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Blue Jays Negligent with Pitchers

By Gary Armida

There is a belief that pitchers are babied too much. Many will opine that pitch counts and innings limitations severely hinder the development of a young pitcher and cost teams some victories in the process. Some even say that today’s pitchers cannot compare to those of the 60’s because today’s athletes simply aren’t as tough. One organization has seemingly put that argument to the test over the past few seasons. It has largely ignored pitcher development, proper rest and rehabilitation, and evidently disregarded the safety of its athletes. The Toronto Blue Jays have a habit of promoting good, promising, and young pitchers. That trait is admirable as it shows the organization has a keen eye for selecting the proper pitchers. If one looks at the club over the years, young pitchers like Dustin McGowan, Shawn Marcum, Jesse Litsch, Casey Jaansen, and, most recently, Ricky Romero have all shown promise at the Major League level. They give Blue Jays fans a reason to believe that their team can compete with the “big boys” of the American League East. But, as many know, they have all landed on the disabled list. Sure, pitchers get hurt; we know that teams paid over $330 million dollars to pitchers on the disabled list. But, at some point, the poor record of an organization has to be taken to task. The reality is that the Toronto Blue Jays do not seem to have the slightest idea how to develop and protect young pitchers. Yes, the organization and fans should be happy that their team is at the top of the division standings, but that excitement should be tempered by the fact that their management has undercut this hot start by having an entire rotation and two key members of the bullpen on the disabled list because of their negligence. Because of the aforementioned negligence, the slim chances of remaining on top of the division are zero as they do not have enough quality arms to properly compete.

Before the Youngsters

Before taking a look at the young pitchers, the case of BJ Ryan epitomizes the poor decision making by the current Blue Jays administration. Ryan appeared in just five games during the 2007 season, throwing his last pitch on April 14^th against the Detroit Tigers. Afterwards, he was placed on the disabled list and underwent Tommy John Surgery. Typically, it takes at least one full year from the surgery for a pitcher to recover. In most cases, the pitcher will return sometime in the 14 month range as he will follow a strengthening program and build stamina. Ryan threw his first pitch of the 2008 season on April 13^th, one day shy of a full year since his last regular season pitch. So, in less than one year, Ryan threw a pitch, had surgery, rehabbed, and threw another pitch.

Yes, Ryan had a successful 2008 season, but he is already on the disabled list in 2009. Even more troubling is the fact that he lost at least 10 miles per hour off of his fastball. A pitcher doesn’t lose that much velocity unless he is severely out of shape or severely injured. The case can be made that Ryan’s latest injury has nothing to do with his past surgery, but given his accelerated rehabilitation pace and sudden loss of velocity, the connection can, indeed, be made.

Why would the Blue Jays rush Ryan back last season? Well, many media outlets (not this one) predicted a big season for the Blue Jays because of their talented pitching staff. Evidently, the Blue Jays decided to throw caution to the wind and allow Ryan, an above average closer, to come back quicker than the norm. Ryan had a good season (still not what he once did, but still very good), but the Blue Jays ultimately failed because of a poor offense and, you guessed, injuries to their young pitchers. Unfortunately for Blue Jays’ pitching prospects, their handling of Ryan is indicative of their handling of all the pitchers.   

Young, Talented, and Disabled

With promising pitchers like Dustin McGowan, Jesse Litsch, and Shawn Marcum, the Blue Jays seemed to have a tremendous rotation behind Roy Halladay. At first glance, it looks as if the Blue Jays took care of Dustin McGowan. During his time in the Minor Leagues, McGowan threw 585.2 innings in eight seasons. But, he was definitely accelerated at certain stages. In 2001, as a 19 year old, McGowan pitched 67 innings. The next season he threw 148.1 innings, an 81.1 inning increase. As many opine, a pitcher should not throw 30 additional innings from one season to the next. As he progressed through the system (with injuries derailing progress), McGowan finally made the Show in 2005 where he threw 101 innings combined between his Minor League work and his Major League work. In 2006, he threw 111 innings between the two levels. The problem occurred in 2007 when McGowan threw 191 innings between the two levels. Not surprisingly, he landed on the disabled list after just 111.1 innings in 2008. He is currently rehabbing from shoulder surgery. Originally, the Blue Jays stated that he was on target to comeback this May from Labrum surgery. However, more sane heads have prevailed as McGowan is expected to miss the entire season.

Shawn Marcum is another pitcher whose Minor League totals are deceiving. Yes, he threw 408.2 innings, but how he compiled them is troubling. As a 21 year old, Marcum threw just 34 innings. The following season, he pitched 148 innings. That’s right; Marcum threw over 100 additional innings following his rookie campaign. In 2005, Marcum pitched 157 minor league innings while getting a cup of coffee 8 inning stint in the Majors. Afterwards, Marcum did not throw more than 159 innings in one season. However, the Blue Jays shuttled him between the bullpen and the rotation for his first two seasons. That practice is dangerous as the preparation for each role is different and requires differing methods. Constant shuttling between the two roles can cause an injury especially when one considers the violent nature of the reliever. Marcum had Tommy John Surgery in September and continues the rehabilitation process.

Jesse Litsch is yet another example of the Blue Jays negligence. Litsch pitched 75.2 innings during the 2005 season, his first in professional baseball. In 2006, Litsch pitched 158.2 innings, 83 additional innings. He made his Major League debut in 2007 with 111.1 big league innings combined with 76.1 in the Minors. In 2008, he pitched 196 innings. So, in the space of three seasons, Litsch has gone from 75 innings to nearly 200 innings. That leap from 2005 to 2006 is tremendous and one that cannot be overlooked. He is currently on the disabled list with elbow soreness. After meeting with the world renowned Dr. James Andrews, a period of rest and rehabilitation is recommended. For now, he avoids surgery. He is expected back in May.

Casey Janssen debuted as a 22 year old in 2004 in the Minor Leagues by throwing 50 innings. He followed that up with 148.2 innings. After making his Major League debut as a starter in 2007, he was shifted to the bullpen in 2008 where he was one of the best relievers in Baseball. The Blue Jays made the decision to return him to the rotation for 2009, but Janssen needed surgery to repair his shoulder labrum. He is already rehabbing and the Blue Jays hope to have him back in the middle of May. He is another case of a pitcher switching roles and accumulating innings at an irregular rate.

Notice a Pattern?

Just how many pitchers is Toronto going to have to lose in order for ownership to realize that their money is being spent quite wastefully? As is commonly known, the Blue Jays, like many teams, are struggling under the current economic climate. To have five talented pitchers on the disabled list is a waste of resources, both on the field and on the ledger. Some could make the case that the Blue Jays are not culpable for these injuries because, as stated many times, pitching injuries are of epidemic proportions around the game. Additionally, some will state that the pitchers are predisposed to those injuries either through mechanical flaws or genetics.

Both of the above reasons are quite invalid. Yes, there are many injuries, but the Blue Jays have the worst track record of keeping their pitchers healthy. The Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates are quite often the joke of writers and baseball personalities. However, even those organizations without a recent winning tradition can keep the majority of their pitchers healthy.  The notion of mechanical flaws and genetic predisposition is valid, but it is incumbent on an organization to evaluate such pitchers as well as ameliorate those issues in the pitching delivery. Whether it is how the Blue Jays rush their prospects in the minors or their lack of organizational coaching and conditioning, the responsibility still falls on the Blue Jays.

Even Worse

While the injuries are alarming, the rehabilitation process also seems amiss in Toronto. BJ Ryan’s story was just one example. Recently, Toronto officials have stated that they are impressed with Shawn Marcum’s progress from Tommy John Surgery. The troubling aspect is that there is talk of Marcum returning to action later this season. Even if Marcum is progressing quickly, why wouldn’t the Blue Jays just explain to him that he has no chance of returning until Spring Training of 2010? Young, professional athletes want to play. Marcum, if he senses he can pitch, will likely not be as thorough. Perhaps this is just talk, but a responsible organization would’ve already stated that he won’t be back until 2010.

One can look at the Red Sox as a team that “gets it”. The Sox develop their pitchers properly. Clay Buchholz is still in the Minor Leagues rather than pitching heavy innings in the Majors. When he gets the call, he will be prepared. On the other end of the spectrum, veteran John Smoltz is rehabbing from shoulder surgery. He stated that he could’ve been ready for the start of the season. However, the Red Sox backed him off his intense rehabilitation in order to heal the injury properly. The Blue Jays, instead of giving the illusion that they can compete, should allow their young pitchers to rehab properly and comeback at 100 percent. In other words, they should copy the Red Sox.  

Closing Thoughts

At some point, the Toronto Blue Jays will need to change the way they do business. At the present, they are paying pitchers to rehabilitate. It is costly and quite inefficient. There is too much evidence that illustrates just how poorly the Blue Jays develop their pitching. It almost looks as if there is a lack of a Minor League development system along with a competent, strong minded pitching coach.

They are great at accumulating pitching talent, but developing that talent is problematic. Until they figure it out, they are destined to finish at the bottom of the division standings.

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