He's thankful for it now, says it "might have been a blessing." But last year was a frustrating one for Matt Manning, who entered the spring with hopes of making his big-league debut and left the summer with a sore arm and the sense of a lost season.
Welcome to this winter. Two-a-day workouts. Running. Swimming. Yoga classes. Anything "I could do to benefit my body and my career," Manning said. It was all about more for one of the Tigers' top prospects, who turned 23 on Thursday and has fixed his gaze on Detroit. You might even call it a glare.
"I’ve done more this offseason than I ever have before," Manning said. "I’m ready to go. Every day’s been very focused. I have one goal, and it’s to get to the big leagues, pitch well there and we'll win a World Series for the team."
So make that three goals. And speaking of 'we,' make that three pitchers: Manning, Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal. Not that Manning thinks that trio can do it alone. But it's certainly a trio the Tigers can't do it without. The foundation of this rebuild is pitching, and the core of that pitching is the Big Three.
Two of them arrived last summer. Under normal circumstances, Manning would have arrived with them. Instead he was in Toledo, pitching against teammates, cleaning up some mechanics and then rehabbing a forearm strain when the summer came to an end. All the while, missing his dudes in Detroit.
"When they were up there and I was still at the alternate site, it felt like a piece was missing. And I hope that’s how they feel when I get there," Manning said. "I know they were having fun, but when we’re together, all three of us and Alex (Faedo), we all feel comfortable, we’re all happy. When one of us is away, we can feel it."
Manning is healthy now. He said he's been throwing "full-go" bullpens for most of the offseason. No restrictions, no pain. "All good." He's also been studying a bunch of video and refining the changes he made to his delivery last summer. He said his curveball has "gotten a lot better," the same curveball that's been making scouts drool for years. He was already touching triple digits with his fastball last spring.
"I had a lot of momentum in spring training," Manning said. "I thought I would (start the season) in Toledo, refine some things and get ready. But had to do it over again and it was difficult. It actually might have been a blessing for me. I was able to take that time and move some things around with my mechanics, clean up my arm path a little bit, which helped my curveball. Was able to evolve, working from the ground up."
Now he's back where he was, but better, preparing for the spring with his eyes on Detroit. This feels like the summer Manning will get there, the first summer we'll see the Big Three in the big leagues. Somewhere far in the future, in a place where the team is winning and the ballpark is (more than 25 percent) full, we can make out Manning's ultimate goal.
His first one is right in front of him, and Manning is just "waiting for my chance."