OGDENSBURG
– The last thing any athlete wants is to be injured, but when you’re a prospect
dreaming of one day making the big leagues a serious injury could potentially
put an end to your dreams before your head even hits the pillow.
Seth
Pinkerton is confident that’s not going to happen to him. Mr. Pinkerton is
currently rehabbing a left knee injury at United Helpers RiverLedge Health Care
& Rehabilitation Center in Ogdensburg and if his second stint in physical
therapy is anything like his first, he’ll return to the field stronger than
ever.
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| Seth Pinkerton working with RiverLedge Physical Therapist Brett Amo |
Mr.
Pinkerton, who graduated from Ogdensburg Free Academy in 2015, was drafted by
the Minnesota Twins in the 20th Round of the 2018 Major League
Baseball Amateur Draft following a successful three-year career where he became
the University of Hartford’s all-time saves leader.
However,
prior to the start of his senior year at Ogdensburg Free Academy, Mr. Pinkerton
found himself rehabbing a shoulder injury.
“I
told him that by the time he was discharged from therapy that he’s be stronger
and throwing faster than he ever had before,” said RiverLedge Physical
Therapist Brett Amo. “The fact that he did, however, is a testament to him and
his hard work. I could see how hard he was working and I knew his
rehabilitation would be successful.”
Up
until that point, Mr. Pinkerton said he had never really lifted weights,
something he admittedly now regrets.
“I
never touched a weight in high school, which I kind of regret now, but after
working with Brett I was able to gain three to four miles per hour on my
fastball,” he said. “Brett helped me get stronger so I was ready to go for my
senior year and able to go to prospect camps.”
A
successful senior season then led to a successful college career, which
ultimately led to Mr. Pinkerton becoming one of the few people fortunate enough
to receive a call letting them know they’ve been drafted and are officially on
the path to the big leagues.
That
path, however, took a major detour when late in his first season of
professional baseball, he injured his leg while making a play in the field.
“I
ended up with a grade two MCL and LCL sprain, as well as a complete tear of
both my medial and lateral menisci and a complete tear of my ACL,” Mr.
Pinkerton said. “My meniscus tear was so severe that Dr. Andrews
(world-renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews) had to ‘go fishing’
behind my knee to find it and suture it back together again.”
Mr.
Pinkerton said the initial plan called for him to split time between his home
in Ogdensburg and the Minnesota Twin’s spring training complex in Fort Myers,
Florida, but after the severity of his injury was discovered the decision was
made to limit his travel.
Following
his surgery with Dr. Andrews on Sept. 25, Mr. Pinkerton said he spent five days
in Alabama where the surgery took place. On Oct. 1 he began a three days per
week physical therapy regimen that will continue until min-January when he
reports to Fort Myers for some additional therapy with the Twins’ training
staff.
“I’ll
be down there until the season starts and then I’ll go to wherever I get
assigned,” he said, adding that he is planning to be on the field and ready to
go when the season starts next spring.
As
for right now, Mr. Pinkerton said he’s ahead of where doctors told him he could
expect to be.
“I’m
ahead of the game right now. At this point, I should only be at 105 degrees,
but I’m at 130 degrees,” he said referring to the range of motion in his
injured knee. “Brett is competitive and so am I. He pushes me that extra little
bit that I need to be successful.”
While
Mr. Pinkerton credits Mr. Amo with helping him get to where he needed to be in
high school and again right now, Mr. Amo said that his success is more of a
tribute to the hard work Mr. Pinkerton has continued to put in.
“He
is an incredibly hard worker and obviously that hard work has paid off for him
to be where he is today,” Mr. Amo said. “The fact that someone like Seth trusts
us with his rehab shows that we are able to treat people of all ages and
activity levels, from those just looking to resume regular daily life to
athletes performing at a professional level. We have a great team here and I
appreciate that Seth trusts us to rehab him back to where he needs to be to
resume his career.”
For more information on therapy services at RiverLedge
in Ogdensburg, contact (315) 393-0730. For information on therapy services at
Maplewood Health Care & Rehabilitation Center in Canton, contact (315)
386-4541. You may also like United Helpers on Facebook or visit www.unitedhelpers.org.
