Ottavino, Colorado’s closer until he needed Tommy John surgery in April of 2015, took that next step on a sunny Saturday morning at Coors Field, throwing live batting practice for the first time since undergoing the surgery.
The 30-year-old right-hander threw 21 pitches, some of them coming against Colorado legend and current Rockies special assistant Vinny Castilla. Castilla seemed to come out of the cage talking to Colorado manager Walt Weiss and others about the movement and velocity Ottavino had on his pitches.
“I’m sure it looked real firm to Vinny.