Now in his 20th month of rehabilitation following Tommy John surgery, there are many emotions Casey Weathers has had every right to feel.

But rather than being eaten alive by the frustration of a long and tedious rehab process or letting despair get the better of him after missing all of last season, Weathers turned to more productive feelings to help him cope with the injury that threatened his young career.

Grace and patience, along with a strong measure of unselfishness, marked Weathers' stay with the Tri-City Dust Devils in 2009. And though the Colorado Rockies' first-round draft pick in 2007 -- the No. 8 selection overall -- didn't throw a pitch last season, the 6-foot-1 right-handed closer still had a huge impact on the Tri-City pitching staff during the Dust Devils' run to the Northwest League East Division championship.

"That was the most fun I could have had not pitching," said Weathers, who will begin this season in Tri-City and is eager to get back on the comeback trail. "It sucked that I wasn't playing, but it doesn't suck to be around baseball. I took pride in kind of being a bullpen coach last year."

Brad McAtee was part of the Dust Devils 2009 bullpen that proved to be the backbone of the team's second division title in three years, but he said Weathers was a strong influence on the development of the entire staff.

"He was a leader in the clubhouse who went about it in the right way," McAtee said. "He kept a book in the bullpen on what guys had done every inning and who was up to bat next. He also tracked our own pitchers' pitch counts so certain relievers could be ready to go in."

Weathers' had such a strong influence on the pitching staff that his teammates playfully joked that he was the NWL bullpen coach of the year. In 2010, Weathers would be a lot happier with NWL comeback player of the year, although he probably won't be in the Tri-Cities for long. The Colorado Rockies want to see how he progresses with the Dust Devils, and his first few appearances might dictate how long he stays in Pasco before a promotion.

But all signs indicate that he's more than ready.

"He's got the best arm on the team," said Tri-City pitching coach Joey Eischen. "He'll be touching 97-98 (mph) out there. He'll be more of a setup man in the seventh and eighth inning. That way he can build up arm strength and get some innings as well."

After being drafted out of Vanderbilt in 2007, Weathers spent most of his first pro season at the Rockies' Low A club in Asheville, N.C., where he went 0-1 with a 4.61 ERA before a promotion to High A Modesto. In 2008, he spent a the season at Double-A Tulsa, finishing with a 2-1 record and a 3.05 ERA with 54 strikeouts in 441/3 innings. He even took some time that season to join the 2008 U.S. Olympic baseball team in Beijing, China -- more on that later -- and things never looked better for what the Rockies hoped would be their future closer.

But the elbow flared up on the day of his first Arizona Fall League game on Oct. 31, 2008, and he's been on the shelf ever since. Weathers said there have been good days and bad days in the rehab process, but overall he's happy with the progress that he's made.

"I'm starting to feel pretty good right now. (My arm) gets a little swollen on me, but it bounces right back and I'm able to throw through it," said Weathers, who credits a strong, supportive family and the Rockies organization for staying with him the whole way. "I've been really fortunate with the Rockies to be put in the position I am. I'm fortunate I don't have to worry about money as much (he received a $1.8 million signing bonus after the draft), so I can make this my No. 1 focus and priority."

He had a memorable Olympics experience in Beijing in 2008, joining several current major leaguers -- one of them being Washington Nationals rookie sensation Stephen Strasburg -- to earn the bronze medal. Weathers tossed three innings of relief in the team's games and earned a save in a 4-2 group stage win over Japan.

"The bronze is something I'm really proud of, but it's funny -- Ant's (Dust Devils' hitting coach Anthony Sanders) already got a gold (from the 2000 Olympics) so it doesn't even matter," Weathers joked. "I was thinking I'm all bad, like nobody else has one, but he's like, 'No, I've got a gold.' "

Weathers admits it's tough to see many of the players from that Olympic squad -- Strasburg, Oakland A's pitcher Brett Anderson, Cleveland Indians outfielder Matt LaPorta and Rockies outfielder Dexter Fowler among them -- playing in major league games. But he believes his time will come.

"Every channel I see somebody I know in the big leagues," he said. "I'll do whatever it takes to get there, but No. 1 is just getting healthy. I've got a long way to go, and I had a long way to go when I was at double A. As long as I can throw, I'm going to do it."