Whalen’s Work Pays Off

ATLANTA—In his third start as a member of the organization, righthander Rob Whalen had to be carried to the clubhouse after one inning of work. His legs simply gave out after pitching through the pain of severe patellar tendinitis in both knees for nearly two years.

“Patellar tendinitis is common for athletes,” Whalen said, “but I had it for so long and it became so bad that the tendon in the middle of my knees started to die.

“The surgeon had to remove the middle of the patella tendon in both my knees and then reattach the tendon to my knees.”

A 12th-round pick of the Mets in 2013 out of high school in Haines City, Fla., Whalen joined the Braves with fellow righty John Gant in the July 2015 trade that sent Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe to the Mets.

While Whalen had grown up a Mets fan, he was excited to join a rebuilding organization—though dual knee surgeries certainly jeopardized his standing with the Braves.

“You try not to worry about negative things, but as a competitor you think about where you are,” said Whalen, 22. “You want to show a team what you can do, especially with the amazing opportunity that I have (here).”

Whalen worked hard on his rehab last offseason and completed the process ahead of schedule. He earned a spot in the Double-A Mississippi rotation but went just 1-3, 4.26 through his first five outings.

His next 13 starts were a different story. Whalen went 6-2, 1.89 with 71 strikeouts in 76 innings while displaying an above-average curveball to go with a low-90s fastball with good sinking action. He also has a useable slider and changeup that have shown steady improvement.

Promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett in mid-July, Whalen has emerged as a strong candidate to pitch in Atlanta in the not-too-distant future. Most scouts see him as a back-of-the-rotation starter or possible reliever.

WIGWAM WISPS

• Lefthander Kolby Allard went 0-2, 8.25 in three starts at Class A Rome before rebounding at Rookie-level Danville. He went 3-0, 1.32 in his first five Appalachian League starts, throwing six shutout innings in each of his three wins.

• Righthander Touki Toussaint went 1-5, 6.28 through 10 outings at Rome but, like Allard, improved in June. Toussaint recorded a 2.60 ERA and .202 opponent average in his next eight starts, though he still walked 4.0 per nine innings.