Home » Mets 2013 Games » Matt Harvey Elbow Update

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
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  1. DanB September 18, 2013 at 2:25 pm
    I posted this already but it is more appropriate here. If Harvey doesn’t have surgery, will it effect the Met’s willingness to buy out his arbitration years since the odds are they will be paying for one year of recovery? If they offer a cheap deal, would Harvey take it? He already has said he wants a $200 million contract in his career. It could get interesting.
  2. argonbunnies September 18, 2013 at 5:39 pm
    Ligaments do heal, right? I mean, they seldom heal perfectly, but I’m not aware of any evidence that equates “partial tear” to “abandon all hope”.

    The Mets and Harvey may yet do something stupid in the management of the tear, but I don’t think “rehab it for two months” counts just yet. If anything, pushing back surgery may help the organization resist the temptation to try to rush him back for the end of 2014.

    • Joe Janish September 18, 2013 at 9:57 pm
      Generally speaking, yes, ligaments eventually heal. But the ulnar collateral ligament — the one in the elbow — usually does not heal on its own, which was the whole point of Tommy John going under the knife in 1974.

      That doesn’t mean Harvey’s UCL won’t heal on its own — it’s just that there’s little chance it will. A very small handful of pitchers diagnosed with torn UCLs have been able to successfully avoid surgery — the most famous one being Roy Halladay. Is it ironic that Harvey so similarly resembles a young Halladay, in skill set and mindset? Hey, maybe Harvey will be like Halladay and pitch another 8 years without needing Tommy John surgery.