Richards not getting TJS. Opts for rehab

[AngelsLakersFan]

9 minutes ago, krAbs said:

This would be an acceptable move for a team that has a good shot at winning this year...

I don't really think this is going to help us out much this year. He's going to miss a couple of months, and when he gets back we are probably going to wish he had just gotten the surgery.

[LAA Road Tripper]

Did Garrett check with this board first? He really should have done that before making any decision. He probably did since this was pretty big to him. Chuck, any word?

[AngelsLakersFan]

3 minutes ago, Mr. Lawrence said:

Maybe the ligament damage isn't bad enough to do TJS. Remember he pitched through the discomfort for quite a while before being shut down. Maybe all he needs is a little rest and rehab?

He did say he was surprised by the diagnosis, and at the rate doctors are prescribing TJ these days you have to wonder if maybe they might be a little quick on the trigger. 

[krAbs]

1 minute ago, AngelsLakersFan said:

I don't really think this is going to help us out much this year. He's going to miss a couple of months, and when he gets back we are probably going to wish he had just gotten the surgery.

Thats kinda my point- if you are making a legitimate run, then sure, risk hurting your core pitching (see: Bumgarner single handedly taking out the royals in the WS. probably took a few years off his arm, but it was kinda worth it). But, when its a year where you really need to start rebuilding, well...this move starts to resemble the actions of a mad man. Its like...the win now mentality only works for so long. At some point you have to be responsible as a team and look to the future.

[Second Base]

10 minutes ago, gotbeer said:

IMO, I could not disagree with you more.

If he had surgery now, he'd be back sometime next season, 2017. 

If he tries to work it out, upside is if he works it out great.  Downside, he needs surgery, or he does what every stupid medical decision the Angels do are, and he tries to rehab it in the offseason.  Come 2017, and it doesn't get any better, and he needs surgery missing all of 2017.

That means he will be back sometime in 2018. 

And ladies and gentlemen.  Guess what happens in 2019?  He's a free agent.

So I'd rather have 1 - 2 season post injury to evaluate whether we spend gobs of money on him.  Than part of a season and decide whether to spend money on him. 

If surgery happens, either way, you're not getting the ace version of Garrett Richards back until 2018.  So the only risk here is ONE MONTH worth of Richards "rediscovering" his pitches.  There really isn't much risk here.  But the upside of pitching again this year and potentially being himself for the entirety of 2017 again is worth it. 

[ScottT]

I didn't expect him to pitch much next year, if at all.   Maybe the Angels and or his doctors said something similar. 

I respect his decision. It's his body and his career.   Ripping a player for something like this is lame.  

[Chuck]

6 minutes ago, ScottT said:

I didn't expect him to pitch much next year, if at all.   Maybe the Angels and or his doctors said something similar. 

I respect his decision. It's his body and his career.   Ripping a player for something like this is lame.  

Agreed.

[sneaky_flute]

It's better to undergo surgery. You don't usually recover from this type of injury with rest. 

[Angelsjunky]

What none of us knows is how bad his UCL is. If its closer to Tanaka, I can see why he'd want to give it a shot. Tanaka seems OK. As I think Scotty said, worst-case scenario is that he tries to pitch through it this year and still needs surgery and misses all of 2017 rather than most of it.

[Inside Pitch]

54 minutes ago, Corona said:

At least tanakas best pitch is his splitter. Richards relies on his power, we'll see how it goes though I guess. 

The split puts greater strain on the elbow than a FB...

Edited May 17, 2016 by Inside Pitch

[nando714]

ASB 2018

[AngelsFaninGA]

The likely outcome is that he'll come back in August, get injured within his first couple starts, and end up getting TJ anyway. Either way, he probably won't pitch much next year so no real difference. Just get back healthy by 2018. 

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

1 hour ago, beatlesrule said:

???????  This doesn't make any sense.  I need to google the list of pitchers this worked out for.  Surgery should be his only option.  The season is lost anyway.  It's not like it's September and the Angels are in the hunt for the playoffs.  Get the surgery and come back strong in 10 months.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/sports/baseball/disputed-treatment-was-used-in-bartolo-colons-comeback.html

 

I think he is going the Bartolo Colon route with stem cell injections. Purita said he employed what he regards as one of his more pioneering techniques: he used fat and bone marrow stem cells from Colon, injecting them back into Colon’s elbow and shoulder to help repair ligament damage and a torn rotator cuff.

[Ohtaniland]

This may end up being the worst decision of his life. 

[bloodbrother]

Likely just delaying the inevitable but I don't blame Richards for trying every possible step he can to avoid having to get TJS.

[eligrba4ever]

Richards and Heaney are apparently opting for the therapy that was chosen by Bartolo Colon. It worked out pretty well for Bartolo.

[Jobu]

This thread needs more HIPAA. 

[zenmaster]

Good luck Garrett.  I support whatever decisions you make. 

[mtangelsfan]

Good to see the AW medical staff is on the case.  Have surgery kid, we know what's best for you.

[Chuck]

19 hours ago, eligrba4ever said:

Richards and Heaney are apparently opting for the therapy that was chosen by Bartolo Colon. It worked out pretty well for Bartolo.

Bartolo has been pretty damn good since too. 

[AngelsFanSince86]

I just wonder how much the PEDs Bartolo was taking effected his recovery.  They may have helped him heal better and stay stronger over the course of time until he was caught.  That may have made his healing process much more attainable than anything Heaney or Richards could achieve without doing the same thing. 

[krAbs]

19 hours ago, Ace_TommyJohn said:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/sports/baseball/disputed-treatment-was-used-in-bartolo-colons-comeback.html

 

I think he is going the Bartolo Colon route with stem cell injections. Purita said he employed what he regards as one of his more pioneering techniques: he used fat and bone marrow stem cells from Colon, injecting them back into Colon’s elbow and shoulder to help repair ligament damage and a torn rotator cuff.

Obligatory: well, it probably worked well with Colon due to the amount of fat cells he had available.