Orioles C Matt Wieters to visit Dr. James Andrews

[mcgraw238]

What exactly do you not understand?

While it is not as frequent for position players, your confused about how a professional athlete could strain/tear a ligament in his elbow?

[Mayor McCheese]

What exactly do you not understand?

Just think how much stress is put on that elbow making that snap throw to second from his knees.

[notfast]

Maybe he could DH/pt catcher for the next few months and if the team tanked in Aug/Sept and was out of race - he could get a jump start on surgery?

[benefactor]

While it is not as frequent for position players, your confused about how a professional athlete could strain/tear a ligament in his elbow?

I'm sure it's possible, but it's extremely unlikely for it to happen to a player like a catcher who only makes a handful of throws per game that aren't just lobs back to the pitcher. The positional breakdown of the players who have had TJ bears that out -- like 99% of them are pitchers. All I'm saying is that it raises questions, especially this early into the season.

[mcgraw238]

I'm sure it's possible, but it's extremely unlikely for it to happen to a player like a catcher who only makes a handful of throws per game that aren't just lobs back to the pitcher. The positional breakdown of the players who have had TJ bears that out -- like 99% of them are pitchers. All I'm saying is that it raises questions, especially this early into the season.

I agree it is rare for a non-pitcher to undergo TJ surgery. However, we know Carl Crawford needed the procedure recently and it doesn't strike me as being that difficult to see the possibility, as unlikely as it might be, that a catcher could suffer the same fate given the violent nature of the throws controlling the running game.

Here is a link to 2 Arkansas catcher who underwent TJ:

http://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2013/jul/24/catchers-optimistic-after-tomm-john/

[LookinUp]

I wonder how overrated throwing out base stealers is. I would almost be content having him back there blocking pitches and catching foul tips while conceding some base runners and getting lucky throwing a few out.

This is sort of what I was getting at. The SABR guys have devalued base stealing to the point that there aren't that many guys who make it a big part of their game anymore. However, I'm guessing the math changes significantly if the chances of being thrown out go to 10% instead of 25-30%. I think it depends on how much the elbow is affecting his throws, but the total risk is mitigated by the fact that there just aren't that many teams built with guys like Ellsbury these days, so I wonder how much people will exploit him.

[pccp82]

didn't wieters used to pitch in college?

[Can_of_corn]

didn't wieters used to pitch in college?

He was the closer.

[Tx Oriole]

If he was healthy enough to DH last night, why couldn't he continue to DH and get surgery in the offseason?

Would work for me.

[Can_of_corn]

Would work for me.

Considering that 2015 is his walk year he might prefer to miss time in 2014.

[LayzieDES]

Yeah - give him a "cortisone" shot and throw him back out there...:clap3: - works for me!

[video=youtube_share;qbIEepu8Z4w]

[CaptainRedbeard]

Pujols has been playing through a damaged UCL for years. I think it's safe to assume it won't necessarily affect Matt's hitting, and the fact that he's hitting well since it started hurting doesn't mean it's not damaged. But, there's no way Matt could go and play catcher with a damaged UCL the way Pujols can play 1st.

I do think the rest/rehab approach is unlikely because Matt (and Boras) are going to want him to be completely healthy for his walk year. That's not Boras just controlling him, that's actually in Matt's best interest.

For whatever reason I'm not super concerned about this, I really like Clevenger and think a Clevenger/Joseph platoon could actually be pretty productive. We'd lose 2 wins from Wieters being about a 4 win guy to that platoon probably being 2 wins, but that's not going to break our season. With Davis getting hurt and getting him and Manny back to full health/productivity is WAY more important (and even to some degree, Hardy as well).

[VeveJones007]

Pujols has been playing through a damaged UCL for years. I think it's safe to assume it won't necessarily affect Matt's hitting, and the fact that he's hitting well since it started hurting doesn't mean it's not damaged. But, there's no way Matt could go and play catcher with a damaged UCL the way Pujols can play 1st.

I do think the rest/rehab approach is unlikely because Matt (and Boras) are going to want him to be completely healthy for his walk year. That's not Boras just controlling him, that's actually in Matt's best interest.

For whatever reason I'm not super concerned about this, I really like Clevenger and think a Clevenger/Joseph platoon could actually be pretty productive. We'd lose 2 wins from Wieters being about a 4 win guy to that platoon probably being 2 wins, but that's not going to break our season. With Davis getting hurt and getting him and Manny back to full health/productivity is WAY more important (and even to some degree, Hardy as well).

I don't believe that the O's margin of error is high enough to lose 2 wins and still contend.

[SeaBird]

I remember reading somewhere that TJ rehab for position players is ~6 months--not a year or more. And I don't even know how a catcher would get to the point of needing TJ surgery in the first place.

Why? Are catchers somehow immune from UCL injuries?

[Ripken]

Another tough spot for Matt and for the team. Hoping he's okay.

I can't remember a player giving me more ups and downs in recent years. I could not have been more excited when they drafted him. I went to his first game in Baltimore, which was great. I thought he was going to be a franchise player; believed all the Mauer-with-Power stuff. Then I started to get down on his performance, based solely on expectations and what I took as some frustrated body language from Matt.

Then there's the Boras involvement: Bucks comments about "Wieters becoming a Yankee", what sounded like hugely different club/agent contract numbers, which created the "two year window" causing endless off-season discussions about trading him because "he'll never re-sign", etc. I was already preparing to move on from him being an Oriole... and then he starts hitting this year like we all thought he could... and now he could be done for the season. Maddening.