One of our boys in blue is already out for the season with Tommy John’s surgery. Also, Aaron Crow, a recent trade to the Marlins is out for the same injury. So what is a Tommy John’s injury?
“Aaron Crow, whom the Marlins acquired from the Royals in November, is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery.” - hardball
“When Collins suffered a flexor strain last April, a subsequent MRI showed no significant damage to his ligament, Moore said. But Collins felt tightness in his elbow after throwing a curveball in a game last week. He won’t throw another pitch this season.” - KCstar
Tim Collins, 2012
Tommy John injury is a tear or rupture of the ulnar collateral ligament of the elbow. This is the ligament on the inside of the elbow, closest to the body. The ulnar collateral ligament tethers the forearm to the upper arm when a valgus force is being placed, such as throwing.
“Before 2014, Collins was a significant contributor to the Kansas City bullpen. He struck out 205 batters in 190 innings with a 3.51 ERA from 2011 to 2013.” –KCStar
“The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) is the most commonly injured ligament in throwers. Injuries of the UCL can range from minor damage and inflammation to a complete tear of the ligament. Athletes will have pain on the inside of the elbow, and frequently notice decreased throwing velocity.”-AAOS
Aaron Crow
“He (Aaron Crow) showed major signs of decline last season as his strikeout rate fell from 9.0 per nine innings from 2011-2013 to 5.2 per nine innings.” - Hardball
Tommy John’s surgery has made a lot of advancement in recent years but still requires a lengthy rehabilitation process. We may not see Tim or Aaron on the mound this year but we may need to worry about those arms in the years following.
We hope you have a speedy recovery Tim Collins and Aaron Crow.
Author: Stephanie Jones
Source:
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/04/01/marlins-reliever-aaron-crow-needs-tommy-john-surgery/
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city-royals/article13792214.html