Lutz Continues to Persevere, Eying Comeback

July 30, 2008   ·   Patrick Hickey, Jr.   ·   Jump to comments

After breaking his right foot in his first professional game last season, Cyclones third baseman Zach Lutz spent the next year getting into the best shape of his life, in preparation for 2008.

Through the team’s first 18 games this season, it looked like all the preparation had paid off for the 21-year-old Reading, PA-native, as he was leading the team with an uber impressive .340 batting average and nine RBI.

On Jul. 6 however, Lutz hit another barrier in his professional career, as he re-injured the same foot after grounding out in the third inning of a game against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.

For a team already starved for offensive production, the absence of Lutz, which only lasted three games, was a heart-breaking one. Without the youngster manning the hot corner, the Mets Single-A affiliate scored only three runs.

The comeback was a short one however, as two games later Lutz found himself back on the DL, this time after getting 40cc of blood drained from a hematoma on his right quad and hasn’t been in the lineup since.

“I didn’t think it was that bad at first,” he said. “I went to the doctor and had an MRI and I couldn’t believe it.”

However, while Lutz’s latest injury is a setback for him, his endless devotion to the game has so far been able to bring him back to the spotlight.

Wearing a cast on his foot for nearly five months after his first injury last season, Lutz refused to take a day off in rehab. Working extremely hard on developing his upper-body, Lutz came to training camp looking like completely different from the 175-pound infielder he was the year before.

The way he did it is an interesting one.

“It was weird [rehabbing], because I was instructed to always keep my foot elevated,” said Lutz. “But I still did things when I was injured. It was really tough at times, but I had to do something. I usually went outside and put my right foot on a bucket and I would throw the ball around with my mother or father. I tried to do anything to stay active.”

Trying desperately to come back a better baseball player after the injury, Lutz believes he took his body to places it had never been previously.

He also sharpened his mind during that time as well.

“I went back to school and took four classes, which was a little weird as well,” he said. “I had to keep my foot elevated there too.”

By working so hard to continue playing the game he loves, Lutz unbelievably, ended up with an even greater appreciation for the sport than he did before.

“Sometimes you wake up in the morning and you question if you have the energy to go out and perform,” Lutz said. “Sometimes you take it for granted. But then, something like what happened to me can happen and it puts everything into perspective.”

Out for at least another two weeks, Lutz is itching to get back on the field and let his teammates know he isn’t ready to turn in the towel on his season.

“I’m going to keep my head up and keep working hard,” said Lutz during the team’s last homestand. “Hopefully it’s only a few more days until I get back on the field and start practicing with these guys. I want nothing more than to be on the field with my teammates.”

Link:

Box Score to Last Night’s 4-3 Cyclone Win

Photos by Ron Hatcher and Patrick Hickey Jr.