Don’t Count Out Daisuke Matsuzaka Just Yet
Reports from Alex Speier of WEEI.com stating that Daisuke Matsuzaka has thrown off of a mound for the first time since under going Tommy John Surgery is some good news for the Red Sox organization. According to Speier, Dice-K threw 21 pitches, with the final 10 throws with a catcher crouching behind home plate.
While he still has a monstrous road to making it back to the big leagues, this is a positive first step. Speier also goes on to note that club officials are raving about Dice-K’s conditioning and rehab commitment while in Fort Myers. This being the final year of the $52 million dollar deal that was signed six years ago, a rehabbing Dice-K may be able to provide some value to the Red Sox before this season is said and done.
It’s far to early to write off Matsuzaka and say he’ll never throw another pitch in a Red Sox uniform. If he can return to the club sometime after the All-Star break then his services may still be of use. Providing he can give the club some productive outings, eat some innings and showcase his ability to control his pitches, then maybe the team can resign him at a low-cost next off season. After-all, low-cost is the new trend surrounding this team right?
Many people hear the words “Tommy John Surgery” and automatically think the worst for the pitcher who is undergoing the procedure. But modern medicine and improved rehab programs have left pitchers with a new lease on life so to speak, when talking about providing them with another opportunity to do the one thing they know how, and that is pitch.
Take Chris Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals for example. He underwent the same TJS as Matsuzaka and it’s fair to say that he’s done ok since his return. Carpenter had the procedure done in 2007 and missed the entire year and most of the 2008 season. Since his return, he’s gone a combined 44-22 with an ERA below 3.00. More impressively, he’s averaged over 200 innings over those three seasons, totaling up to 665 innings of work. Not to mention he won the 2009 MLB, NL Comeback Player of the Year award after going 17-4 with a 2.24 ERA and a 1.007 WHIP en route to a second place showing in the Cy Young voting.
Other notable names who have had the surgery and recovered to be able to pitch effectively again in the big leagues include: C.J Wilson, Shaun Marcum, A.J. Burnett and Kerry Wood. Both Stephen Strasburg and Adam Wainwright will be monitored to see how they perform this season after recovering from the procedure. With Strasburg getting a few starts last season, it appears he’s on the right track.
It is worth noting that Matsuzaka will likely return in August, meaning with two months left to go in the season, is it worth putting him in a position that could hurt the team?
In Carpenters return in 2008 he started three games, racked up 15.1 innings, compiled a 1.76 ERA and a WHIP of 1.304. While this is an extremely small sample pool, it does bring some hope that Matsuzaka can contribute in a positive fashion when he returns.
Should Matsuzaka return with two months of baseball left to be played and the Red Sox in the hunt for the division, his services could be invaluable. With a rotation of uncertainty to this point and the painful reminder of the lack of starting pitchers this club had in late August of last season, a healthy, fresh Dice-K who could eat some valuable innings as a spot starter could be just what the doctor ordered (pun not intended). Wouldn’t that be a turn of events for a pitcher who had so much promise five years ago, but failed to live up to the hype over the last three seasons.
Next season is a moon shot away, but for a team that could be in need of more pitchers in a year’s time, Matsuzaka could be had for the right price, if and only if he can prove he can still compete at the major league level. For now, let’s wait and see and hope he can help the 2012 Red Sox.
Who knows, maybe this surgery will help his giro ball do it’s thing after five years of waiting to see it.
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