Tumultuous Year Comes Full Circle for Braves' Ace

When doctors told Indian Hills Braves ace Bryan Menduke he had a blood clot in his throwing arm, it didn't faze him much at first.

"I didn't know much about blood clots, so I figured, 'it's alright, we can take care of this,' " Menduke said.

That was until he figured out what it meant.

"They told me I was probably going to be out of baseball for six months," he continued. "Right there it hit me hard, and I got real upset.

"Baseball is my life."

Menduke was halfway through a baseball showcase with the Amateur Athletic Union's South Florida Bandits in Georgia last summer when he woke up and discovered his throwing arm was swollen to twice its normal size.

A teammate's mother, also a nurse, advised Bryan and his dad Gary to head to the emergency room immediately. Bryan was diagnosed with effort thrombosis, spent the next week in a Marietta hospital and two more weeks hospitalized in New Jersey with a massive blood clot in his throwing arm. The clot was so big, it took doctors three tries going through his elbow to balloon it out.

After surgery to remove his first rib, which doctors believed was causing the malformation, Menduke spent about a month rehabbing.

"After I got back out there (on the mound), it took a little time, but it was like I never left," Menduke said.

The Hills ace went on to post a 6-2 record and 1.85 ERA, and the Braves found themselves in contention despite losing 12 seniors.

The highlight of his season came in a 5-0 win over the Elmwood Park Crusaders in the first round of the state tournament. The Braves were reeling after being eliminated from the county tourney two days earlier. Menduke struck out seven, walked zero and retired 12 straight at one point in a complete-game shutout. Head coach George Hill saw Menduke's progress.

"Working quick, first-pitch strikes, no walks," Hill said about his ace. "Two starts ago he walked nine on this very same field—talk about getting better.

"We told him (after the loss two days earlier)—'you got to have a shut-down performance'—and he did."

Though struggling with control earlier in the season, Menduke worked with former Atlanta Braves prospect and pitching coach Brian Aviles to correct his throwing motion. Aviles worked with Bryan to lengthen his stride and take weight off his front foot.

"We had to do some mechanical changes with him," said Aviles. "He picked up real quick on what I was trying to teach him. Over the past two years, he has really developed himself into a Division I pitcher."

Oddly, Aviles believes the removal of the rib may have improved Bryan's mechanics.

"After the surgery, he was getting much more down motion on his pitches," said Aviles. "Even though no one ever wants to go through an injury like that, in the long run, I think it made him a better pitcher because it increased the range of motion in his shoulder."

Division I school Bryant University took notice and offered Menduke a spot on the baseball team. After playing baseball all year long since the age of 14, Menduke saw his efforts pay off.

"Besides getting me into a great school, baseball has done a lot for me," said Menduke. "It has helped me build confidence and make some great friends."

Taking the mound day-in and day-out has had a profound effect on Menduke.

"As a pitcher, it's always on you, so you have to be on top of your game at all times," he said. "Being used to the pressure has made me a stronger person."

Menduke plans to major in business management at Bryant. He has the potential to play in the MLB one day, though he would settle for a career as a sports agent if that doesn't pan out.

 As far as baseball — it never stops. Menduke is currently competing in pitching coach Aviles' summer league against fellow potential major leaguers.