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By Mike Timberlake, Red Sox Lead Correspondent
You hear about it all the time. This pitcher or that is going in for “Tommy John” surgery. What is it really, you may ask. All you know is that the pitcher most likely will be off your draft board for next season. Many people write off a pitcher after this procedure. If you know the truth behind it, however, you may be able to use the surgery that scares other fantasy leaguers to your advantage.
Let’s face it, pitching is an unnatural act. The constant stress placed upon the arm throwing pitch after pitch is hard enough. Add to that the fact these aren’t just fastballs we’re talking about here. There’s curves, sliders, forkballs, split-fingers, screwballs, you could go on and on. After time, though, throwing all these will take a toll on the arm. The stress is placed squarely on the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in the elbow. In some cases, it can get so bad it can cause tears and fraying in the ligament. Eventually, the pitcher will feel a dull pain in the elbow and experience decreased effectiveness in his performance. At this point, the team’s physician will schedule an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and see what’s going on in the elbow. Many times, the doctors will find that the MCL is torn in some fashion and it’s time for “Tommy John” surgery.
Tommy John was a 31-year-old left-handed pitcher in the major leagues for 12 seasons when he was pitching in a game in Montreal. It was July 1974 and his Dodgers were fighting it out with Cincinnati for the National League West pennant. At the time, John was a marginally successful pitcher. He had won a career high 16 games the previous season and he was on pace to win close to 20 in his current one. He had a lifetime record of 124-106 and an ERA of 2.97.
As he was throwing a fastball, his elbow exploded in pain and he knew he was finished for the season and most likely his career. Medical science was not what it was today and MRI technology did not exist. Dodgers team doctor Frank Jobe knew that the odds were against John. He offered John the chance at a revolutionary new procedure that would transplant a tendon from his wrist to his elbow. The success rate was only five percent, however, and only 80 percent of people have this particular tendon. John agreed and the doctors made history. The procedure was done by drilling two holes, one in his ulna (forearm) and another in his humerus (upper arm). They then threaded the transplanted tendon through them and fastened it by tying it off in a figure eight fashion around the bones.
John’s took surgery took four hours; today it is much simpler and takes about an hour and a half. The rehabilitation took a little more than a year, no longer than today. John came back in the 1976 season and won 10 games in 31 starts. More importantly, he threw over 200 innings. The next season, he went on to win 20 games for the first time in his career while throwing over 220 innings. In 1979 and 1980, John threw more than 265 innings each season. After his surgery, John went onto a record of 164-125 and pitched 14 more seasons.
Recently, pitchers such as Kerry Wood, John Smoltz, Pat Hentgen, Kris Benson, and Darren Driefort have undergone “Tommy John” surgery. The success rate today is roughly 80 percent. Plenty of college players and minor leaguers have undergone this procedure and couldn’t make it back. Major league teams have a lot invested in their players, so they receive excellent care. Dr. Jobe today has dispensed his wisdom to other doctors, most prominently to Dr. James Andrews. Jobe himself has performed over 200 Tommy John surgeries.
The important part of the process isn’t the surgery itself, it is the rehab associated with it. Players shouldn’t rush back from this surgery, as it will only do them more harm and lengthen their absence from the game. The typical rehabilitation period lasts from seven months to a little over a year. During that time, the player should maintain regular exercise to keep him fit. Rehab focusing on the arm starts as soon as possible.
After the process and if it is successful, a pitcher may actually gain velocity on his fastball and his breaking pitches may act more lively as the ligament being used to throw them is practically brand new. Fantasy-wise, a player in his first year back from the surgery may experience some setbacks and not look as sharp. This can be attributed to the player being not mentally ready to come back and question his arm. Once this period passes, the pitcher should be fine. That is the unknown factor, as it is up to the player to know when he is mentally ready to come back.
What you should know about “Tommy John” surgery
by Carlos Parodi - Wed Apr 10
