Lockard: Addressing pitchers’ injuries one small movement at a time
From Melissa Lockard at The Athletic on December 12, 2018:
In baseball, the best-laid plans are often scuttled by the snap of an elbow ligament or a fraying of a shoulder labrum. While injuries are as much a part of sports as green grass and overpriced hot dogs, pitcher injuries, in particular, are a seemingly avoidable epidemic that have taken down many an MLB franchise.
One has to look no further than our own Bay Area backyard to see the devastating effect of pitcher injuries. The Giants’ 2018 season went from potential contender to bottom feeder in a hurry when three-fifths of their starting rotation landed on the disabled list. While Madison Bumgarner’s broken pinkie was a fluke injury, Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija missed significant time with more “traditional” pitcher injuries (torn UCL and shoulder soreness, respectively).
The A’s spit out about 17 different versions of their starting rotation thanks to injuries — and that was seemingly before the start of the regular season.
Read the full article here (subscription required): https://theathletic.com/705995/2018/12/12/how-to-build-a-healthy-roster-addressing-pitchers-injuries-one-small-movement-at-a-time/
Originally published: December 13, 2018. Last Updated: December 13, 2018.