Garrett Richards clears final hurdle, avoids T.J. surgery.

[Richard]

Thanks for the updates @Jeff Fletcher

[Troll Daddy]

Great news

[Angel Oracle]

Great news, still have to remember that Tanaka needed the second year after similar injection to become what he was before the injury.

Good news is, Tanaka will be in the 2016 Cy Young discussion.  

[mulwin444]

12 minutes ago, Richard said:

Thanks for the updates @Jeff Fletcher

This is significant...along with a full season of Skaggs, a healthy Shoemaker, and a seemingly competent Nolasco, this has the foundation of a solid rotation.  Obviously, Meyer has to continue to develop and stay healthy but, paired with Nate Smith, there is some options and depth at the 5th spot along with Banuelos.  If they can get Street healthy and Bedrosian can continue his dominance displayed at the end of last season, the Angels will have a quality pitching staff and BP. 

[DMVol]

[Make Angels Great Again]

4 minutes ago, mulwin444 said:

This is significant...along with a full season of Skaggs, a healthy Shoemaker, and a seemingly competent Nolasco, this has the foundation of a solid rotation.  Obviously, Meyer has to continue to develop and stay healthy but, paired with Nate Smith, there is some options and depth at the 5th spot along with Banuelos.  If they can get Street healthy and Bedrosian can continue his dominance displayed at the end of last season, the Angels will have a quality pitching staff and BP. 

 

Careful on the pen...i'm still weary on how good Street can actually be going forward. Literally all they have is Bedrosian imo, and he isn't completely proven yet. The pen still needs major work. I would be happy with getting two very solid arms in the off season.

[Oz27]

This is pretty big. If we're any good in either of the next two years, Richards will obviously help a lot. If we're not good, but Richards is healthy and gets back to his level of previous performance, we are regaining a very valuable trade chip which had looked lost. If 2017 goes badly but Richards pitches well, he could have enormous value at the deadline.

[mulwin444]

8 minutes ago, Make Angels Great Again said:

 

Careful on the pen...i'm still weary on how good Street can actually be going forward. Literally all they have is Bedrosian imo, and he isn't completely proven yet. The pen still needs major work. I would be happy with getting two very solid arms in the off season.

I think you have a foundation with Street, Bedrosian, Ramirez and Guerra...Street could be done, true, but its possible he has at least one more year in him.  If not, Bedrosian has the stuff to be dominant closer.  Cam had a 11.4 K/9 and, while still a tad wild at 3.1 BB/9, had a nice 1.091 WHIP and 358 ERA+...if recovered from the blood clots in his pitching arm, he's your main building block.  In terms of the scrap heap pickups, Ramirez was a solid find by Eppler.  With his upper-90's fastball, Ramirez managed to amass 2.91 ERA 1.187 WHIP and 137 ERA+ in 43 games but only had a 6 K/9, leaving a bit of doubt of his potential but he still could be an effective 7th inning guy.  Guerra almost had the same numbers as Ramirez but doesn't have his stuff but seems to be a decent middle relief option.  

[AngelsLakersFan]

3 minutes ago, Oz27 said:

This is pretty big. If we're any good in either of the next two years, Richards will obviously help a lot. If we're not good, but Richards is healthy and gets back to his level of previous performance, we are regaining a very valuable trade chip which had looked lost. If 2017 goes badly but Richards pitches well, he could have enormous value at the deadline.

This cannot be understated. As much as I want this team to win, there are a ton of things that are likely to go wrong in 2017, which could seriously impact the team beyond that, but a great season from Richards could at least yield a significant deadline return. 

Anyone know about Tanaka's arm now? He was having trouble and was shut down at the end of the season.

[Oz27]

2 minutes ago, AngelsLakersFan said:

This cannot be understated. As much as I want this team to win, there are a ton of things that are likely to go wrong in 2017, which could seriously impact the team beyond that, but a great season from Richards could at least yield a significant deadline return. 

Anyone know about Tanaka's arm now? He was having trouble and was shut down at the end of the season.

I think it was just a forearm strain. Hopefully he will be fine, not so much because I care deeply about the Yankees but more because having another guy the Angels could point to as an illustration of UCL rehab success would probably be pretty helpful in any eventual trade discussion.

[AngelsLakersFan]

1 minute ago, Oz27 said:

I think it was just a forearm strain. Hopefully he will be fine, not so much because I care deeply about the Yankees but more because having another guy the Angels could point to as an illustration of UCL rehab success would probably be pretty helpful in any eventual trade discussion.

Ya it was forearm strain, but I am wary of anything in the forearm when talking about guys who have had UCL issues.

[Oz27]

1 minute ago, AngelsLakersFan said:

Ya it was forearm strain, but I am wary of anything in the forearm when talking about guys who have had UCL issues.

Come on, as if a "forearm strain" would ever really be something much worse.

Oh wait...

[GalericX]

A full year of Richards? Maybe...I hope so... PLEASE LET it be so.

 

This is great news.  Rotation looking better already.

[Tank]

never thought i'd be so happy to see someone recover from dehydration so quickly.

[Troll Daddy]

Interesting comments by some ... some here feel we need to plan for 2018 to compete. Yet, let's trade Richards at the deadline if he's back to his old self.

 

[AngelsLakersFan]

33 minutes ago, Troll Daddy said:

Interesting comments by some ... some here feel we need to plan for 2018 to compete. Yet, let's trade Richards at the deadline if he's back to his old self.

 

It depends on what happens next year. There is a lot up in the air right now. We don't know how Shoemaker will bounce back. The Twins had given up on Meyer as a starter when then sent him to us, Skaggs couldn't get back on the mound, and once he got there he couldn't stay there, Pujols will be a year older. Heaney will be starting his recovery and hopefully testing his new elbow. A lot could go right and put us in good position for 2018, and a lot could go wrong that will make 2018/19 look in jeopardy. 

[Troll Daddy]

6 minutes ago, AngelsLakersFan said:

It depends on what happens next year. There is a lot up in the air right now. We don't know how Shoemaker will bounce back. The Twins had given up on Meyer as a starter when then sent him to us, Skaggs couldn't get back on the mound, and once he got there he couldn't stay there, Pujols will be a year older. Heaney will be starting his recovery and hopefully testing his new elbow. A lot could go right and put us in good position for 2018, and a lot could go wrong that will make 2018/19 look in jeopardy. 

The set back I worry about is Trout. Everything else is pale in comparison. 

 

[Angelsjunky]

I think the final hurdle is him pitching a full season next year. Not to be a negative nancy, but I'll be wary all year long.

But yeah, a healthy Richards does a lot to improve this ball club. I think it also means that Eppler will be looking for ways to compete next year, not just in 2019.

[Lou]

I wonder how many pitchers are out there wondering if they could have avoided having TJ surgery 

[ettin]

27 minutes ago, Lou said:

I wonder how many pitchers are out there wondering if they could have avoided having TJ surgery 

I am beginning to wonder why MLB teams aren't looking into regular stem cell therapy as a preventative measure for UCL tears. There may be medical side effects or risks involved with the procedure I may not be aware of but if a pitcher did this once a year would it have a negative impact at all? Seems like it could potentially keep a UCL whole?

Just a thought I could be completely wrong but it passed through my wee brain a few weeks ago.

[AngelsLakersFan]

1 minute ago, ettin said:

I am beginning to wonder why MLB teams aren't looking into regular stem cell therapy as a preventative measure for UCL tears. There may be medical side effects or risks involved with the procedure I may not be aware of but if a pitcher did this once a year would it have a negative impact at all? Seems like it could potentially keep a UCL whole?

Just a thought I could be completely wrong but it passed through my wee brain a few weeks ago.

PEDs

[ettin]

Just now, AngelsLakersFan said:

PEDs

Stem cell therapy isn't a PED?

[AngelsLakersFan]

That was the discussion when Bartolo Colon first did it. When guys start regularly injecting themselves with stem cells you have to start asking where exactly the line is drawn.

[Angels#1Fan]

 

1 hour ago, Angelsjunky said:

 

I think the final hurdle is him pitching a full season next year. Not to be a negative nancy, but I'll be wary all year long.

 

It's great that Richards threw 55 pitches and was effective, but that doesn't equate to a season, hell 55 pitches is equal to about 5 innings.

Saying that he is ready to go for the season is premature imo..lets see how he does in the spring before he's declared healed.

I'm not trying to be negative either, but I'll be skeptical until he's pitched several games in a row before I get my hopes up. 

[Lou]

I'm pretty sure nobody has stated that those 55 pitches is definitive proof he's ready to pitch a full season.