KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) – Mike Hampton strolled off the mound Tuesday after another baby step in his comeback from elbow surgery.

Bobby Cox was waiting eagerly near the first-base line.

“Thatta boy, Mike,” the Atlanta Braves’ manager said. “Did it feel good?”

“It felt pretty good,” Hampton replied, shrugging his shoulders.

That’s the way it’s been for the left-hander, who’s trying to come back after missing much of 2005 and all of last season. Some days are good, some not so good. It’s all part of the process – a frustrating series of starts and stumbles, progress and disappointment.

Through it all, Hampton is under intense scrutiny. Whenever he throws, Cox and his coaches are sure to be around, monitoring him for every little sign of hope.

They know better than anyone that Hampton is the key to the Braves making it back to the playoffs in 2007.

When asked what he meant to Atlanta’s chances, Cox replied: “Everything. He’s a huge part of the puzzle.”

Seventeen months ago, doctors cut into Hampton’s left elbow and replaced a damaged ligament – the dreaded Tommy John procedure. The recovery always takes at least a year and, even then, there’s no guarantee that the elbow will feel like it did before, at least not right away.

Hampton, who was hopeful of being 100 percent when he got to spring training, now realizes that he’s still in the midst of rehabilitation.

“There’s going to be good days and bad days,” he said, standing at his locker with a bulky ice pack strapped to his left shoulder. “I just know I’ve got a long way to go. I’ve still got some stuff to accomplish before I can get into a game. That’s just reality.”

Hampton threw a handful of curves during five minutes of batting practice, the first time he’s used his breaking ball this spring. He could definitely feel the resistance in his elbow.

“I’m not where I need to be,” he said. “It felt good early, then I threw some breaking balls. I didn’t feel as good later in the session as it did earlier.”

He’s still learning to deal with those sort of expected setbacks, leaning on teammates such as John Smoltz and Bob Wickman who’ve been through it before.

Of course, it’s tough to be patient when you’ve missed an entire season. But Hampton knows he can’t ignore the warning signs. If his arm is hurting, he needs to take an extra day of rest. If it’s feeling good, he can push a little harder.

“I’ll just go day to day and see how I feel,” he said. “I’ve got to go with how my body feels, how my arm feels. I don’t want to rush it. As bad as I want to get out there and pitch, I know I’m not ready right now.”

When will he be ready to pitch a spring training game? Check back later.

Will he be ready for the start of the regular season? Hampton has no idea.

Smoltz, who missed the entire 2000 season after Tommy John surgery, said it’s important to realize that no two pitchers are the same in these situations. While he can provide advice and counsel during Hampton’s comeback, it’s impossible to draw up a definitive timeline that works for everyone.

“There are some time frames you just can’t beat,” Smoltz said. “You’ve just got to listen to your body. It’s hard. Guys like him have pitched in enough pain that they think they can monitor it and deal with it. But some pain differentiates itself. You’ve got to learn what that is.”

The Braves are certainly being careful with Hampton, considering they’ve still got to pay him $29.5 million over the last two years of the massive contract he signed with Colorado at the start of the decade.

He’s never come close to being a pitcher worthy of that kind of money, but he did bounce back to become a solid starter after the Braves acquired him from the Rockies. He won 14 games in 2003 and 13 more the following season.

The elbow began hurting during a game at Los Angeles in May 2005. The Braves hoped that rest and rehab would get him back on the mound, but they finally had to face reality late in the season after Hampton managed only 12 starts.

A season ago, he could only watch as the Braves’ streak of 14 straight division titles ended with a losing record and third-place finish in the NL East. They finished a staggering 18 games behind the division champion New York Mets.

“That was the toughest thing I had to deal with last year,” Hampton said. “I had to endure a season where I couldn’t play and our team didn’t do all that well. Now, all the pieces of the puzzle are in place to be successful and have a chance to win the East.”

Well, almost every piece. There’s still one big opening in the rotation.

“Right now, we’re an average starting rotation,” Smoltz said. “If we’re all healthy, then we’ve got a darn good rotation.”

AP-ES-02-27-07 1739EST