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Arm problems made for 2 nightmare years in Potomac for lefty

Thursday, April 05, 2007
BY GEOFF MORROW


Something latched onto Mike Hinckley two years ago.

As the left-hander worked his way through the system, inching closer and
closer to the major leagues, Hinckley said it felt like somebody literally
grabbed his shoulder.

Not on the street, or even in the dugout. But on the mound, where this
Oklahoma native makes his living.

His big league dreams were being threatened by this mysterious feeling.

"It had nothing to do with my rotator cuff or my labrum," Hinckley said of
the injury that knocked him off course after his terrific 2004 season ended
with a successful stint in Harrisburg.

"I just didn't have the feel. I didn't know where my pitches were going. I
didn't know if my arm was going to go out of socket. It just felt like
somebody was holding onto my shoulder as I threw."

After going a combined 11-4 with a 2.77 ERA at high Class A Brevard County
and Class AA Harrisburg in 2004, Hinckley appeared on the fast track. He'd
received his first major league spring training invite in 2005, but soreness
crept in as he threw.

Injuries alone usually don't wreck pitchers. The compensation -- changing
one's delivery to sidestep the pain -- often proves to be the toughest
hurdle.

And that's what wrecked Hinckley, now 24 and hanging onto his prospect status
by a fingernail. (He's ranked 30th of 30 top Washington Nationals prospects
by Baseball America.)

Hinckley couldn't escape Class A over the next two seasons, compiling a 9-17
record with a 5.25 ERA at Potomac.

"I couldn't finish on my out pitch [curve], and I didn't have a clue what my
changeup was going to do," Hinckley said of his 2005 and '06 seasons. "My arm
was tight, and you can't throw with a tight arm."

He had shoulder surgery in September 2005, and he says he feels as healthy
now as he did before his breakout year in 2004.

"I feel so much better," said Hinckley, who also got married since his last
stop here and welcomed a daughter, 5-month-old Cora. "My arm feels alive. I'm
confident. I can get out on the mound and know I can get that hitter out. I
feel like I did when I was 18."

When he's on, Hinckley loves to spot his fastball on the inside corner, mix
an improving changeup and use his curve to bust hitters down.

His stuff is electric, and that's why the Nationals haven't given up on him.

The organization maintained its faith in him, and Hinckley says he persevered
because of his faith in God.

"I have a relationship with Jesus," he said. "Through good times and bad
times, you trust that He's got a plan. That gets me through. It wasn't a
matter of going to somebody and talking to somebody like a psychiatrist. I
went straight to Him."

Hinckley also said the support of his wife, LeAnna, who followed him through
long road trips, keyed his ability to endure.

As you might expect, it wasn't easy to one day be so close to your dream, and
the next be struggling with hitters in Class A.

"You wonder, 'When am I going to be healthy? When is this gonna go away? Is
baseball over?'" Hinckley said. "One day I'd be better, the next day my arm
would hurt. You always have to go through tough times, even when you're
healthy. I just tried to stay positive, and that's the thing."

Now part of an impressive Senators rotation to start the season, Hinckley
understands the situation in Washington. He knows a strong start to the
season, coupled with ineffectiveness or injuries by the Nationals' starting
pitchers, might land him in the big leagues sooner rather than later.

For Hinckley, it feels like 2004 all over again.