Tigers Pitcher Daniel Norris Played Last Season with Thyroid Cancer
By Kyle Koster
Daniel Norris, a young lefthanded pitcher dealt to the Detroit Tigers as part of the David Price deal at the trade deadline, announced yesterday that he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer earlier this season while playing with the Toronto Blue Jays.
"I’ve been debating for months as to how or even if I should share this with people. – I’m a firm believer in the power of prayer. So now, I’m asking for prayers. – A few months ago, after I was optioned to AAA, I found out I had a growth on my thyroid. Flying back & forth from Toronto to Buffalo after pitching to have more and more tests done it was finally concluded that the growth is considered malignant. Meaning it contained the C word.. cancer. Hearing this was alarming, yea. Weird, yea, that too. I was given the option to shut my year down & get it removed immediately. However, seeing another doctor that determined I could wait until the end of the season reassured my gut feeling. Just Keep Playing. Baseball kept me sane."
He underwent surgery this offseason to remove the malignant tumor.
Tigers general manager Al Avila said the team was aware of Norris’ diagnosis at the time of the trade and that the 22-year-old is expected to make a full recovery by spring training.
Norris went 3-2 with a 3.75 ERA in 13 starts in his rookie year.
A top prospect when drafted by the Blue Jays in 2011, Norris is perhaps most recognized as the guy who lived in a van.
Image via USA Today Sports