Adam Wainwright TJ Surgery: Top 10 Pitchers with Major Surgery in Their Futures
Adam Wainwright is the next victim for Tommy John surgery. With this said, pitchers are the likely victim of this surgery.
Not to mention, great pitchers seem to be the victims, like Kerry Wood, Stephen Strasburg and Chris Carpenter.
This UCL injury will not stop with Wainwright. There will be many pitchers to come that suffer from this torn ligament and there will be many pitchers that face other injuries as well.
The body was just not built to throw the ball 90-plus miles per hour over a long time period.
Although this list is complete speculation, here are some pitchers that may face major surgery in their futures.
10. Matt Garza, Chicago Cubs
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It seems like every young pitcher that comes to Chicago winds up injured. Matt Garza only has a one-year deal with the Cubs; however, this may be a year that Garza does not want to remember.
He may not get injured this year, but we all know that the Chicago Cubs are cursed. This curse took it out on Mark Prior and Kerry Wood and Garza may be the next in line.
9. David Price, Tampa Bay Rays
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Price throws a fastball in the mid-90s and peaks at 100 mph.
Price is known to drop his arm angle when throwing his changeup, which not only causes home runs, but can result in an injury as well.
Price usually doesn't take much time to pitch the ball once the catcher returns it to him. This does not give him time to cool down and can result in an injury.
8. Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado Rockies
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Jimenez throws a fastball in the mid to upper 90s and he is a starting pitcher. This man has some serious velocity.
From start to finish, Jimenez is capable of throwing the ball 99-100 MPH. Although this is very impressive, Ubaldo's arm will catch up to him some point in his career and he is going to find himself having major surgery.
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7. Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers
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Feliz is a very young and successful closer for the Rangers. The Rangers plan on putting Feliz in the starting rotation this upcoming season.
Feliz has great velocity, but it will be difficult for him to convert to a starter and keep his velocity in check.
His arm is not use to throwing the ball 70-plus pitches a game.
6. Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds
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Although Chapman is apart of the Reds bullpen, he seems like the type of player who finds himself on the DL.
Chapman is famous for throwing the fastest ball in Major League Baseball history. In the 2010 season, Chapman was clocked at throwing a 105-mph pitch.
Injuries tend to love pitchers who throw the ball with high velocity.
5. Zach Greinke, Milwaukee Brewers
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Just like Ubaldo Jimenez, Zach Greinke throws his fastball in the mid to upper 90s.
Greinke also throws a very slow curveball that ranges from 65-70 mph. With Greinke's range in speeds, he is a very effective pitcher on the mound.
Unfortunately, this also can make him very prone to injuries due to the big differences in speed.
4. Felix Hernandez, Seatle Mariners
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Hernandez's fastball has been clocked at 100 mph. Needless to say, he has pretty good velocity, although he does not rely on it.
Before he came up to the majors, Felix was having shoulder issues. With his hard throwing, his shoulder problems is likely to catch up with him in his career.
3. Joba Chamberlain, New York Yankees
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Joba Chamberlain has had rotator cuff problems since his minor league career. His shoulder problems continued in the 2008 season.
Chamberlain is going to be in the bullpen in 2011; however, he is going to be throwing the ball a lot harder.
Do not be surprised if his shoulder problems come back in the future, especially if he is ever put back in a starting rotation.
2. Rich Harden, Oakland Athletics
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Rich Harden has spent his fair share of time on the DL.
Although Harden only throws two pitches, he is prone to injury. It is a matter of time before Harden finds himself getting major surgery that knocks him out of baseball for awhile.
1. Scott Kazmir, Los Angeles Angels
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Kazmir has started the last three seasons on the DL. With this said, he has had both shoulder and elbow issues.
This is obviously not a good sign for his future. With his past history of injuries it is a matter of time before Kazmir is shutdown altogether and has to have major surgery.
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