Hempfield grad Phil Fox looking to take pitching prowess elsewhere after successful recovery from Tommy John surgery
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The problem started in seemingly innocent fashion. A couple of pops in the arm while pitching, but there was little to no pain.
Though Phil Fox didn’t think much of it, he decided to see a doctor shortly after. This, after all, could affect his baseball future.
The examination and subsequent MRI revealed nothing alarming. A few platelet-rich plasma injections, a couple of months of rehab, and that elbow would be good as new.
That was during Fox’s senior baseball season at Hempfield, and the pops he felt in his elbow on consecutive pitches seemed like a mere fluke. Until they turned out to be the signal for the injury pitchers dread most: a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament.
The solution: Tommy John surgery, which usually means a year-long road back. At least.
His initial diagnosis was ulnar nerve subluxation: The ulnar nerve dislocates and then relocates to the bony projection on the inside of the elbow. But after getting to Gardner-Webb to begin training for his freshman season, Fox felt immediate pain when he pitched, and a second look at the MRI revealed a tear.
“I was trying to stay positive,” Fox said. “I went and had surgery three days later.
“You’re probably going to think I am an idiot for saying this, but, honestly, I was relieved because arm pain and arm problems were constantly happening, literally, probably since my sophomore and beginning of my junior year of high school. I was constantly dealing with this nagging thing.”
He might have taken comfort in having the problem diagnosed — and fixed — but it was a big setback for Fox, who has big aspirations because of his baseball genes. His grandfather and father — both named Phil — played: His grandfather played in high school until military service prevented him from going further, and his father played at Division II Catawba.
After the surgery, the long rehab process began. It took six months before Fox was able to start throwing again.
As he continued to ramp up toward his redshirt freshman season at Gardner-Webb, there were a few setbacks. There was some pain, but, ultimately, Fox worked himself back.
“It felt weird as heck,” he said about starting to throw again. “I can’t really describe it other than: Imagine your arm being a rubber band. Over time, that rubber band becomes super bendable and flexible and whatnot. And then, when you get a new (ligament), it’s like you’re wearing the tightest, brand-new ponytail on your arm.
“Not everything felt the best all the time. But (I) just kept working through it. It was going to work out. Toward the back half of the season, my arm finally settled in, and I was completely done with pain.”
Except for what he would inflict on opposing hitters.
In 28⅔ innings over 23 appearances, including 2⅓ scoreless innings of relief in the Big South Tournament against Winthrop, Fox went 3-3 with three saves, a 4.71 ERA and 34 strikeouts.
The performance earned him a spot on the conference all-freshman team. And at least part of his success could be credited to his new elbow, which, Fox said, was stronger than before.
As proof, Fox noted a jump in his fastball velocity. At Hempfield, his fastball was mostly in the 85-89 mph range, with the occasional flirtation with 90. Now he is in the 93-95 range.
But Fox won’t be taking his stronger arm back to Gardner-Webb next season. In mid-June, Fox entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal and ultimately decided to enroll at Pitt. He said he had no complaints baseball-wise with the program. It was other factors that led to his decision.
“Honestly, I just don’t think Gardner-Webb was the place for me,” he said. “It was a smaller town, and distance from home (more than 450 miles) kind of played a factor. My parents wouldn’t be able to watch me play. Baseball-wise, I got the opportunity to play as a freshman, which was great.
“I’m really open to anything. Obviously, I want to play the best competition possible day in and day out. Whatever is going to help me get to the next step, which is, obviously, to get drafted. It’s really going to come down to what’s best for me and my family financially and my playing-wise.”
In the meantime, Fox is in the midst of a busy summer. At the end of June, he wrapped up a stint with the Johnstown Mill Rats of the Prospect League.
The coaching staff there gave him the opportunity to stretch out as a starter after he served primarily as a closer/late-innings specialist at Gardner-Webb.
This month, he will be spending four days a week at FullReps Training Center located in Camp Hill. The center, Fox said, has trained a number of Power 5 college players and pro prospects.
While there, he will work with staff on his pitch design, i.e., understanding the spin and movement on his pitches and the corresponding metrics.
He also will add a slider to his fastball-curve-changeup repertoire. Perfecting a slider that looks like a fastball coming out of his hand, he said, will be key to the next step in his development.
As for his rebuilt elbow, Fox said that no longer is a worry. He said he feels 100% confident moving forward that he won’t hear the unsettling sounds of popping again.
“It’s definitely not on my mind,” he said. “People I know have gotten it before, and I’ve been talking to them constantly … and they told me that (the elbow) should be the least of my worries. With my new elbow, they put screws in there, and you literally need a knife to tear it.
“It’s definitely relieving.”