There’s a lot of hope — both past and future — in these names, and a lot of assumptions, too. That they’ll come back. That they’ll revert to form. That getting healthier and stronger (by virtue of PT and corrected biomechanics) will offset the development time lost.
Unfortunately, while the success rate for surgery is high, it’s not 100 percent. Jack McGeary, for example, had TJ surgery in 2010 but was clearly “unhealthy” enough for the Nats to risk losing him to the Rule 5 draft, which they did.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the guys coming back from 2012 surgery (or injury) in 2013…
Brad Meyers
Labrum? I hardly know ’em!. Kidding aside, this is the latest setback for Meyers, who missed most of 2010 with foot/heel issues and almost all of 2012 with the shoulder woes, which was fixed with labrum surgery late in the season. He may not pitch north of Florida this year.
Erik Komatsu
Komatsu had a whirlwind 2012, beginning with the St. Louis Cardinals as a Rule 5 pick and ending with foot surgery in July. Just turned 25 this past October, so if healthy, could be roaming the OF in Syracuse this summer.
Cameron Selik
After earning a promotion to Harrisburg with eight saves and 34K in 22 innings, Selik’s AA debut was short-lived: just a third of an inning, out with a lat injury that ended his season. The 25-year-old, who had TJ surgery in 2007, will be looking to rebound in 2013.
Sammy Solis
Injuries limited Solis to just 96⅔ innings in his first full season after being drafted (2010), with Solis allegedly hurting the elbow in the AFL in the fall (2011). Surgery, however, did not come until March 2012, thus he’s likely to spend most of 2013 doing the rehab tour a la Zimmermann and Strasburg.
Paul Applebee
After a strong April, Applebee faded in May and June and went out with what appears to have been a shoulder injury. It’s unclear whether or not he’s had surgery, but if so, he’ll be unlikely to pitch north of Viera until June or July.
Matt Purke
The Nats’ 3rd round pick in June 2011, Purke was shelled in limited action in the AFL that fall and had sporadic success during spring training in 2012. He would not, however, emerge again until late May — pitching three day games, two on the road before being shut down for the year. In October it was revealed that he had minor shoulder surgery and is expected to be ready this spring.
Taylor Jordan
Jordan was in the midst of a breakthrough season when he went down with an elbow injury in July 2011, eventually having TJ surgery. His 2012 was, of course, limited to 15 limited starts for a total of 54⅓ innings At 24, this will be a pivotal season for him, especially since he has yet to pitch above Low-A.
Wirkin Estevez
“For The Weekend” won four of his first seven starts before being shelved for three months in Viera. He reappeared in August, tossing nine scoreless innings in the GCL before finishing the year with four uneven starts. In December, it was revealed that the 20-year-old had had TJ surgery, likely erasing the 2013 season for him.
Dixon Anderson
The 9th-round pick in ’11 missed all of that season and most of 2012 with shoulder issues, but made seven limited-pitch starts in July and August with Nuke LaLoosh results: 8BB, 7HBP, 24K in 26⅔ IP. Still not clear whether his future is as a starter or a reliever.
Manny Rodriguez
A 3B-turned-P, Rodriguez was drafted in the 10th round of the 2011 draft out of D-2 Barry University. He’s believed to have had surgery but, as you might imagine, most of the search results point here. A Sickels sleeper and Watchlist player in 2012.
Lucas Giolito
The Nationals’ #1 draft pick in the 2012 draft, he was thought to be a “1-1” prior to his elbow injury, which scared off 15 other teams before the Nats. Like Estevez, his surgery was performed late in the season and will likely wipe out all of 2013 for him, virtually guaranteeing him a spot in this space next year.
One comment