Here’s the latest on some injury situations around the game, including several pitchers who will face 12-16 months of recovery time from Tommy John surgery…
- Alex Cobb discussed his injury situation with reporters (including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times) and the Rays righty admitted that he is “still going back and forth on what to do.” Cobb received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right elbow and will wait a few weeks before testing, though if the procedure doesn’t take, Cobb will have to undergo TJ surgery. If he waits and has to get the surgery anyway, however, Cobb risks missing all of 2016, whereas if he gets the surgery now, he believes he’ll be able to return late next season.
- Right-hander Matt Magill will undergo Tommy John surgery tomorrow, according to the Reds’ official Twitter feed. Magill’s Major League career consists of six starts for the Dodgers in 2013 that saw him post a 6.51 ERA, 26 strikeouts and 28 walks over 27 2/3 innings. A 31st-round pick for the Dodgers in the 2008 draft, Magill owns a 3.99 ERA, 8.9 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 over 700 2/3 minor league innings. He was traded from Los Angeles to Cincinnati in December in exchange for outfielder Chris Heisey.
- From that same Reds tweet, Homer Bailey will also undergo his own Tommy John surgery tomorrow.
- Rockies closer Adam Ottavino underwent Tommy John surgery this morning, according to Nick Groke of the Denver Post. Ottavino was going to get a second opinion to be sure, yet was fully expecting to get the operation to repair his partially torn UCL.
It seems like every day we’re learning about another pitcher needing TJ surgery. That is alarming to say the least.
Again it’s showing my age, but in my day, when pitchers “pitched” and putting in 300+ innings a year was commonplace (Mickey Lolich pitched 376 one year), all you heard about were slightly sore shoulders. They’d miss two starts and come right back.
I’m old enough to remember Lolich and yes, while he and Spahn and Ryan were workhorse pitchers who lasted a long time, there were also a lot of pitchers whose careers ended pretty early probably from too many innings/pitches: Koufax, Drysdale, Messersmith, Maloney, Chance & McLain.
With due respect, Lance, Koufax was arthritic and McLain had “other problems”.
And you don’t think that Koufax throwing 688 innings (not including spring training games) and 56 complete games his last two years had a little something to do with that arthritis? McLain had “other problems” of course but his big problem was he pitched 684 innings and 52 CG’s his last two good years in Det and his arm was never the same. Denny had 125 cortisone shots alone in his career. When Sandy retired, he said “too many shots.”
In our day we played baseball during the summer (a bit longer in warm weather areas) and most of us played because they enjoyed it. Now many kids play year-round, they work out at sports academies or have private coaches and the overall mindset is you will only be successful if you can throw harder than the other guy. I know that I have posted this paraphrasing of Dr. Jobe before but it is worth repeating….Throwing is good but throwing hard all the time is very bad and a youngster throwing a curveball is not bad. What is bad is that youngster not being taught how to properly throw a curveball. The current problem does not begin at the MLB level… It begins much, much sooner.
17 so far this year but there are still ways to go to the 2012.
MLB only #’s 1996 – (10 TJS)…97 (7)…98 (0)….99 (22)…. 2000 (26)….2001 (25)…. 2002 (38)….2003 (29)….2004 (33)…. 2005 (13)…. 2006 (10)…. 2007 (7)….2008 (8)…. 2009 (8)….2010 (11)….2011 (30)….2012 (46)….2013 (25)….2014 (29). I would shudder to even think how many there have been if I included MiLB as well.
There has been no significant improvement in the surgery itself since the 1980s. Prior to 1996 the largest number of surgeries done in one year was 2.
Glad they’re finally taking some action and doing research on this epidemic. It needs to get figured out fast.