It Cuts Like a Knife: Injuries and Rehab in 2017

[Edgy MD]

Check this out. Video from December 27. When you were sleeping off your holiday, this was happening in Hampton Roads, VA.

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29K views · 260 reactions | Tonight from 7:00-8:30 defense and...

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Tonight from 7:00-8:30 defense and hitting session at Hampton Roads Sports Academy. Come on by you never know who you might run into here! David Wright (baseball) getting his work in!...

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[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Whifleball pitchers around the league are terrified

[Edgy MD]

That first one came it at, what? 38? 39?

[MFS62]

I'd like to see what happened when he tried to bend down to retrieve the ball on the ground behind him.

Later

[Centerfield]

He doesn't look right.

[Frayed Knot]

When are people going to learn that horizontal video works a lot better than vertical for like 90% of the stuff they shoot?
I mean, we're how many years into the cell-phone era and Still folks don't realize this?!?

[Edgy MD]

Well, it's December and he's hitting soft-serv and recovering from major back surgery, and still seemingly 20 pounds or so lighter than usual, so yeah, he's not ready to bat cleanup. But swinging a bat with full force and torque means something at this point, I hope. Beats sitting around and waiting for a green light from the docs.

[nymr83]

20 pounds lighter could be a good thing compared to the alternatives. i sure wouldn't be lighter if i stayed off my feet for 6 months...

[Centerfield]

Understood, and I'm happy about the progress.

Was just thinking that his swing doesn't look right. And I guess my swing doesn't ever look right, and certainly wouldn't if I had just had neck surgery and a degenerative back condition, but he's out on his front foot more than normal, a little more upright than I'm used to seeing, and he's letting go with one hand. Wright, when he's right, has as nice a swing as a righty can have. This just doesn't look like him.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Centerfield wrote: Understood, and I'm happy about the progress. Was just thinking that his swing doesn't look right. And I guess my swing doesn't ever look right, and certainly wouldn't if I had just had neck surgery and a degenerative back condition, but he's out on his front foot more than normal, a little more upright than I'm used to seeing, and he's letting go with one hand. Wright, when he's right, has as nice a swing as a righty can have. This just doesn't look like him.

Well, one uses a different swing in slow pitch softball than they do when hitting a baseball. Still, it is encouraging that he is healthy enough to be swinging a bat once again.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I think we'll be okay if he can use a ghost runner when he hits, and a ghost diver/bender-overer/twist-to-make-backhanded-plays-er for the field.

[Edgy MD]

Don't be voting for the Givuplicans.

[ashie62]

Thats just a picture of a guy hoping he can play. I wouldn't even call what we see a swing.

[Edgy MD]

Sure it's a swing. And it's a video (not a picture) of a guy semi-immobilized and largely inactive over the last year who has been given clearance to swing and is doing so. And that's not nothing.

[G-Fafif]

Zack Wheeler tries not to feel a little tenderness, but does -- in his right elbow. Scar tissue from surgery, it is said.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Hopefully that's all it is, but big things frequently start small.

Next week we'll probably be reading about how someone found his arm lying on the dugout floor.

[Ceetar]

this just in, pitching after two years hurts.

[Edgy MD]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Hopefully that's all it is, but big things frequently start small.

And yet, this is hardly the start.

[Benjamin Grimm]

That's true too.

[ashie62]

Wright swinging and taking balls at 3rd and first. Not cleared to throw yet but on an arm strength program.

I am now cautiously optimistic.

[Frayed Knot]

The award for best injury of the spring may already have been won as Royals LH reliever Brian Flynn (of course he's left-handed) was working on the roof of his barn when he fell through it.
The fall resulted in him knocking himself out temporarily, breaking a rib, and sustaining "three non-displaced fractures in his vertebrae".
As a result, he'll be about eight weeks behind the rest of the children in the lessons for the spring semester.

[MFS62]

G-Fafif wrote: Zack Wheeler tries not to feel a little tenderness, but does -- in his right elbow. Scar tissue from surgery, it is said.

I'm cautiously optimistic. But like Ben, I know that anything can happen. I fought through recovering from a sore pitching arm myself and I appreciate what is going through Wheeler's mind.

What he's feeling is caused by breaking adhesions and other scar tissue and is considered normal. He has probably been told to expect it and that it results in better freedom of motion. He has probably been told to expect it several times during his rehab.
So, unless this discomfort is far beyond what is expected, it may indicate that Wheeler is a wus.



Later

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'm leaning toward the assumption Wheeler's career is about over and whatever we get from him, if anything, has to be looked at as a surprise by now.

It's not like this was a guy who ever had it all together before a serious injury, surgery and a poor recovery from surgery. What is anyone expecting?

[Edgy MD]

Well, the Wheeler Expectations thread wasn't due for another month, but he may well be retired by then.

Yeah, I was dubious that he was going to help the team much this season, and I'm doubly dubious now.

[ashie62]

Points for "doubly dubious." Did not know Zack was hurting again. I think I have heard when it works it is Tommy John surgery. When it does not it is Steve Trout surgery.

Missing Bartolo today.

Kristie Ackert on Zack from yesterday.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/zack-wheeler-shut-day-experiencing-tenderness-article-1.2973547

[Ceetar]

I'm going to need more than soreness from throwing after two years before I dig the grave personally. Especially since they're purposely not wanting anyone to really be throwing much yet.

[TransMonk]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: It's not like this was a guy who ever had it all together before a serious injury, surgery and a poor recovery from surgery. What is anyone expecting?

Dude had a 3.50 ERA in 49 starts with 8.5 K/9. I would at worst label his pre-injury career as "average" and there was certainly room for him to grow, but I don't remember thinking he was below expectations based on his youth and experience. The fortune we have had with deGrom/Syndergaard/Harvey/Matz all being really good (better than Wheeler) very early in their careers may have altered the expectations, though.

If he was being counted on the the ace or even the number two, I would agree that he was definitely not that guy yet pre-injury, but I'd be thrilled to have those stats from a fifth starter.

I do think having missed two years makes it less likely that he will reach the ceiling we all thought he had back in 2013-14, but I haven't given up on him being valuable yet.

[Centerfield]

Zach Wheeler starts were torture to watch. He lacked control, his secondary pitches were sub-par, and he used to run up late-career Al Leiter-type pitch counts. I agree with JCL that he wasn't all that beforehand.

He was a good pitcher. And those numbers are actually better than what I would have thought. And yes, I get that he is young and could definitely have gotten better.

The one encouraging thing that I remember reading, pre-surgery, was that the TJ operation would alleviate issues he had been dealing with for years, and that he expected to improve coming out on the other end. That, I guess, is still possible. Notwithstanding the long recovery.

At this point, nothing would really surprise me about Wheeler. If he came on and was lights out, it's in the realm of possibility. So is a second TJ surgery and never making it back to the bigs. Such is pitching I guess.

[Edgy MD]

TransMonk wrote: If he was being counted on the the ace or even the number two, I would agree that he was definitely not that guy yet pre-injury, but I'd be thrilled to have those stats from a fifth starter.

The thing is, after being that guy two years ago, and being two years in the wasteland without throwing a pitch, and with him seemingly already on a tight innings ratio (Terry was talking 25 starts limited to five innings per, and that's the upside!), it would seem to be a far better ambition to invest hopes in Gsellman.

I mean, 125 innings as a starter at 3.50 ERA. I imagine that's somewhere between 1.1 and 1.5 fWAR. And that's the upside?

And yeah, Centerfield has a pretty good description of him above. I likened him to Pelfrey, getting ahead of batters and then forever wasting two pitches away.

I'm considering anything the Mets get from him as a bonus. And I'll certainly congratulate him if he gets his career back on track after that long layoff.

[TransMonk]

Overall, you're right about Gsellman having more upside now...if he puts up a 3.50 ERA over a full season, I'll be ecstatic.

Still, I had no problem with Wheeler's development pre-injury. He did waste pitches after getting ahead, but he had better stuff (and stats) than Pelfrey over each of their first 49 starts.