Pitching Prospect Injusries

by OBF on Feb 18, 2005 12:14 PM EST

I am a Mariner fan! I love the mariners, and I love seeing young guns come up through the system and becoming pitching stars. However it seems that in the last few years the Mariners have had an inordinate amount of pitching prospect casualties. Most of the injuries have been serious (Torn Rotator cuff, Torn Labrum, or TJ surgury). So, I was just wondering, does anyone out there know if a study has been done on pitcher injuries in the minors? Are the Mariners really hard on pitchers (or do they have bad doctors)? Should the Mariners adopt a "prehab" thing like the A's have? Do the M's just draft damaged goods, or guys that are young and then throw them to much? Is it just bad luck? Or does every team have this many pitching injuries to major prospects and I just only hear about the M's because that is the team I follow?

Thanks in advance,
OBF

P.S. here is a list (off the top of my head so it is incomplete to be sure) of major prospect pitchers with major arm injurys (all in the last few years):

Gil Meche
Ryan Anderson
Roger Salkeld
Jeff Heaverlo
Greg Wooten
Jordan Zimmerman
Matt Thornton
Sam Hays
Jeff Farrnsworth
Ken Cloude
Aaron Taylor
Aaron Looper
Rafael Soriano
Travis Blackley

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diaries

can diaries be edited? I see some spelling mistakes I would like to fix?

Go M's!

by OBF on Feb 18, 2005 12:19 PM EST reply actions

John's top 50 pitchers

I counted through John's comments on the top 50 pitchers in this years book. 17 of them missed time, most of them a lot of time, in 2004. That is a 34% serious injury rate, in one season. That is one of the reasons pitching prospects are very risky.

by Gerry McDonald on Feb 18, 2005 3:17 PM EST reply actions

How about hitter injuries?

Veering off topic a little, but how many of John's top 50 hitters from the '04 Handbook missed significant time with injury? I'm guessing less than half the number of pitchers--and of course (unlike hurlers) position players rarely have their entire careers placed in jeopardy by injury.

This is why I'd be very reluctant to place Felix H., or even someone like Mark Prior a few years back, in the top 3 or 4 overall prospects.

by Mary Sunshine on Feb 18, 2005 7:21 PM EST reply actions

Pitching injuries

As a Brewer fan (It isn't easy!), I can say we are in the same boat. Mike Jones, Chris Saenz, (out for entire '05 season), Manny Parra (missed most of last season) are just a few. over the last few years, J.M. Gold, Nick Neugebauer, Ben Diggins, ect. ect. ect.

by undertow on Feb 18, 2005 11:23 PM EST reply actions

Dodgers Prospects

The Dodgers are now hoping to get Greg Miller back in June. Many people considered him the top pitcher in baseball before his injury. He has been out for over a year.

Edwin Jackson was not the same last year because of a strained forearm.

Two more Dodger prospects just had surgery: Ryan Ketchner (ulnar nerve transplant) and Mike McGrew (TJ).

by count sutton on Feb 21, 2005 1:10 PM EST reply actions

White Sox

Same thing happened to us, with Kris Honel missing pretty much all of last season with arm problems. He was one of our top pitching prospects before the injuries hit.

by adducc on Feb 22, 2005 12:08 AM EST reply actions