Strasburg out for up to 2 years... what we can learn from it.

[BRob51]

I remember I think it was Schilling's doctor that said Tommy John surgery was typically a precursor to a shoulder issue because the elbow ligament injury was actually a result of compensating for a shoulder problem such as a torn labrum.

Just look at Eric Bedard. First he has Tommy John surgery and then eventually labrum surgery. I bet you'll see Strasburg have a shoulder procedure eventually.

The elbow and shoulder are directly related. I don't know that I'd go so far as to generalize TJ as a precursor, but they certainly can be related.

[Tony-OH]

Such a shame for the Nats and Strasburg...but you had to see this coming...Its not surprising.

Hopefully he can come back from it and not be Mark Prior.

And no, he wasn't rushed at all.

This is really the truth. It's bad for baseball because his stuff was so dynamic, but he truly was a major injury risk. I told people from the start that they should enjoy him while they can because clearly that guy was going to blow.

The Nats handled him the best they could. He was worth the gamble in my opinion!!

[Tony-OH]

BTW, I wonder if Dibble still thinks he's a wimp?

[JTrea81]

You must be Nostradamus or something. "You had to see this coming"....are you kidding me?

There are plenty of other flamethrowers who have not succumbed to UCL injuries....Verlander, King Felix, David Price, to name a few. Would you have not taken the risk to draft/sign these guys because you saw an injury coming?

Throwing a baseball is not a natural movement, injuries do occur. Not sure what the percentages are, but your statement to me reads like an analogy to flipping a coin...."well, heads was bound to turn up....should have seen it coming."

It's revisionist history all over again...same thing that happened with Prior. At one time, it was said he had the purest most efficient mechanics. Then, he gets hurt, and everyone points to mechanics as the fault. Gimme a break.

Strasburg's delivery was a huge red flag when he was drafted. Several experts commented that his delivery was very similar to that of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, two injury plagued pitchers that just haven't been as effective since they've been hurt. He was a major injury risk because of that "inverted W" delivery.

Most recently the pitching coach of the White Sox, Don Cooper said he didn't believe Strasburg was going to be able to stay healthy because of his delivery.

[H0smash]

Why not? For a team that is relying on the draft for talent, I'd make darn sure that the guy I am picking with all that other talent available is as close to a lock as I can get.

If you are the Yankees or Red Sox - sure you can afford to take a gamble. And maybe the Nationals could because they are willing to invest in talent in other areas, but if that were the Orioles who took Strasburg, it would be a major setback.

It'd be a major setback for anyone. There's no evidence that Strasburg was at a higher risk of getting injured than any other pitcher. Go back right now, and tell me who you would have taken at #1 that would have been a better pick? Dustin Ackley is not the answer (and I don't care what team you are), when you have the #1 pick, you need to swing for the fences. Most of the time you don't get another #1 pick the next year so you better try to get the best player possible when you have that pick. Strasburg was/is a once-in-a-generation talent. I know that term gets overused, but the dude was an ace from the get-go. The only question was if he could stay healthy, and sadly he couldn't but he's only getting Tommy John, so he should be able to come back and help the Nats in the future. IF and only IF there had been a Ken Griffey Jr. or an A-Rod in that same draft would I not take Strasburg, but that draft did not have anyone of their caliber. The Nats made the right decision, one that any MLB team should have made if they were in the Nats' position, take the best player available. He had no past injuries or red flags, he was the right pick.

[BRob51]

You must be Nostradamus or something. "You had to see this coming"....are you kidding me?

There are plenty of other flamethrowers who have not succumbed to UCL injuries....Verlander, King Felix, David Price, to name a few. Would you have not taken the risk to draft/sign these guys because you saw an injury coming?

Throwing a baseball is not a natural movement, injuries do occur. Not sure what the percentages are, but your statement to me reads like an analogy to flipping a coin...."well, heads was bound to turn up....should have seen it coming."

It's revisionist history all over again...same thing that happened with Prior. At one time, it was said he had the purest most efficient mechanics. Then, he gets hurt, and everyone points to mechanics as the fault. Gimme a break.

Ehhh, Stras' delivery isn't bad, but it puts a lot of strain on his shoulder, and that can show up in the elbow.

[RandyM]

Got to love the handful of people on this board that know better.

Can you guys let me know where the stock market will end today too .

[Hank Scorpio]

Can you imagine the negative media attention and ridicule the Nats would have absorbed had they passed on Strasburg at #1?

They'd be the laughingstock of baseball.

Burnett, Josh Johnson, Tim Hudson, Chris Carpenter, Liriano, Marcum, Pavano, Smoltz, Soria, Soriano, Westbrook, CJ Wilson... there are many, many successful pitchers who have had and recovered from Tommy John surgery. It's certainly not a death knell, and passing on Strasburg would have been monumentally stupid.

[JTrea81]

BTW here's more about the "inverted W" and if you look at the names of the pitchers and the injury histories they've had, you can see the correlation.

http://www.chrisoleary.com/projects/Baseball/Pitching/RethinkingPitching/Essays/DeathToTheInvertedW.html

I think we should stay far away from potential pitching prospects that have this delivery, especially first round draft picks.

[Hank Scorpio]

BTW, I wonder if Dibble still thinks he's a wimp?

Seriously, can't wait to hear what Dibble thinks about this.

He'll probably tell him to rub some dirt on it.

[JTrea81]

Can you imagine the negative media attention and ridicule the Nats would have absorbed had they passed on Strasburg at #1?

They'd be the laughingstock of baseball.

Burnett, Josh Johnson, Tim Hudson, Chris Carpenter, Liriano, Marcum, Pavano, Smoltz, Soria, Soriano, Westbrook, CJ Wilson... there are many, many successful pitchers who have had and recovered from Tommy John surgery. It's certainly not a death knell, and passing on Strasburg would have been monumentally stupid.

Then.

But they'd look pretty smart right about now IMO...

[RandyM]

Then.

But they'd look pretty smart right about now IMO...

I have been usually supporting your statements. But this makes we want to shake my head and helps me understand why people feel so strongly about your statements.

Please provide a link where you proposed specifically that you didn't think Strasburg should go one or even that the O's should pass on him if he was available. Would love to see that.

[JTrea81]

I have been usually supporting your statements. But this makes we want to shake my head and helps me understand why people feel so strongly about your statements.

Please provide a link where you proposed specifically that you didn't think Strasburg should go one or even that the O's should pass on him if he was available. Would love to see that.

Oh I'm sure others can vouch that I said I'd take Ackley all along.

But I'll see if I can dig something up...

[Arthorn]

I probably would have shut him down after his first stint on the DL. I guess this was innevitable though.

[Hank Scorpio]

Then.

But they'd look pretty smart right about now IMO...

Based on what?

Dustin Ackley's .778 OPS?