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March 12, 2011

Adam Wainwright - long-term arm concerns?

In an article about Washington Nationals pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg, Tom Verducci lists Adam Wainwright among a number of pitchers http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/tom_verducci/03/08/stephen.strasburg.mechanics/index.html with a similar pitching mechanics "glitch" to Strasburg:
I then gave (Nationals GM Mike) Rizzo a lengthy list of pitchers with the same mechanical glitch as Strasburg and what happened to them: Kerry Wood (Tommy John), B.J. Ryan (Tommy John), Joel Zumaya (fractured elbow), Jeremy Bonderman (shoulder), Shaun Marcum (Tommy John), Anthony Reyes (Tommy John), Jake Peavy (torn back muscle), Jordan Zimmermann (Tommy John), and, most recently, Adam Wainwright (Tommy John).
That's not such good news to read.

None of them -- at least those with enough of a post-surgery history -- were ever quite the same pitchers again. Smoltz might come closest, but he had his surgery at age 33 and, because a switch to closing was considered to keep him healthier, pitched only three more seasons as a full-time starter.

Rizzo mentioned that I could probably find another subset of pitchers who threw in a similar manner and have not been hurt. I admit my list is anecdotal and not meant to be comprehensive. But, now that Wainwright has gone down, it's very hard to come up with anybody who throws that way and is a beacon of durability.
How much are the Cards thinking about that? I have not previously heard Wainwright get much criticism for his mechanics. But, if this is a concern inside the organization, it has to affect Albert Pujols talks and more.

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