http://nationals.scout.com/2/465591.html

By Patrick Teale
Nov 11, 2005



Clint Everts was selected fifth overall in the 2002 MLB Draft as a power
pitcher out of high school, ahead of names like Prince Fielder of the
Brewers, Jeff Francis of the Rockies, Khalil Greene of the Padres, Scott
Kazmir of the Devil Rays, Nick Swisher of the A's, and a host of others that
have reached the Major Leagues before him. And now, three years later, Everts
is recreating his image on the mound.


Clint Everts missed a major portion of the 2005 season after successful Tommy
John surgery at the end of the 2004 season, a year that saw him go a combined
9-5 with a 2.45 ERA in two stops at low-A Savannah and high-A Brevard County.
He didn't return to live action until his season debut with the Gulf Coast
League Nationals on June 24th, his first ever action at the rookie level.

When he did come back from the surgery, Everts and the Nationals went the
safe route. His velocity was down and he didn't pitch more than three innings
in any of his 15 appearances in the Gulf Coast League and NY-Penn League. But
while some pundits might take a pessimistic look at the slow approach to his
reintegration on to the mound, Everts may actually learn to pitch more and
pick his spots rather than letting the heater fly and try to overpower
would-be hitters.

"When I first started feeling my elbow hurting, it was about two weeks before
the Futures Game a couple seasons ago," Everts told CapitolDugout.com in a
recent interview. "I really didn't think much of it. I just got used to the
soreness, but at the end of the season when I found out about it I was pretty
upset."

Sometimes things happen for a reason and perhaps his injury will actually
help him in his progression towards a promising Major League career.
Mentally, Everts learned a painful but important lesson.

"I learned that it doesn't matter how hard you throw in professional
baseball," the former first round pick told us. "If you are up in the zone,
you will get hit. So, basically the key is keeping the ball down and keeping
the walks down."

While there are some positives to be drawn from his epiphany out of Tommy
John surgery, many in the Nationals' organization are hoping that Everts can
combine his lessons learned from the injury with the overpowering stuff he
had before the surgery.

So how is Everts feeling these days?

"Right now, some days are good and some days are not so good," the rehabbing
Everts revealed. "But, overall there are no problems. All I have to do is
strengthen it and I should be fine."

"Hopefully, if I can come back healthy from this surgery, I should be back to
where I was in high school," Everts further enlightened. "My fast ball should
be back in the low 90's. If I can get that strength back, then the curveball
and changeup should be back into the low 80's."

Clint Everts and the Nationals are hoping he can return to his prior form,
now with the added benefits of his new knowledge of pitching at the
professional level. While his new approach on the mound is encouraging, the
fact remains that Everts missed a solid year of development time.

As Everts as seen his high school friend Scott Kazmir put up solid numbers at
the Major League level with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and many other 2002
draftees make their big league marks already, he is ready to make up for lost
time.

"Yes. I will be ready by Spring Training," an eager Everts exclaimed.
"Definitely. I know that if I come into Spring Training next year and do
well, then I should be starting off in AA. That's what I'm hoping for."

Once at the AA level, Everts and the Nationals realize that he'll be a single
call away from the Major Leagues. Both are hoping the Everts' metamorphosis
into a more complete pitcher includes a return to his pre-surgery arsenal.
Everts believes it will.

"After going through the whole rehab process and getting some innings in the
New York Penn league this past season, I feel confident that I will be able
to get back to what I was before."