Friday April 27th, 2012

Sam Evans: On this past Wednesday, we learned that twenty-three year old Yankees starting pitcher Michael Pineda was diagnosed with an anterior labral tear, and that he will undergo surgery on May 1st. Pineda is definitely out for the year, and there is a chance he could never pitch in the majors again. There is talk though that he could be out for less than a year and come back stronger than ever. But that possibility is hopeful at best. Thus is the nature of Pineda’s situation. Let’s take a look at his injury, and when the Yankees could hope to see him pitching in New York.

When Michael Pineda was acquired from the Mariners this offseason, Yankees fans were feeling pretty good about their rotation. They had just traded for one of the top young arms in the majors. In 2011, Pineda was an All-Star and started twenty-eight incredible games for the Mariners. He barely had any issues with control, he struck out a ton of batters, and he had the poise of a veteran. He wore down as the season came to an end, but that was normal given his age and experience. Even though the Yankees gave up two talented players to get Pineda and a prospect, he had a chance to be the #2 starter that they were looking for when they signed A.J. Burnett.

Pineda was never healthy during Spring Training. When I wrote about him back at the start of the month he seemed primed to make a comeback around the All-Star break. Obviously with labrum surgery, that seems highly unlikely (if not impossible). In fact, the Yankees have already assured the media that Pineda will not pitch in 2012. The best case scenario is that Pineda will be healthy for 2013 Opening Day, and maybe even gets his velocity back to previous level. The worst case is Pineda never pitching again, and Jesus Montero learning how to play defense behind the plate (and becoming a perennial all-star), making the trade look that much worse for the Yankes.

First of all, here are some terms that are useful to know when talking about this injury: A shoulder joint is the muscle that connects the shoulder and the bicep. The scapula is the shoulder-blade, and the humerus is a long bone in the arm running from the elbow to the shoulder. The glenoid labrum, which is what Pineda is having surgery on, is a ring of cartilage around the scapula where the head of the humerus is. One can injure the glenoid labrum in a variety of ways. You can injure it by throwing a ball thousands of times, or just lifting a heavy object once.

Will Caroll (@injuryexpert on twitter) knows much more about shoulder injuries then I do. Back in 2004 he wrote an article on why the torn labrum is baseball’s most fearsome injury (yikes). Basically the article discusses how scary this injury is, and how some players have seen their careers end after surgery. If you look at the percentage of players who had full recoveries after Tommy John Surgery compared to shoulder labrum surgery, the numbers are not encouraging.

Curt Schilling told ESPN that he thinks Pineda could be back in less than ten months. Schilling had this exact surgery midway through his career and he was just fine. However, Curt Schilling is one of the toughest baseball players of the last twenty years. Who could forget the bloody sock in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS? Not every pitcher’s shoulder is the same. So just because Curt Schilling was just fine, it doesn’t mean Pineda is going to find the same results.

Frankly, I’m scared for Michael Pineda. This is a very serious surgery and his mental strength as well his physical limits will be tested. Even as a Mariners fan, I really want to see Pineda back on the mound for the Yankees. He is still so young and talented, that it would be a shame if he wasn’t able to make a full comeback in 2013 and beyond. They say adversity tests character. If that’s the case, we are about to learn what Michael Pineda is made of. 

**Today’s feature was prepared by our Baseball Writer, Sam Evans.  We highly encourage you to leave your comments and feedback at the bottom of the page and share in the discussion with our readers.  You can also follow Sam on Twitter. (@RJA206)***

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