2007 1st Round Pick Gets Tommy John Treatment

Batting .666 initially sounds like good news - but not when it denotes the average that first round picks require reconstructive elbow surgery. Unfortunately, such is the case for the Padres as the Union-Tribune reports that 2007 first rounder Nick Schmidt had Tommy John surgery on 10/3. Ceasar Carillo, a first rounder in 2005, was the other player to require the procedure. While much will likely be made of this event, it is hardly the problem of Grady Fuson, Padres Vice President of Scouting and Development. Predictions of arm trouble are sketchy at best. If we were to listen to the nay-sayers, Jake Peavy would have destroyed his arm many years ago and never made to presumptive Cy Young-status. The bottom line is that 99% of pitchers and position players have health problems; you can't help but have them in an impact sport like baseball. One can't predict how these health issues will go, we can just hope that the 18 month rehab schedule goes smoothly and you end up with a productive pitcher at some point.

Continuing our recent tradition, here's an overview of Tommy John Surgery from Wikipedia:

Tommy John surgery, known by doctors as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (or UCL), is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body (often from the forearm, hamstring, knee, or foot of the patient). The ulnar collateral ligament can become stretched, frayed or torn through the stress of the throwing motion. After the tendon from the forearm or below the knee is harvested it is then woven in a figure-eight pattern through tunnels that have been drilled in the ulna and humerus bones that are part of the elbow joint. The surgery is named after Tommy John, a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers who was the first professional athlete to successfully undergo the operation in 1974. The procedure was performed by Dr. Frank Jobe.