The Pirates are cursed- Brad Lincoln.

by calig23 on Apr 3, 2007 9:39 PM EDT Comment 26 comments

http://postgazette.com/pg/07093/774854-100.stm

Pirates' top pitching prospect has elbow surgery, out for season

Tuesday, April 03, 2007
By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

HOUSTON -- Brad Lincoln, the Pirates' top pitching prospect, had reconstructive elbow surgery today and will miss the entire 2007 season.

Lincoln, the team's first-round draft choice last season, had ligament damage repaired by Dr. James Andrews, the noted orthopedic surgeon in Birmingham, Ala.

Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield said Lincoln will be unable to pitch for 10-12 months, but should do so in 2008.

Lincoln tried to pitch early in spring training and again last week, and the latter attempt convinced the team to send Lincoln to Dr. Andrews.

More details in tomorrow's Post-Gazette.

Oh well.

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Ian Snell

Hey on the bright side Ian Snell is dominanting the Astros.

by Bravesin07 on Apr 3, 2007 9:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Unfortunately...

Snell's domination is likely to be wasted since the Pirates' lineup can't muster much of anything.

by calig23 on Apr 3, 2007 9:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

poor guy

He did have 14 wins last year, which was probably too many. Might be karma this year :(.

He was destroying the stros, including Carlos Lee(two Ks), Biggio (3ks), ensberg (2ks).

He was looking electric though.

by Team Moneyball on Apr 3, 2007 10:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

How many is this?

Lincoln, Bullington, Van Benschoten, Burnett, Benson, Miller, Johnston, Bradley...WOW!

by Havok1517 on Apr 3, 2007 9:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

They might as well trade their 1st rounder

If they can't draft a pitcher without arm troubles. Seems like the only pick that has worked out so far is McCutchen and Walker.

by Bravesin07 on Apr 3, 2007 9:53 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Well

Maholm is so far so good.

by Havok1517 on Apr 3, 2007 9:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maholm...

Maholm is the only 1st round Pirates' pitcher in recent memory who hasn't an arm injury.

Of course, that's not much consolation, as he did miss time a couple years ago when he took a line drive to the face...

by calig23 on Apr 3, 2007 10:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

he's

a finesse lefty, hard to be too congratulatory on that pick

by Trenchtown on Apr 3, 2007 10:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

you can't trade draft picks in baseball anyway.

by VtTigers on Apr 3, 2007 11:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

you can't trade draft picks in baseball anyway.

by VtTigers on Apr 3, 2007 11:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

draft bats

its obvious they are cursed with pitchers, so why do they keep taking them in the first round? just take the best hitter and worry about pitchers in later rounds.

by fewgoodcards on Apr 3, 2007 11:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

X

How about Xavier Nady, early MVP favorite!

by Mike McBride on Apr 4, 2007 12:26 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

oh well....

at least they didn't pass on Kershaw, A.Miller, or Lincecum with the pick.

by joltin joe dimaggio on Apr 4, 2007 2:15 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I think its amazing how stat oriented folks are now bashing the Pirates for picking the guy that was a stathead draft favorite.
Its "just" Tommy John surgery. It sucks but its not enough to call this a bad pick yet.

And it happened so soon that you can't really blame in on the Pirates. The one valid complaint I could see is that if he got hurt so quick after signing the injury was developing while he was still in college but then again no one who saw him last spring said anything about him looking injured while pitching.

And do those who favor a team making rational, objective, data-based decsions want any team buying into the idea of not drafting pitchers because (obvioiusly!) that team is CURSED with them?
I hope not.
The Pirates have made bad picks, and done a bad job with development, but have also had some bad luck.

Improve your scouting and development but don't stop drafting pitchers because you think youre cursed.

by nms on Apr 4, 2007 2:28 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

eh

Pirates fans are hoping Brad can make a "Phil Humberesque" comeback. But man, Pitt has just been unlucky.

by sagecoll on Apr 4, 2007 12:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Meh...

It's not like TJ surgery means much these days. As long as he sticks to his rehab, he could potentially come back stronger than ever next year.

by SenorGato88 on Apr 4, 2007 3:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Who are a few....

... guys who have had TJ and are now stronger and better than ever? I keep hearing people referencing that, but I dont know of any off the top of my head.

Also, I would have to say that Pitt isnt unlucky, they must either be abusing their young pitchers, or failing to scout pitchers well enough to recognize the danger signs of that sort of thing. They have had too many pitcher arm injuries for this to be a bad luck sort of thing.

I get the feeling that their coaches/scouts just are not very good at identifying the danger signs and do not take adequate precautions when their young pitchers start to show those signs and fail to avoid those sort of pitchers in the draft.

by grozzy on Apr 4, 2007 4:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Chris Carpenter?

or did he have some other arm surgery? i thought it was TJ though.

Go Pirates!!!

by cool hand Charlie on Apr 4, 2007 5:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Im pretty sure he....

... had shoulder surgery. A torn Labrum or something like that. I seem to find conflicting things when I google him, but Im really thinking that he had major shoulder problems and shoulder surgery.

by grozzy on Apr 4, 2007 5:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yup

Torn labrum in 02, missed the second half and all of 03.

by Yakker on Apr 4, 2007 6:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well maybe Pitt didnt

properly identify Lincolns possible injury when they drafted him but I didn't hear about anyone else doing so either.
Hard to give 'em demerits on something that was probably unforseeable, at least as unforseeable as any young pitcher arm injury can be.

Also, while TJ can ruin, or at least weaken, a guy its survivable. If my team has a guy who they feel really strongly about I wouldn't mind 'em drafting them anyway and waiting for them to come back.
Maybe not as a high as Lincoln was picked, but the general idea is ok i think

by nms on Apr 4, 2007 6:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

TJ

Smoltz for one has been awesome since his TJ. Gagne won a CY after his.

by slurve on Apr 4, 2007 9:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Borh had....

... to pitch out of the pen afterward. Gagne won his CY there and didnt even stay healthy for that long as a closer.

Smoltz was already great ahead of his TJ and was forced into the pen for a while. He has been very good after coming back to the rotation, but at best he is as good as he was before hand. He is definately not better.

People keep referencing pitchers coming back after the surgery and being better than ever, but I dont know of any examples of them being better after.

by grozzy on Apr 4, 2007 10:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs