MLB Must Address Arm Injuries

                               This season many star pitchers have gone down with arm problems. And the top teams have not been immune to the problem. The Dodgers unfortunately have had more than their fair share of these. Gonsolin, Kershaw Buehler and May are all recovering from arm or shoulder issues. Since the season started, they have been joined by Graterol, Kelly, Brasier, Yamamoto. Glasnow is down with back problems. Kershaw is close to returning if he does not have pain after his next couple of re-hab stints. They are hopeful Glasnow will be better with just some rest. He is only 11 innings from reaching his career high of 120. 

                                      The Dodgers also just had to shut down Kyle Hurt with elbow soreness. That is not a good sign. Treinen was hit by a batted ball in spring training and lost some time. But it is the rising number of pitchers requiring Tommy John surgery, and arm injuries in general that have most baseball people calling for some changes. 

                                         There obviously is a need to change either the way pitchers are trained and then used, or a better program between starts that allows pitchers to build better mechanics and training exercises to reduce the strain on the arm. So far no one really can put a finger on why so many pitchers are going down with these kinds of injuries. 

                                        Buehler and May have both had 2 Tommy John Surgery’s. Surprisingly, Kershaw has had none. Most of his physical problems have been centered on his back. But last off-season, he had to have shoulder surgery. Just how good, or bad he will be remains to be seen. 

                                       There have been 38 pitchers so far who have gone down this season. Jacob deGrom is one of the bigger names. He did not make it past 6 April starts before he had to undergo his second procedure. All this right after he signed a huge contract with the Rangers. Shohei Ohtani also had TJ surgery over the offseason. Not long after he signed his historic deal with the Dodgers.

                                       The list includes, Braves, Spencer Strider, Marlins, Sandy Alcantara, Rays, Shane McClanahan, Astros, Framber Valdez, closer Jose Bautista, Guardians, Shane Bieber. The Rockies lost German Marquez and Antonio Senzatela. Yankees ace, Garret Cole, had some elbow issues. Some think he is going to need Tommy John at some point. 

                                       These injuries are reaching epidemic proportions. At some point in time, MLB is going to have to have some serious discussions about solutions. Many believe that one of the contributing factors is the pitch clock. Pitchers can no longer take their time between pitches. It has reduced the game times overall, but does it really contribute to the rash of injuries? 

                                   Another probable cause could be the higher velocity that most pitchers today are capable of throwing. Of the arm injuries at the end of last season, 31 of the 64 pitchers who went down were the hardest throwers in the league. Just like they now look for hitters with the three true outcomes, they search for high velocity arms with huge spin rate.   

                                       We all know Tommy John’s history. He was the first pitcher to have the surgery performed. Dr. Frank Jobe, the Dodgers team doctor at the time, devised the procedure in 1974. Tommy John, who had gone down with an injury to his UCL in 1974 after pitching in 22 games for the Dodgers, was his guinea pig. At the time, no one knew if it would work.

                                      John missed the entire 1975 season. He returned to the Dodgers for the 76 campaign and went 10-10. He made 31 starts and pitched 207 innings. In 1977, while the Dodgers were making their run to the pennant, TJ won 20 games and lost 7 with 220.1 innings pitched. In his last year in L.A., he won 17, lost 10 and pitched 213 innings. John would pitch until 1989. Fourteen years after having the surgery. He also won 20 games or more twice after he left the Dodgers. He finished with 288 wins. 

                                      TJ never got that ring, even though he pitched in three World Series, all of them involving the Dodgers and Yankees. He lost twice with LA,77-78, and then was a member of the Yankees when the Dodgers beat them in 1981. He had probably one of the best post TJ surgery careers of any pitcher. 

                                         It will be very interesting to see how baseball address’s this issue over the winter. We know that many are concerned about the rising number of injuries in players who are obviously stronger and bigger than their predecessors. How does MLB and the players union respond? Huge amounts of money are being paid to players who are not playing. I wonder how the owners of the Rangers feel getting only 6 games out of deGrom before he went down. 

                                        The effect of all of the injuries this season is reflected on how bad the Dodgers have played over the last several weeks. They have lost four of their last five series and just were swept by the Phillies. Three games until the All-Star break. The team definitely needs a breather. Hopefully no one else goes down to a debilitating injury.                                      

                                                        Bad night for LA’s farm teams except the OKC team. Rancho lost to the Stockton Ports, 5-3 in a game they once led, 3-1. Portland used a 4-run 7th to take the lead. Kendall George hit his first home run. Meza, Albertus, and McLain each had two hits. Wallace got the loss. The Great Lakes Loons were no-hit by three Ft. Wayne pitchers and lost 9-1. They scored an unearned run in the 7th inning. Tulsa was shut out by Corpus Cristy, losing 4-0. Ortiz-Mayer took the loss giving up just one run in his 5 innings of work. He walked 4 and struck out 3. Drillers got only 3 hits, 2 by Ramos. OKC beat El Paso, 6-4. They scored all of their runs in the first four innings. The went ahead for good with a 4-run 3rd inning. Every player except Okey got a hit. Six different players drove in runs. Avans hit his 7th homer. Dryer got the win with 1.1 clean innings. Choi started, went 4.1 innings and gave up 3 runs. 2 came in on a homer by Battens. Hahn got his first save.