Chatwood’s hard work paying off in big way

DENVER — The memory lingers for Rockies right-hander Tyler Chatwood.

It was late last August. He was with the Rockies’ Class A Advanced affiliate in Modesto, Calif., getting ready to make his first appearance in a professional game since he had undergone Tommy John surgery for the second time in April 2014. And there was an anxiety of the uncertainty he was going to face — until he threw that first pitch in that game against San Jose.

“My wife was with me in the hotel room and we were talking the night before, wondering if I was ready for this,” Chatwood said. “After the first pitch all that went away. I knew I was.”

Oh, was he ever ready. He started once more for Modesto before the Minor League season ended, worked with the Rockies’ instructional league team and then resumed his preparations for a return to the big leagues at the Scottsdale, Ariz., clinic where he had been a regular since his rehab began.

And when he walked into the Rockies’ Spring Training clubhouse for that first time in February, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind. He had not only rehabbed the elbow, but he had reconditioned his mind. He had talked at length with Zack Greinke about the mental side of pitching when the two worked out in the offseason, and he spent countless hours watching videos of Greinke and Tim Hudson, looking for ways to improve his approach.

“I watched how they would go about their business,” Chatwood said. “They were always on the attack. They never back down. If there was a guy on second, they were still attacking that hitter. Before I would try and miss the barrel. I’d try to stay away from the bat. But watching them, talking to …

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