Maeda sharp in long-awaited return from TJ

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Hammond Stadium radar gun lit up at 102.5 mph for Jhoan Duran on Saturday -- but all eyes were on the guy who was throwing 90.

As Kenta Maeda prepared to take the mound in a Twins uniform for the first time in a year, six months and four days, he got hyped up as he heard his walk-up music and went down the high-five line in the dugout. When he delivered the pitch to his first opposing hitter since undergoing Tommy John surgery on Sept. 1, 2021, he hoped for a comfortable, stress-free return to the mound.

“Coming off of an injury for such a long time, I wanted to feel good by throwing a first-pitch strike,” Maeda said through interpreter Dai Sekizaki.

But clearly, Rays leadoff hitter Josh Lowe had no feel for the moment, smacking the first-pitch fastball to left-center for a leadoff double.

So, Maeda had to throw from the stretch for the majority of his 13-pitch inning -- but nonetheless, he had a triumphant (and long-anticipated) return, feeling good about the action on his pitches as he touched 90.7 mph with the fastball and worked around the double for a scoreless outing. And with that, his longest hiatus from competitive action was officially at its end as part of the Twins’ 8-4 split squad win over the Rays in their Grapefruit League opener, while the other half of the team dropped a 10-5 contest to the Orioles in Sarasota.

“Just a relief to be able to come back scoreless,” Maeda said. “And then once I was back in the dugout, the teammates welcomed me back, and that was a really great feeling. I’m excited to be back with the guys.”

The last time the Twins saw Maeda at his best, it was when he finished the shortened 2020 season as the American League Cy Young runner-up after posting a 2.70 ERA in 11 starts -- but that was all the way back in his age-32 season. Now, he’s entering his age-35 campaign, in the final year of his contract, coming off a down season (4.66 ERA) as he pitched through pain in ‘21.

In that sense, Maeda’s success and return to form isn’t necessarily a given. He is advancing in age and was never a particularly hard thrower before the procedure, averaging 90.6 mph with the fastball in ‘21 and 91.6 mph in ‘20. But he has never been overly reliant on the velocity, as he was one of the league’s foremost offspeed throwers while with the Twins. His slider and split change combined for a 68 percent usage in ‘20, dropping only slightly to 65.2 percent in ‘21.

“During this long rehab process, I had the opportunity to reflect on my body composition, my pitching, and all that stuff, so I made sure I came back stronger than I was before,” Maeda said. “Sure, I am age 35, but in Japan, I’m actually 28, so I think I’m in a good spot.”

He looked to be in a good spot so far on Saturday afternoon, saying he was happy with the movement of his offspeed pitches, the foundation of his arsenal. Manager Rocco Baldelli noted that he and pitching coach Pete Maki were also very happy with what they saw, as Maeda generated groundouts from Vidal Bruján and Isaac Paredes while striking out Harold Ramírez, throwing 10 of his 13 pitches for strikes.

As Maeda ramps up the workload in a normal Spring Training -- he’ll go two innings next time -- he hopes to see an uptick in his fastball velocity, realistically sitting 91-92 mph and hitting 93-94 in games.

“Ideally speaking, 100-plus,” Maeda joked.

The Twins have plenty of starting depth behind Maeda with Bailey Ober and top pitching prospects Louie Varland and Simeon Woods Richardson, in case the veteran can’t return to his best self -- but so far, so good. Looking out at the mound on Saturday, the Twins were just thrilled to see their veteran, playoff-tested former Cy Young runner-up back on the mound, getting outs again.

“That is just like a gift, almost,” Baldelli said. “A player is just kind of appearing, a player that you’re familiar with, a player who, last time he was healthy and out there on the mound, was one of the best pitchers in baseball. And we’re just simply able to almost look up and see him, and he’s back into the mix.”