Month: March 2015

It’s Not Their Fault

Posted on by DylanHornik

Ah,the optimism of Spring Training. Freshly cut infield grass, the crisp, clean air, and the unavoidable feeling that this is finally “the year”. For us Mets fans, this is a familiar scenario. Every year starts like this, but they rarely finish the way that General Manager Sandy Alderson has envisioned. That is, until this March, when Mets faithful finally had reason to think that the young pitching and revitalized offensive core could bring a winning season to Flushing.

Those good vibes did not last long. This week, the team announced that starting pitcher Zack Wheeler would undergo Tommy John surgery after an MRI revealed a full tear – not a slight or partial tear that is most common among pitchers- of his Ulnar Collateral Ligament. Mets reliever Josh Edgin, a key reliever who led the team with a 1.32 ERA last year, also announced that he will undergo the same operation. Both players will miss the 2015 season, and may not be ready for the start of 2016 as well. These two vital losses have the Mets scrambling to patch up their pitching staff, which was thought of as the strong point on an otherwise weak squad.

Lefty specialist Josh Edgin is yet another casualty of elbow problems in the MLB.

But I’m not here to demonstrate how ugly the effects of the loss of Wheeler and Edgin will be with complicated sabermetrics and boring story lines. No, this unfortunate situation is part of something bigger in baseball. Something that has spun out of control of late and something that needs to be reeled in for the greater good of the future of the game.

Many have pointed a finger at Alderson and Head Coach Terry Collins for the overuse of Wheeler, who felt pain in his elbow as early as midway through last year. Wheeler says that he felt good enough to pitch all the way through the year last year, and he doesn’t blame his coach or GM for his injury. We shouldn’t either.

The underlying complication here is the fact that elbow injuries for pitchers have exponentially increased in the last few years. This spring alone, 7 pitchers have already had their season prematurely terminated due to the need of Tommy John surgery, the most notable ones being Wheeler and Rangers ace Yu Darvish. Since 2010, 238 players, mostly pitchers, have gone under the knife to repair their elbows via TJ that have been on a major league roster at some point. The most in a single year came in 2012, where 69 players underwent the surgery. Before the new millennium, less than 100 players total had the surgery. Baseball has become crippled by the increase in elbow  injuries, and everyone wants to know why.

Graph, number of MLB players that undergo Tommy John surgery per year.

Some point at the huge workload that pitchers nowadays have. It’s common for pitchers to have full seasons in which they pitch over 200 innings over 30 starts, and then if they’re lucky (sarcasm intended), pitch in he postseason. In the playoffs, they’ll often have to pitch on three days rest and give superhuman performances, like Madison Bumgarner. He started game 5 of the 2014 World Series, then came in on two days rest out of the bullpen in game 7 and threw 5 scoreless innings to clinch the title. However, today’s teams use a 5 man rotation that wasn’t widely accepted until the latter half of the 20th century. They use more pitchers per game than ever before, which decreases the daily workload of each pitcher. In reality, workload for a pitcher hasn’t increased at all; it actually has decreased.

Take a look at Bob Gibson, for example. He’s widely considered one of the best pitchers of all time, and he never sustained an elbow injury. He averaged 262 innings pitched per year over his 17 seasons, which would easily lead the league in today’s game. Gibson maxed out at 314 IP over 35 starts – with 28 complete games. Pitchers now have it relatively easy compared to the hurlers of yesteryear, so workload simply isn’t the reason why Tommy John surgery spreads like the Plague.

The real reason is that the art of pitching is lost. Pitchers today feel that the secret to success is throwing exceptionally hard and having devastating off-speed pitches, while sacrificing pinpoint command. In 2014, the top ten hardest throwing starters by fastball velocity topped out at 96.1 MPH, and rounded off at 94.1 (3 of the top 10 have undergone TJ, with Wheeler also placing on the list). Attempting to sustain a velocity like this for 6 or 7 innings puts immense strain on the elbow and shoulder, no matter how often they pitch. Obviously, they can’t throw just fastballs. Pitchers try to fool hitters with nasty sliders, changeups that fall out of the strike zone, and curveballs that break from head to toe. Pitches like these put even more torque on the elbow to get the rotation needed to make the ball break. Just ask Darvish, who has been consistently praised for his wide array of secondary pitches, but has been oft- injured throughout his MLB career.

The exceptionally talented Yu Darvish has had his share of arm troubles.

If a pitcher wants to stay healthy and effective in the MLB, they need to focus not on throwing hard, not on throwing a Bert Blyleven- like curveball, but on hitting spots with incredible consistency. David Price, who was just named the Opening Day starter for the Tigers, is widely considered to have the best control in the MLB. He has never sustained a major elbow injury in his major league career, and led the league with 248.1 IP last year. The flame-throwing fad has flamed out, and it’s time to hone in on command for starting pitchers in the MLB.

Obviously, if this advice is heeded, it will take some time for pitchers to gradually adjust to the new-old strategy. In this case, protective measures need to be put in place to preserve the young arms that have emerged in the last couple of years like Wheeler. I don’t think a pitch count should be in place, like some others have called for, because it feels too much like a little league game then. Pitchers need to cut down on their activity in the offseason. The ever-shortening winters for professional baseball players means that pitchers have to constantly work on their game to stay above their hitting counterparts. If everyone takes a little more vacation time at the end of each year, pitchers can save and rest their arms to be able to avoid Tommy John surgery and pitch healthy all season long.

Flying High: Why the Jets are Winning the Offseason

Posted on by DylanHornik

If the NFL offseason crowned a single champion, the Jets are definitely one of the top contenders. Coming off of a disappointing 4-12 season last year and a front office purge, the new regime of GM Mike Maccagnan and HC Todd Bowles had some work to do. The defensive backfield was in shambles, the offense was anemic, and no one saw the end of the dark days in the Meadowlands.

Then the front office got to work. After owner Woody Johnson’s comments about CB Darrelle Revis chalked up to tampering charges at the end of the regular season, Jets Nation knew that the team wasn’t playing around. With around $55 million in cap space, and the reiteration by numerous personnel that the team won’t be as frugal as they have been, hopes soared with the possibility of signing high-profile players.

Boy, did they deliver.

Before the free agency period even started at 4 PM on March 10th, Gang Green was already making moves. Last Friday, the Jets agreed to acquire WR Brandon Marshall from the Chicago Bears in exchange for a 5th round pick in this year’s draft. While detractors point to his off-field history, declining age, and down year last year as causes of concern, the Marshall trade does more good than harm. Many of his incidents away from football are due to his Borderline Personality Disorder, which he is a staunch advocate for. He is 31, but he is still clearly capable of being one of the top producers at the position in the league, as evident by his 7 straight 1,000 yard seasons until last year derailed him. Due to injuries, he only played in 13 games, but more often than not he was not at 100%, and caught 61 passes for 721 yards and 8 TDs. These numbers are still pretty good, especially considering he had Jay Cutler throwing to him. If it doesn’t pan out the way it should, the Jets have the option to cut him after this year and is only due $7.5 million this year, considerably less than WR Percy Harvin, who presumably would still be on the roster if the trade fell through. Marshall also played for Bowles in Miami, where Bowles was an assistant and eventually interim head coach.

Huge wideout Brandon Marshall is the top target Jets QB’s have been looking for.

Obviously, trading for a top WR in the league means that the Jets need a decent quarterback. Geno Smith showed flashes of potential in the final game of the 2014 , but isn’t consistent enough to even be a short term option. That’s why the Jets traded for 32 year old passer Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick comes from Houston in exchange for a 2016 conditional 7th round pick. While he isn’t an elite quarterback, Fitzpatrick brings veteran savvy and journeyman knowledge to the team. He’s been consistent throughout this entire career, completing about 60% of his passes and throwing more touchdowns than interceptions. Like Marshall, Fitzpatrick has a connection to the new Jets coaching staff. He played for offensive coordinator Chan Gailey while the two were in Buffalo from 2009-2012. In that span, Fitzpatrick threw for more than 10,000 yards and 71 touchdowns, compared to 54 picks.

Then, free agency started. The Jets agreed to a new contract with LB David Harris just before the floodgates opened. The new contract, a 3 year, $15 million guaranteed deal, ensures that the Jets will have their defensive rock in the middle. Last season, Harris had 123 total tackles and tied a career high with 5.5 sacks. He has surpassed 100 tackles in 5 of his 7 seasons, all with the Jets. Harris will provide much needed support in the middle of Todd Bowles’ defense, which becomes hectic when he calls all out blitzes. Harris also adds to the veteran leadership that the team has deepened this offseason.

LB David Harris has been the steady force in an often changing landscape for the Jets.

The Green and White also shored up a hole in the offense, signing former first round pick James Carpenter to a four year contract. Carpenter, a guard, is a good pass blocker, which could help the revamped passing game. The Jets allowed 47 sacks in 2014, tied for 8th most in the NFL. This move provides depth to an offensive line that has seemed shaky since Alan Faneca was cut and Damien Woody retired in 2010 and 2011. Above all else, Carpenter knows how to win. He won a national championship starting on the offensive line for the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2010, won a Super Bowl last year with the Seahawks, and won another NFC title this year. The re-signing of guard Willie Colon this offseason also adds to the depth of the O-line.

Now, let’s get down to the really exciting stuff. It was announced on Tuesday that the Jets outbid the AFC East bullies, the Super Bowl Champions, the New England Patriots (the Patriots for Pete’s sake!) for shutdown CB Darrelle Revis. Revis was drafted by New York, and played his first five years there before a nasty fight with then-GM John Idzik led to a trade. He played in Tampa Bay for a year, then came to the Patriots last year and won a Super Bowl ring. Gang Green signed him to a 5 year, $39 million guaranteed deal. While he isn’t getting any older, Revis is still arguably the best man coverage corner in the league purely because of his intelligence on the field and his rigorous study of game film. He fits perfectly in Todd Bowles’ system, which relies on corners to cover man to man to allow for heavy, unpredictable blitzing. Revis was excited too, tweeting that he is “coming home” on Tuesday night.

The team resigned another former player, CB Antonio Cromartie, to a four year, $32 million deal. Cromartie played with Revis from 2010-2012, when they were arguably the best 1-2 cornerback duo in the NFL. While Revis relies on his smarts, Cromartie, who turns 31 next month, is dependent on his pure athleticism. If he seems to get beat, he uses his speed to recover and make a play on the ball. He played for Bowles last year in Arizona, where Bowles was the DC, and defended 10 passes and picked off 3. The return of two good cornerbacks is only part of the makeover that the new front office is giving the defense.

Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie have returned to re-create the “Batman and Robin thing” that they have going on, according to Revis.

Today, the Jets announced the official signing of safety Marcus Gilchrist. Gilchrist started for the Chargers for the last 3 years, recording over 70 tackles each of the last two years. He is a durable, strong player and comes up quickly in the running game. This shores up the safety position for the Jets, who have been marred by injuries in the defensive backfield for the last few years.

Overshadowed by the larger signings, the Jets also resigned RB Bilal Powell, who can complement bruiser Chris Ivory in the running game. They also signed another cornerback, former Browns player Buster Skrine. Skrine (pronounced “screen”) has played in every game of his NFL career. He is speedy and a gym rat, and can be a good nickel corner for New York. I’m not making any bold predictions, but if the Jets can win in the regular season like they have so far this offseason, the NFL will be hearing a lot more of the phrase “Jet Up”.

Underdog Special: The Pride of Lawn-Guy-Land

Posted on by DylanHornik

When the phrase “Long Island” comes to most non-resident minds, there are a few things that they immediately think of. Long Island Iced Tea. JFK. Beaches. And of course, those who don’t know always tie us back to the city in some way (although we can claim ownership to Brooklyn and Queens). What most don’t think of, however, is the backbone for scores of those who live between the Sound and the Atlantic.

Sports.

While we are able to root for the most highly noted teams in professional sports, our high school athletic teams aren’t at the level of skill or attention that some other areas are, like Midwest basketball, Texas football, and baseball in states like California, Florida and Georgia. Our biggest athletes are NFL God Jim Brown, MLB Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, WNBA Star Sue Bird, and MLB Legend Carl Yastrzemski. Not a bad list, but Long Island doesn’t have current presence in the four major sports.

That all could change, however, with the emergence of a few young arms. As spring training camps get underway, there are  young pitchers with immense talent- Sean Nolin of the Oakland A’s, Marcus Stroman of the Toronto Blue Jays, Nick Tropeano of the LA Angels, and Steven Matz of the New York Mets- that have high chances of making their big-league clubs (Stroman has already established himself as a definite part of the Toronto rotation due to his emergence last year). If all three can help out their teams at some point this year, they’ll be part of a new wave of very impressive Long Island athletes that can have a serious influence on the sports world in the future.

Let’s start with the elder statesman of the three pitchers, Sean Nolin. Standing at 6 foot 4 and weighing around 230 pounds, Nolin is an imposing force on the hill. A Seaford High School product, he posted a standout sophomore year on Long Island, going 11-0 with a 2.02 ERA ad 85 K’s over 80 1/3 innings. Nolin was originally drafted in the 50th round of the 2008 MLB Draft by the Brewers. Instead, he opted to attend San Jacinto Junior College and play for the Sharks. He was drafted again in ’09 by the Mariners, this time in the 48th round, but opted to stay in school again, and ultimately entered professional baseball in 2010 after being taken in the 6th round of the draft by the Blue Jays.

He got the call to the MLB on May 23, 2013, and made his first big-league start the next day. He struggled some, pitching 1 1/3 innings and giving up 6 ER, and was sent down after the game to Double-A. In 2014 he made one appearance for the Blue Jays, giving up one run in one inning. Nolin was traded in November 2014 in the deal sent Josh Donaldson to the Jays and Brett Lawrie to the A’s. He is currently in camp with the A’s, and figures to make an impact at the major league level this year. He’s big, but doesn’t possess an electric fastball; he likes to attack hitters with good command of all of his pitches. Baseball Prospectus highlights his deceptive change-up that has a lot of movement. His skills and potential translate into a middle of the rotation starter, and certainly can break camp as part of the Oakland roster for 2015.

Sean Nolin’s skills could translate to major league success this year.

Marcus Stroman may be the complete opposite of Sean Nolin. At the young age of 23, Stroman has almost an entire season of major league pitching under his belt, debuting for the Blue Jays last May 4th. As a senior at Patchogue-Medford High School, he won numerous awards, including Third-Team All-American, Gatorade NY Player of the Year and the Paul Gibson Award (top LI pitcher). In that season, he went 9-1 with a 0.25 ERA (you read that right- 0.25!). He won the Carl Yastrzemski Award as a junior, given to Suffolk County’s top baseball player, and had a 1.20 ERA in that year. He was drafted in the 18th round of the ’09 MLB Draft out of high school, but chose to attend Duke University instead. Stroman is fourth all time for Duke with 290 career strikeouts, and his 3.27 career ERA is the second lowest since 1974. He was taken 22nd overall in the 2012 MLB Draft by the Blue Jays.

Stroman earned his first MLB win in relief on May 6th, 2014, and made his first MLB start on May 18th. He only have up 5 hits and 1 run in 6 innings to earn the win. He finished his 2014 campaign with an 11-6 record, 111 K’s, and a 3.65 ERA in 130 2/3 IP for the Blue Jays. Stroman possesses a mid-90’s fastball that he complements with a slider that has routinely been called “nasty”. A video of him striking out Eric Hosmer with his slider has gone viral due to Hosmer mouthing the word “wow” after flailing and missing. Stroman hopes to improve upon the solid work he’s already done in the MLB this year, and the Blue Jays hope he can be a mainstay in their rotation for years to come.

Marcus Stroman was electrifying as a rookie in 2014.

Nick Tropeano has been considered one of the most anticipated prospects in baseball for the last couple of years. He was a force at West Islip High School (Lions for Life), going 8-1 with a 1.50 ERA and 83 K’s in 44 innings in his senior year for the county champion Lions. Tropeano, nicknamed “Nitro” by his minor league teammates, then moved on to Stony Brook, where he was named America East Co-Pitcher of the Year. He complied a 2.44 ERA and a conference leading 106 K’s. He won the award again his junior year, earning a 1.44 ERA for he Seawolves. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Astros. He was called up last September and earned the win in his first start on September 10th. He finished his first month in the MLB 1-3 with a 4.57 ERA. Tropeano was then traded to the LA Angels in the offseason. Scouting experts highlight his changeup as his out pitch, used as a complement to a well-commanded fastball in the low 90s. He is competing for the Angels 5th starter spot this spring.

Nick Tropeano surprised many during his time with the Astros last season.

Steven Matz has had the hardest road out of all four LI prospects.

Steven Matz is the most untested of these 4 prospects. He played his high school baseball for Ward Melville, eanring LI Player of the Year honors his senior season. He allowed just two earned runs in 54 innings pitched while striking out 74 batters. He did not attend college, but rather went right to pro ball after being drafted 72nd overall by the Mets in 2009. Injuries, including Tommy John surgery in early 2010, wiped out that year and all of 2011 as well. Matz made his minor league debut in 2012, and played a full season at single A ball in 2013. He was promoted to advanced A and then double A Binghamton in 2014, compiling a 2.24 ERA total in 140 2/3 IP. He is the only one of these four prospects to not yet make an appearance for his major league team, but he hopes that this stat can change this year. He is now considered to be the Mets top pitching prospect, along with Golden Boy Noah Syndergaard. Mets fans and Matz both hope that he can live up to the new-found hype that surrounds him. He throws a fastball topping out at 96 MPH, a good changeup, and a curveball that has become deadly.

These few pitchers show how LI sports have evolved in recent times. Athletes are getting better, competition is getting tougher, and pro sports teams are taking notice. It won’t be long before more players from area codes 631 and 516 join these guys at the top of their professions.