Brewers pitching prospect Nathan Kirby is finally healthy and ready to establish himself

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

PHOENIX - Nathan Kirby has been something of a forgotten man for the past 2½ years in the Milwaukee Brewers organization.

Now finally healthy after undergoing two major surgeries on his left elbow, the 24-year-old is ready to finally establish himself as the prospect the team believed he could be when it drafted him 40th overall out of the University of Virginia in 2015.

"It’s definitely a new feeling," Kirby said of his fresh start this spring.

"The past 2½-3 years have been up and down, but I feel like a lot of our paths in our lives and especially in the minor leagues are not straight. Some guys struggle in low A, some guys get hurt and I feel like at the end of the day, I’m where I need to be.

"I feel really confident that everything’s been cleaned up, and now I can focus on my mechanics and put my best foot forward."

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Kirby was one of the most decorated pitchers in the nation at Virginia as a junior, helping the Cavaliers to their first College World Series title. But he missed a large chunk of the season with a muscle strain in his left side, pitching in only 12 games, and his draft stock took a hit as a result.

The Brewers eventually took him as a Competitive Balance Round A pick and signed him five weeks later for $1.25 million – about $30,000 under slot – because of lingering medical concerns.

Kirby was assigned to Class A Wisconsin, but his stint there didn't last long. After making only five appearances, he was shut down and later diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow.

The Tommy John surgery that followed cost Kirby all of 2016. He eventually worked his way back to the mound with the expectation he'd be ready to go for 2017, but by May he had been shut down again, this time due to ulnar neuritis in his left elbow.

That meant another operation and another season lost for Kirby without throwing a pitch in an official game.

But Kirby persevered again, and by September he was back on the mound and pitching in games in an instructional league.

"It was awesome," Kirby said. "My body, I had kind of lost a little bit with timing and whatnot, but it felt good to get back on the field. The competitive part of me was a little frustrated that I wasn’t immediately my old self. But fortunately I’ve been through it and I understand that’s going to take time."

Kirby is generally ranked toward the bottom of most top-30 organizational prospect lists, and the Brewers have finally begun to build up some pitching depth.

But Kirby is a left-hander with plenty of motivation, and his progress should be interesting to monitor assuming he's able to stay healthy. Expect him to start at advanced Class A Carolina.

"To his credit, he's battled through so much," farm director Tom Flanagan said. "But mentally, he’s a really tough kid and I think he’s held up really well. He had so much adversity early on that as a college pitcher he should be able to get back on track fairly quickly.

"So I think it’s a big year to that end for him. We’ll challenge him. Obviously we’ll watch his innings."

One interested party following Kirby's progress is Taylor Williams. Currently attempting to win a spot in the Brewers' bullpen, Williams was paired with Kirby in rehab for all of 2016 when he was coming back from his own Tommy John surgery.

"Some things in life come unexpectedly because I’d say he’s one of my best friends now," said Williams, who also shared a condo with Kirby last spring.

"He’s a really charismatic person. Good dude, hard worker. Very mentally tough, I’d say. Especially with the struggles he’s been through so far, and to still be approaching things with such a positive perspective. I think that shows a lot about his character.

"He’s going to get what he deserves. I think things will start turning in his direction as long as he can stay healthy this year."

Considering the circuitous route he's traveled to this point, Kirby answered quickly when asked what his expectations were for this season.

"I have none," Kirby said. "I’m a believer that if I focus on what’s in front of me they’ll make the decisions they need to make and all I’ve got to do is put the pressure on them. That’s what we try to do as baseball players – focus on what’s in our little circle and let them handle everything else.

"I just want to win and play for a team and that’s it. Pretty simple."