Juan Nicasio (neck) has begun throwing off a mound. A huge step for the 25-year-old Nicasio, who suffered a fractured C-1 vertebrae when he took an Ian Desmond line drive to the head in early August. "It's a miracle. It really is," Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd told The Denver Post on Wednesday. "I saw him in Arizona (at the Rockies' spring training facility) working out in the weight room, running and pitching. He looked just like any other player getting ready for the season."