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[Chris]

John Smith??

[MoneyMelon]

If Strasburg hadn't blown out his elbow he would have had shoulder problems too, both Prior and Wood had elbow issues before the shoulder stuff, and it came from the delivery they were using. The only reason Kerry Wood is even still pitching is because he completely re-worked his delivery. If Strasburg doesn't re word his then he's going to be looking at the same thing when he returns, surgery or no surgery.

If you completely rework his delivery, he stops being Stephen Strasburg. There's a long list of guys who had their mechanics reworked and they were never the same again. The most you can really do with a guy, and still maintain their productivity, is tweek things like their grip on the ball or the angle of their arm. If you start reworking everything, you end up with Dontrelle Willis and Oliver Perez. Remember this isn't a guy who sucked and needed his mechanics changed like Roy Halladay or Johan Santana. This is a guy who was already good.

Yeah, he has a ligament in his elbow that needs to be fixed. As far as I know, there hasn't been any major issues related to his shoulder. He had some inflammation earlier in the year, but that happens to pretty much everyone, particularly early on. They checked it out and his shoulder was fine. No structural damage. If there was a major issue, surely an MRI would reveal wear and tear. Especially considering how cautious they've been with this kid.

I think it's a big leap to say because he's having Tommy John surgery, he's most likely going to have shoulder problems. Plenty of other guys had TJS early in their careers, had similar mechanics and never had that problem. In fact, TJS is often credited with preventing shoulder injuries in the future if it's done early enough.

Now, can this kid's body hold up for a long career? Who knows. But the fact that he's having an elbow ligament replaced doesn't mean he's the next Mark Prior either.

Personally, I give the Nationals' doctors, trainers and coaches enough credit to know what they're doing with the kid.

[Vic Vega]

If you are gonna have Tommy John Surgery, you might as well have it early on in your career when you are young and can recover quicker.

If anything it tends to make the arm stronger afterward.

Still feel bad for the kid, though.

[zombiemichaeljackson]

I think it's a big leap to say because he's having Tommy John surgery, he's most likely going to have shoulder problems. Plenty of other guys had TJS early in their careers, had similar mechanics and never had that problem. In fact, TJS is often credited with preventing shoulder injuries in the future if it's done early enough.

I think I either mis spoke or wasn't clear. He won't have shoulder issues because of the TJS, I'm saying that with or without the surgery his shoulder will eventually have issues unless he reworks his delivery. And of course it could fuck him up if he changes it, it's a risk/reward thing. Do you want to risk this guy fucking up his arm worse and get a few phenomenal years out of him, or do you rework his mechanics and get a bunch of years at a lower level of production? It's a tough question to answer, and I'm glad I don't have to make it.

[bkthomson]

Ok, that just sucks. I feel sorry for that National fans who had someone to root for in a lack-luster season.

[MoneyMelon]

I think I either mis spoke or wasn't clear. He won't have shoulder issues because of the TJS, I'm saying that with or without the surgery his shoulder will eventually have issues unless he reworks his delivery. And of course it could fuck him up if he changes it, it's a risk/reward thing. Do you want to risk this guy fucking up his arm worse and get a few phenomenal years out of him, or do you rework his mechanics and get a bunch of years at a lower level of production? It's a tough question to answer, and I'm glad I don't have to make it.

No harm. I get what you're saying.

And I completely agree. It's a really difficult decision to make. That's why the guys who make these decisions get paid so much.

But you bring up some great points. I just don't necessarily agree on every point.

Frankly, I'm just glad we got a good baseball discussion going. We don't get many of those here anymore.

[Doc Jon]

Nope, I remember hearing Don Cooper(White Sox pitching coach) being interviewed on the radio after his first start and saying that he watched the tape and was convinced that he wouldn't make it through the year because either his elbow or shoulder were going to give out because of the motion he was using. He even said that the reason guys use it is because it affords more break on the slider and change up, and that it takes years off of people's careers. He even specifically pointed to Mark Prior as an example.

The reason people weren't making a big deal about it is because they didn't want anyone to spoil their little freak show.

The Phillies announcers were talking about how much torque Strasburg must put on his arm before the injury happened. But then they just chalked it up to, "hey, it's worked for him all this time, guess it's ok."

[Doc Jon]

Ok, that just sucks. I feel sorry for that National fans who had someone to root for in a lack-luster season.

What suckes even more is that he was probably one start or so from being shut down as it is...