What is the status of AJ Russell?

#4
#4
“It was a deal where AJ’s an abnormal kid and he got ahead of that program quicker than the average guy,” skipper Tony Vitello said on Sunday.

“So, I think it’s time for everybody that’s involved to take a deep breath, have a conversation and say, ‘he showed what he can do’. We feel good about the throwing program and the protocol, but let’s take a deep breath and look out for the long run of what we’re trying to do with our season and his career

When asked if there were any setback suffered, Vitello was firm in his stance.
“Zero. Not even close,” he said. “The opposite. No setbacks.”
 
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#5
#5
When we start working AJ along in 3-4 weeks, he will be a beast for a few mid-innings each weekend. Give him 2 innings a week for a month, build him up to 3-4 innings and he very well may be a difference-maker for this staff come postseason.

I have no idea what the protocols are, but I don’t know if we will see him throw more than 60 pitches or so in any single game this year.
 
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#6
#6
Basilio stated today that he confirmed Russell isnt injured. Hinted at maybe a Chase Burns situation? Anyone know what the deal is? If he is healthy why would he not be pitching? Does he disagree with the staff being cautious in bringing him along? Basilio's comments made it seem more of the staff wanting him to pitch.
 
#7
#7
runthrutheT said:
Basilio stated today that he confirmed Russell isnt injured. Hinted at maybe a Chase Burns situation? Anyone know what the deal is? If he is healthy why would he not be pitching? Does he disagree with the staff being cautious in bringing him along? Basilio's comments made it seem more of the staff wanting him to pitch.
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Get outta here with yer 💩 stirring Basilio sewage. Take that garbage to Twitter or the Football Forum.
 
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#8
#8
runthrutheT said:
Basilio stated today that he confirmed Russell isnt injured. Hinted at maybe a Chase Burns situation? Anyone know what the deal is? If he is healthy why would he not be pitching? Does he disagree with the staff being cautious in bringing him along? Basilio's comments made it seem more of the staff wanting him to pitch.
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I've read a lot from folks who cover the Vols (like Eric Cain at VQ) about the situation, and a former Vol pitcher who posts over there weighed in as well.

Here's the gist as far as I'm concerned:
- There are A LOT of people who contribute to the decision-making process here—AJ, Tony, Frank, AJ's family, agent, trainer, surgeon, etc. By all accounts, AJ would be ready to start pitching tomorrow if it were up to him, but everybody is collectively deciding to take a more cautious approach since AJ's got a lot at stake. Tony mentioned that he kinda jumped ahead of the usual benchmarks on the recovery timeline, so I think everyone involved feels like there's no reason to rush things and take unnecessary risks.
- The other element brought up by the guy who pitched at Tennessee is that they've probably set an innings limit for AJ. He hasn't pitched more than 30 innings in a season, so they may have identified something like a 50- or 60-inning limit where he throws maybe 2 or 3 innings per appearance. If you start with the CWS and work backwards with this limit in mind, AJ seems like he could resume pitching around the beginning of April.

We're mostly guessing and assuming at this point, but the above pieces make sense to me. I don't think it's fair to start comparing him to Burns. Heck, Tony even alluded to Chase directly earlier this year when he said Ahuna's rumored NIL deal caused people to leave. AJ doesn't seem like a locker room cancer at all.
 
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#9
#9
My opinion with no insider information currently other than knowledge from last year and personal conversations with AJ and Family.
#1. Vitello will always have the player's best interest at heart not just for the current but for the future. So, he is being extra cautious.
#2. Last year, he may have come back too early from his injury which made it worse.
#3. There is no reason to pitch him until he is 100% and can go the rest of the season. I've heard people say he should have thrown last night. Why would you throw him in March against non-conference and risk not being able to throw him in CWS.
#4 Family is very cautious for his pro future. So all of the people involved, except maybe AJ, have taken it cautious.
He is throwing and working out. Preparing but no reason to throw him until you have to or are sure he can be there until the end.
 
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#10
#10
Stop. Stop. He is 9 months from TJ surgery. NINE. 9 months this week.
He is a potential 2nd round pick.
He is the sweetest boy and teammate.
Does he want to pitch? Of course yes. Is everyone that is involved with AJ doing absolutely right thing for AJ? Yes.
Is he hurt? I don't think so.
Is it any of my business? Nope.
Is he needed right now? No.
Did I ask him about his arm on Saturday? Nope.
Will he pitch this year? I would think yes.
Am I more than a little disappointed AJ is even remotely thought of like Burns? Yes.
 
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#11
#11
preacherman20 said:
My opinion with no insider information currently other than knowledge from last year and personal conversations with AJ and Family.
#1. Vitello will always have the player's best interest at heart not just for the current but for the future. So, he is being extra cautious.
#2. Last year, he may have come back too early from his injury which made it worse.
#3. There is no reason to pitch him until he is 100% and can go the rest of the season. I've heard people say he should have thrown last night. Why would you throw him in March against non-conference and risk not being able to throw him in CWS.
#4 Family is very cautious for his pro future. So all of the people involved, except maybe AJ, have taken it cautious.
He is throwing and working out. Preparing but no reason to throw him until you have to or are sure he can be there until the end.
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🧡
 
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#15
#15
patrick said:
You ought to give Basilio a listen - he is having a current BaseVols player on his show every Wednesday during the season. He has had some great interviews this far!

Phillips was on today.
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When does he air? I’m assuming he’s on WNML?
 
#17
#17
patrick said:
The Phillips interview is on the archive splash page for his shows.
View attachment 728940
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tonybasilio.com

The Tony Basilio Show

TonyBasilio.com is the companion web site to The Tony Basilio Show. The show is broadcast live from Knoxville, TN, home of the Vols! On the website, you will find a variety of blogs by our show personalities. Check out our streaming audio and show archives at TonyBasilio.com. Want to chime...
tonybasilio.com tonybasilio.com
 
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#18
#18
preacherman20 said:
My opinion with no insider information currently other than knowledge from last year and personal conversations with AJ and Family.
#1. Vitello will always have the player's best interest at heart not just for the current but for the future. So, he is being extra cautious.
#2. Last year, he may have come back too early from his injury which made it worse.
#3. There is no reason to pitch him until he is 100% and can go the rest of the season. I've heard people say he should have thrown last night. Why would you throw him in March against non-conference and risk not being able to throw him in CWS.
#4 Family is very cautious for his pro future. So all of the people involved, except maybe AJ, have taken it cautious.
He is throwing and working out. Preparing but no reason to throw him until you have to or are sure he can be there until the end.
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The primary retort to this point is that they threw him in February against a non-conference opponent in worse weather than what they played in yesterday. I think that's a fair point for those who would have liked to see him get another inning or two vs ETSU. Had he not pitched at all already, most wouldn't question it.
 
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#19
#19
runthrutheT said:
Basilio stated today that he confirmed Russell isnt injured. Hinted at maybe a Chase Burns situation? Anyone know what the deal is? If he is healthy why would he not be pitching? Does he disagree with the staff being cautious in bringing him along? Basilio's comments made it seem more of the staff wanting him to pitch.
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My guess is his agent and/or advisors have suggested a pitch limit or innings limit for the season. Based on his prior injury and surgery and his projection as a 1st round draft pick, this is very reasonable. Why start that clock now if you are TN—-makes sense to wait until April to maximize AJ Russell’s impact on the season and post season play. This is just an educated guess…
 
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#20
#20
patrick said:
I heard what Basillio said also but I didn’t hear or interpret it they way the above poster did. All Basilio said was that he had been told there had been no setback and just being cautious.
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Agreed. Basilio NEVER compared AJ Russell to Burns nor insinuated it. All you need to do is watch AJ Russell interact with his teammates to see he’s a great young man and totally invested in this season and this team. I can’t wait to see him pitch again but don’t want him to jeopardize his future after what he’s been through with TJ surgery and tons of hard work. He’s so far ahead for his recovery because he’s worked like crazy.
 
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#21
#21
@preacherman20 and @greasemachine are both right, there was zero reason to throw him against ETSU. ZERO. Not only is he on a different path now (See below), it would have taken innings away from guys that need them as well, and who can benefit more from those midweek innings, ESPECIALLY in a game like that. That's exactly why midweeks are what they are. Even if you took some scars, those guys got some serious, tense experience and the staff got to see how they handled it.


As for Russell, rather than work him an inning or 2 at a time, they decided to put him into a program to build him towards a starting role in an April timeframe. Here's the direct quote from Vitello via Mike Wilson 3 weeks ago.

AJ Russell might not pitch again for Tennessee baseball until April as the Vols are being cautious and deliberate with the junior’s return to starting.

“I think it is kind of take a deep breath, and kind of start a new throwing program to prepare him more to be a starter opposed to he came in the other day and just got three outs,” Vols coach Tony Vitello said Sunday.
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#22
#22
patrick said:
The Phillips interview is on the archive splash page for his shows.
View attachment 728940
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The Wednesday weekly interviews with BaseVol players have been outstanding. He’s had Reese Chapman, Dylan Loy, Gavin Kilen, and Marcus Phillips so far. A really impressive group of young men who represent UT extremely well.
 
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#23
#23
taylorvol said:
The Wednesday weekly interviews with BaseVol players have been outstanding. He’s had Reese Chapman, Dylan Loy, Gavin Kilen, and Marcus Phillips so far. A really impressive group of young men who represent UT extremely well.
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Speaking of TB's interviews, I can't wait til he has AJ on. He is an absolutely great kid.
 
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#25
#25
cncchris33 said:
The primary retort to this point is that they threw him in February against a non-conference opponent in worse weather than what they played in yesterday. I think that's a fair point for those who would have liked to see him get another inning or two vs ETSU. Had he not pitched at all already, most wouldn't question it.
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CTV asked AJ if he wanted to pitch an inning vs throwing live BP. When he hit 97 mph several times, I think everyone was a bit taken back. It’s hard for a competitor like AJ to “dial it back” during a game setting. You know the adrenaline starts pumping and the crowd feeds the energy with their cheering and clapping. Much easier when it’s pitching in a controlled, practice setting. I think all concerned parties agreed to save the game action to when it really matters most.
 
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