Strasburg taken out of Phillies game for injury...

[brumbach]

Got these from another board, not sure where they originate from, kind of creepy. I'm not a student of pitching mechanics but have there been other pitchers with a similar W delivery that have had long successfull and relatively injury free careers?

 

[schmidtfan20]

What are you talking about, Prior had a long and great career.

Sincerely
Everyone how overpaid for Stras stuff

 

[bballcardkid]

What are you talking about, Prior had a long and great career.

Sincerely
Everyone how overpaid for Stras stuff

That actually would have been funny if it made sense.

 

[JoshHamilton]

Bill, there's no correlation between windup/delivery and injury. None. You're either predisposed and prone to injury, or you aren't. I can cite numerous examples of pitchers with piss poor mechanics who have never gotten hurt, and pitchers who had perfect deliveries who got hurt all the time.

If you grow up using a certain delivery, you get used to that windup. Lincecum has a violent body contortion that puts strain on his lower back (I'd assume). No issues with him yet. Everyone said with his dorky, skinny frame, he'd break down. Nope.

Although I'll say this: I'm a Strasburg fan. FAN, not some ******* looking to make money off him. Two injuries his first year scares me. That usually extrapolates to a career mostly spent on the DL

 

[blitzerlover]

Got these from another board, not sure where they originate from, kind of creepy. I'm not a student of pitching mechanics but have there been other pitchers with a similar W delivery that have had long successfull and relatively injury free careers?

Smoltz had the inverted W, and was still successful. Had a decent amount of arm trouble, but still produced a HOF career.

 

[brumbach]

Thanks guys, makes sense. Like I said, I usually don't pay attention to that kind of stuff so when I see the Prior and Strasburg pics together it's disconcerting without knowing if it is a particular delivery with more problems than others or if anyone else has used the same motion over the course of a career longer than Prior's.

 

[blitzerlover]

Thanks guys, makes sense. Like I said, I usually don't pay attention to that kind of stuff so when I see the Prior and Strasburg pics together it's disconcerting without knowing if it is a particular delivery with more problems than others or if anyone else has used the same motion over the course of a career longer than Prior's.

Here's a good post on the inverted W:

http://www.chrisoleary.com/projects/Bas ... rtedW.html

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Where is your medical degree from?

Bill, there's no correlation between windup/delivery and injury. None. You're either predisposed and prone to injury, or you aren't. I can cite numerous examples of pitchers with piss poor mechanics who have never gotten hurt, and pitchers who had perfect deliveries who got hurt all the time.

If you grow up using a certain delivery, you get used to that windup. Lincecum has a violent body contortion that puts strain on his lower back (I'd assume). No issues with him yet. Everyone said with his dorky, skinny frame, he'd break down. Nope.

Although I'll say this: I'm a Strasburg fan. FAN, not some ******* looking to make money off him. Two injuries his first year scares me. That usually extrapolates to a career mostly spent on the DL

 

[porcello94]

Where is your medical degree from?

Bill, there's no correlation between windup/delivery and injury. None. You're either predisposed and prone to injury, or you aren't. I can cite numerous examples of pitchers with piss poor mechanics who have never gotten hurt, and pitchers who had perfect deliveries who got hurt all the time.

If you grow up using a certain delivery, you get used to that windup. Lincecum has a violent body contortion that puts strain on his lower back (I'd assume). No issues with him yet. Everyone said with his dorky, skinny frame, he'd break down. Nope.

Although I'll say this: I'm a Strasburg fan. FAN, not some ******* looking to make money off him. Two injuries his first year scares me. That usually extrapolates to a career mostly spent on the DL

I'm not sure how to begin. So, in other words, the opinion here is that mechanical analysis that has become a massive industry over the last decade, is a sham and mechanics have nothing to do with injury? Ok. So something like, lets say opening up your front side early and dragging your arm does (which stras does not do, his arm action and timing seems to be the problem) NOT place extra stress on the inner medial part of the elbow? I don't know about that.

 

[MallCopKJ]

I still remember Steve Phillips predicting, when Strasburg was in college, that he would have arm problems because he throws with a "M" motion as opposed to a more proper "W" motion. I'm sure people here that have played baseball know this but its when the pitcher brings their arm back they should have their throwing hand raised towards the sky while Strasburg is similair to other pitchers who have been injured in that his hand faces down with the ball.

vs.

The result is added strain from the extra force in whipping the elbow up and back then following through on the throw. As I said earlier in this thread I injured my arm from pitching and after X Rays the doctor told me I would need the dye MRI test (which Strasburg reportedly was told h e needed and already had) because my arm looked injured but the extent was not known. This is done when it is expected there is major damage. The doctor asked me at the time how serious I was about pitching as the test is extremely painful, and the nurse said the test hurt more than the surgery. He suggested if surgery isn't done, there was no chance to throw again and later in life basic movement would even be effected. As I also said earlier, I'm not a big pitching prospect but either way he's still a human being and it could potentially be a serious injury he has.

 

[Crash Davis]

Where is your medical degree from?

Bill, there's no correlation between windup/delivery and injury. None. You're either predisposed and prone to injury, or you aren't. I can cite numerous examples of pitchers with piss poor mechanics who have never gotten hurt, and pitchers who had perfect deliveries who got hurt all the time.

If you grow up using a certain delivery, you get used to that windup. Lincecum has a violent body contortion that puts strain on his lower back (I'd assume). No issues with him yet. Everyone said with his dorky, skinny frame, he'd break down. Nope.

Although I'll say this: I'm a Strasburg fan. FAN, not some ******* looking to make money off him. Two injuries his first year scares me. That usually extrapolates to a career mostly spent on the DL

C'mon Jeff ... everybody is an expert on everything here except baseball cards.

Now isn't that ironic?

 

[Crash Davis]

Where is your medical degree from?

Bill, there's no correlation between windup/delivery and injury. None. You're either predisposed and prone to injury, or you aren't. I can cite numerous examples of pitchers with piss poor mechanics who have never gotten hurt, and pitchers who had perfect deliveries who got hurt all the time.

If you grow up using a certain delivery, you get used to that windup. Lincecum has a violent body contortion that puts strain on his lower back (I'd assume). No issues with him yet. Everyone said with his dorky, skinny frame, he'd break down. Nope.

Although I'll say this: I'm a Strasburg fan. FAN, not some ******* looking to make money off him. Two injuries his first year scares me. That usually extrapolates to a career mostly spent on the DL

I'm not sure how to begin. So, in other words, the opinion here is that mechanical analysis that has become a massive industry over the last decade, is a sham and mechanics have nothing to do with injury? Ok. So something like, lets say opening up your front side early and dragging your arm does (which stras does not do, his arm action and timing seems to be the problem) NOT place extra stress on the inner medial part of the elbow? I don't know about that.

I don't care about medical analysis from doctors who have never examined Stephen Strasburg. I'm not sure why so many of you are hanging on their every word.

Even the co-poster child of arm injuries, Kerry Wood, had Tommy John surgery and within two years was back to throwing pure smoke as evidenced by his 266 Ks in 2003, I believe it was.

Now, only time will tell how Strasburg turns out; and, I do believe that the astronomical prices being paid - even today - for his cards are ludicrous, injured or not. But I will say this - there is more history on the side of neophyte pitchers with injuries than not.

Mark Prior is the exception NOT the rule.

 

[UMich92]

I agree with Crash. Even if he needs TJ surgery, pitchers come back from that all the time. Mark Prior's career was ruined due to shoulder injuries, which are much more difficult to com back from.

 

[craftysouthpaw]

The bottom line is no one really knows what the "proper" mechanics are for avoiding arm injuries. Or more accurately, what the "proper" mechanics are for minimizing arm injuries. Throwing a baseball 90+ miles per hour is not something the arm was designed for no matter how it is done.

I think the point some have tried to make is those who claim that one way or the other (i.e. the inverted W) will lead to more injuries is just speculation with, at best, incomplete science behind it. Teams (and only some teams apparently) have only just started doing bio-mechanical studies on the stress load to an arm to determine to best ways to lessen that load or shift it to the bone/tendon/ligament/muscle that is best suited to bear that load.

Will Carroll at BP is at the forefront of baseball injuries and he is basically at the point right now of just saying "no one knows".

The first team(s) to get a handle on this could gain a significant advantage over other teams and it is really baffling why more teams aren't trying to figure it out. Probably the old school baseball mentality at work once more.

 

[Jaypers]

We will find out the results of his arthrogram at 10:30 EST, I'm told.

Hoping for the best. I'm guessing they're going to shut him down regardless, though.

 

[Crash Davis]

I agree with Crash. Even if he needs TJ surgery, pitchers come back from that all the time. Mark Prior's career was ruined due to shoulder injuries, which are much more difficult to com back from.

Actually, Prior's first two arm injuries (one shoulder and one elbow) were due to freak instances such as a collision during a fielding play and getting hit by a comebacker on the elbow.

Who knows of those two injuries were the breeding ground for what was to come.