Drive FO people were buzzing about having JBJ around for a couple of months. I don't know if they know anything or were crossing their fingers, but a little JBJ, some Swihart and Ceccini, should hold us over until Westmoreland makes his way back.
 

JimBoSox9

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The quote being universally used is "
the surgery was a success and Ryan is doing well in recovery"​
, but I can't find anything that speculates the level to which this will impact his baseball recovery arc.
 

ThePieholeOfDavidWells

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Doesn't sound good for Westmoreland's baseball career.

According to Westmoreland's father in Projo:
“This complication and surgery was almost identical to the first and its reoccurrence was very surprising to everyone involved. Knowing the horrifying risks associated with the surgery, we are extremely grateful to them for their professionalism and expertise.”
It's just too bad. And it must be excruciating for everyone involved.
 

threecy

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There haven't been many posts here...here's the latest I've found, from http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/red-sox/post/_/id/24098/westmoreland-upbeat-despite-setback
 
But in spring 2010, the malformation in his brain began to bleed and Westmoreland needed emergency surgery. During his recovery, the goal of playing professional baseball again helped him battle through the life-changing rehab.

It’s no different this time.

“I’m always thinking about [baseball],” he said. “But we’re going to take it slow again and kind of play it by ear and see how I’m feeling. Hopefully I get to go down to Florida and they can evaluate me down there. I hope I get to go down there by February. That’s what I’m shooting for, but again, I’ll confirm that with the doctors and the medical staff, but that’s what I’m hoping for.

“In a way it’s the same, but it’s pretty serious stuff and the second time around made it a lot harder. Again, I’ve been able to take a step back and I’m partially learning from the last time I’ve been able to take a step back and realize what’s the highest priority and go from there. There’s no question about my drive and I’m definitely still optimistic about my future.”