He's a 24-year-old RH starting pitcher from Rochester - Cito Culver City! - who rocketed through the farm system last season, saving face for the Yankee organization, which finished with few sexy prospects bringing the bling. What do you say when your second best prospect - Estevan Florial - has a terrible year, hitting poorly and getting hurt, and then moves up on your list? You say, "OWW! STOP TRADING PROSPECTS!"
King came out of nowhere to reach the Yankee top 10 list and remind us that the fun about prospects is finding new ones. I mean, check out the numbers: Overall, he went 11-5 with an ERA of 1.79. He finished going 4-0 in Scranton, pitching 39 innings and giving up just 5 earned runs. Good grief, if they had given him a shot in September, could he have pitched worse than CC or Sevy? (Or Sonny?) You have to wonder: Did the Yankees sit on a streaking no name who might have helped them down the stretch?
Of course, this is stupid fan logic second-guessing. Surely, they wanted to protect King's arm, and that meant limiting his innings. He'd had a great season; why push him too far? Also, there was that roster thingy; he'd have to replace one of those cagey vets the Yankees always collect, as the September Doomsday Clock ticks down. Surely, they did the right thing.
All of this is merely recapping the last episode of As the World Churns. King is the first known casualty of the 2019 camp. He's been shut down after an MRI showed a "stress reaction" in his right elbow. The key word is "elbow." He'll rest three weeks, then get another MRI. Obviously, he was feeling pain; otherwise, why the scan? The Yankees say he'll get a start late start. That's being optimistic. Something about that word - "elbow" - gives me a stress reaction. Often, when you hear it, Tommy John is tap-tap-tapping at the chamber door.
So King is the first shoe to drop. (Note: I am refusing to consider Jacoby Ellsbury as a new injury.) And that's the truth of war and baseball: Nobody ever has enough pitching. But these days, I would expand that sentiment: You never have enough of anything. Last year, I'd have bet the house the Yankees had too many outfielders. Then they played the month of August with Shane Robinson in RF.
So when anyone says the Yankee roster is full, or that the rotation is solid, or the outfield is crowded, I have to laugh. We're just getting started. Nobody has thrown an official pitch. King is first to go. Get ready, everybody. The winnowing is about to begin.
Nothing from nothing is nothing.
ReplyDeleteCorrect, bitty.
ReplyDeleteHere it is explained:
ReplyDeleteAn Olecranon Stress Fracture occurs due to repetitive stresses on the Ulna with throwing. The Olecranon is the back part of the Ulna, which is the bottom bone of the elbow and one of the two forearm bones. At ball release, the Olecranon bumps up against the back of the Humerus as the elbow is maximally extended. This may result in an Olecranon stress fracture or stress reaction, which may involve an injury to the growth plate. A stress reaction is an injury to the growth plate or bone that precedes a fracture; it’s not as bad as a fracture. If the fracture does not heal with rest, it may require surgery.
Olecranon-Stress-Fracture-2.jpg
The picture didn't load here but was an after surgery shot of a rather large screw inserted into where the 2 parts of the elbow meet.
For anyone that wants to see that picture or or a description of other elbow ailments such as ulnar ligament problems, click below.
http://www.drkhalfayan.com/elbow-throwing-injuries/
Amen, Duquqe! And what I'd love to know—but what we'll never know fro Kremlin-on-the-Hudson—is exactly how this happened.
ReplyDeleteIt smacks of ether inattention or incompetence by the Yanks' crack training staff.
I mean, how does this guy have a stressed elbow first day of spring training?
Did he go to them first thing at the end of last years and say, 'Hey, my elbow' barking'? And did they say, 'Relax, go home, rest. we'll talk in February'?
Did they tell him, 'Be sure to throw some over the winter'?
Or did he come in this spring, ad they said, 'Hey, let it fly!' and then all of a sudden he said, 'Uh, guys...'
Truly, I would like to know. Because injuries happen, but they should not happen like this...
Ineptitude on a grand scale. Fire every coach and trainer.
ReplyDeleteALMOST TIME FOR US TO PICK UP A CHRIS CARTER TYPE, RIGHT?
ReplyDeleteWhile I more than agree that the Yankee coaches are very inept, especially Rothschild, these injuries happen to every team, sometimes in bunches. While no one can know for sure except King and the Yankees, my money is on King felt something while throwing or lifting this winter and said nothing in hopes the discomfort would disappear. I think most players, especially pitchers so close to MLB would take that approach. I would. At least he had the sense to notify them the first day in camp. Looking at the picture of the procedure to repair the area with a wood screw the surgery looks rather non-invasive. Perhaps like putting in the post of a dental implant. While chomping on food isn't the same stress as torquing your elbow, they would likely want some bone to grow around the surface and maybe he would miss only 2-3 months, if that?
ReplyDeleteI come bringing hope.
ReplyDeleteFrom today's Daily News about Dolan and the Knicks. He is courting offers for the team.
“The Knicks are just a pain in the a--, people s--t on him for it. He feels if he can just sell the Knicks for some crazy price, then he can put the money into that music/in-game experience stuff that he cares about. So, the Knicks are available.”
This is also believable, as it’s an open secret that Dolan dislikes owning the team and the ridicule it brings. In a song he wrote for the website Deadspin, he called owning the team “hell.”
Perhaps Hal has a passion project. Either way. apparently the way to get an inferior second generation NY Sports team owner is to turn up the heat to where he no longer needs this shit.
This off season is the first time that Hal has had to defend his moves. Crack in armor?
Just sayin'
Doug K.
ALL-CAPS - your observation is astute and uncanny. I agree completely.
ReplyDeleteCarl - I agree with you, as well, but the Yankees just seem to aggregate them - is that a correct usage? - at an unusual rate.
Doug - I will pray for the Dolans to sell.
Doug-I hope the Rangers are a package deal. Or at least he has a plan to sell them as well.
ReplyDeleteMy dream is for the Dolans to sell, and the new owners to agree to move out of the Garden so we can put a real train station there again.
ReplyDeleteI'm part of an insane group—I seem to have a penchant for joining them—that wants to bring back the old Penn Station, pretty much exactly as it was (with a few, unobtrusive modern improvements: better central air, etc.).
I know, this is probably pie in the sky. But if not our plan, there are some other great ideas out there that would be infinitely better than the current Penn Station, which is ridiculously overcrowded and vulnerable to terrorist attack.
Essentially, though, nothing is going to get done as long as the Dolans, who are big contributors to Cuomo the Lesser, hang around.
I would even be for violating my inviolable principles and funding a new arena for the new owners, if they would just move off that site. Hell, I would even do it for Hal!!
Carl Weitz, you're right. And it is better that he told somebody. We all remember the tragic tale of Christian Parker fro,m, what was it? 2002?
ReplyDeleteBut I'm suspicious that it happened so early, which smacks of negligent supervision. I would just like an explanation—I know, I know. Good luck ever getting that from Kremlin-on-the-Hudson!
Penn Station Manhattan is so terrible. picture this: late night of fun in The City and now time to head back to NJ. Go to Penn Station to catch the train home and we stand in a large room, with several hundred fellow travelers, staring at the board waiting to see which track NJ Transit is using tonight. Wait! Something's happening! The numbers on the board are spinning! It's track 14, everybody. RUN!!!! Suddenly, all those people make a bee line to a single, rickety (if not broken down) escalator down to track 14. Way more people that it was designed to handle. It'd call it third-world but that would be an insult to many fine developing countries.
ReplyDeleteI was amazed to discover that, in Germany—even with many more trains at every station—they manage to put up PERMANENT signs at each track, telling you exactly where every car and seat in your train will be, first class, second class, etc.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that no railroad in the United States can even tell you what track its trains will be on ahead of time—even in podunk towns—is incredible.
It's what they call technological regression.
ReplyDeleteStrange news: In an article about the NYYs' top 30 prospects, there's a position breakdown at the end. 21 of the 30 are said to be RH pitchers!
https://www.mlb.com/news/yankees-2019-top-30-prospects-list/c-304073302
I sort of like our short RF porch. it's a unique feature. Our very own "Green Monster", of sorts. But does it help this team? Not as currently constructed! (Please do not bring up Luke Voit….) and Joe brings news that our top prospects are mostly RH pitchers. How does that help us with visiting LH hitters aiming for our porch?
ReplyDeleteThis front office is throwing away a natural advantage we have at home.
For God's sake! prove you're not all morons. It's simple! Sign Harper or move the RF wall back.
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