Just over a year since he had Tommy John surgery, Angels' 2010 first-round pick Cam Bedrosian returned to the mound on Tuesday with an excellent 2012 debut.

Pitching for low Class A Cedar Rapids, Bedrosian didn't allow a hit or a run in 4 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out three. He eventually left because he had reached his pitch limit. Reliever Joe Melioris couldn't keep the no-hitter going, but Melioris and two other relievers did hold West Michigan to one hit in an easy 8-0 Cedar Rapids' win.

While Bedrosian had Tommy John on April 29th of last year, his layoff from the mound was much longer than that. He was shutdown in early August of 2010 with a sore elbow. The Angels originally decided to see if rest and rehab would fix the problem, but when he was still unable to throw throughout spring training, the decision was made to have him undergo surgery to repair his elbow ligament.

There was some thought in the organization that he would head to short-season ball this year, but Bedrosian pitched well enough in rehab to earn a spot in the Midwest League. That will help get him somewhat back on track as he needs innings to make up for lost time–the 20-year-old has only 16 pro innings.

According to Angels' pitching coordinator Kernan Ronan, Bedrosian's fastball was clocked at 89-94 mph during his first start. He's been anywhere from 89 to 96 mph during his rehab appearances. Before the injury he also usually topped out at 96 mph, so his velocity appears to be all the way back to its pre-injury levels.

"He was probably a little amped up in the first. After that he was pounding the ball down in the zone," Ronan said.

One of the local news stations has video from Bedrosian's start.