Question for Jeff Fletcher re: Richards

[Chuck]

Hi @Jeff Fletcher, I read the latest report that there is no timetable for Richards' return and that JC Ramirez would be taking over as his replacement.

Is this stained bicep something else that the Angels are hiding? We've seen them say one thing initially that seems mild, then change their diagnosis later on to something major. 

Or is this just the Angels being overly cautious with their ace so that they do not risk further injury, so they can count on having him for a full season this year?

[Angels#1Fan]

I'm not Jeff but Scioscia said this today:

 

Quote

The Halos are uncertain how long Richards will be out, meaning they don't know how much recovery time he will need or how many starts they would like to get from Ramirez.

"I don't know," Scioscia said. "We don't have a crystal ball, but I think the opportunity for JC to pitch is there, and hopefully he'll take advantage of it. Right now there is no time frame on how long he'll be in our rotation. It could be the whole year."

http://m.angels.mlb.com/news/article/224072472/angels-jc-ramirez-to-make-first-career-start/

Doesn't sound very encouraging to me.

[Jeff Fletcher]

I've had the last 2 days off so I don't know. 

I assume they are naturally being extra cautious though. 

And if it turns out to be more serious, it would be because the diagnosis changes, not because they're lying about it. There's no benefit to lying about something if they know they're going to have to admit the truth later. 

[eligrba4ever]

Richards fans should learn to breathe and possibly move on. Don't hold the collective breath. Scioscia has no timetable and Ramirez (or somebody else) may be in the rotation the rest of the season.

[tdawg87]

2 hours ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

I've had the last 2 days off

This is BULLSHIT you can't just take days off we NEED info dammit

[arch stanton]

I don't think Sosh meant to imply that Richards could be out all year. There's nothing preventing Richards and Ramirez from being in the rotation together. He was probably just trying to build up JC going into his start.

[Ohtaniland]

I think Woody Richards is going to be on the shelf for a while. 

 

[California Cajun]

Pitchers are fragile, particularly those that avoid surgery after UCL tears.  We can't feel comfortable with this.  I'm hopeful that the offense is improved enough so we don't need a masterpiece every outing.  The pitchers have had to be too careful.

[yk9001]

I don't know where the thread is for the MLB Network Trout documentary is, but shout out to Jeff Fletcher for the soundbite.

I told my wife - hey, that guy appears on our message board!  She could not have been less interested.

[Jobu]

2 minutes ago, yk9001 said:

I don't know where the thread is for the MLB Network Trout documentary is, but shout out to Jeff Fletcher for the soundbite.

I told my wife - hey, that guy appears on our message board!  She could not have been less interested.

You picked a winner.

[krAbs]

16 hours ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

I've had the last 2 days off so I don't know. 

I assume they are naturally being extra cautious though. 

And if it turns out to be more serious, it would be because the diagnosis changes, not because they're lying about it. There's no benefit to lying about something if they know they're going to have to admit the truth later. 

Cute, but lets be real. Angels lie ALL THE TIME about medical conditions. See: literally, Richards last year, going down for "dehydration". I mean, its fine; its because they don't respect their fan base at all. I guess we've all made the choice that we're okay with that, but it kinda sucks.

[yk9001]

7 minutes ago, krAbs said:

Cute, but lets be real. Angels lie ALL THE TIME about medical conditions. See: literally, Richards last year, going down for "dehydration". I mean, its fine; its because they don't respect their fan base at all. I guess we've all made the choice that we're okay with that, but it kinda sucks.

One of the funniest things I ever read here was that the Angels do that because they don't want to get into any HIPPA violations.

Yet in every other sport - NFL, college basketball, etc. - in-game injuries are sliced/diced/dissected, discussed by the coach in sideline interviews, discussed by the sideline reporters via discussions with trainers.

Angels management, proud members of Pravda, never ever give accurate information.

[krAbs]

1 minute ago, yk9001 said:

One of the funniest things I ever read here was that the Angels do that because they don't want to get into any HIPPA violations.

Yet in every other sport - NFL, college basketball, etc. - in-game injuries are sliced/diced/dissected, discussed by the coach in sideline interviews, discussed by the sideline reporters via discussions with trainers.

Angels management, proud members of Pravda, never ever give accurate information.

Well and thats the thing. If it were a legal issue, they would say "we are looking into it," not "oh, its nothing, he just had to pee so we pulled him out of the game." The information they give is just boldface lies.

[Ohtaniland]

Geez guys....it's just a cramp!

[fan_since79]

4 minutes ago, yk9001 said:

Angels management, proud members of Pravda, never ever give accurate information.

Yep. We were assured that Sean Burnett had just finished an "outstanding bullpen session", when in reality his arm had disintegrated.

[ScottT]

What was the benefit of saying he was dehydrated last year?

[Angels#1Fan]

He was thirsty?

[Jay]

Did anybody really think that Richards would be healthy?

 

[Jeff Fletcher]

14 minutes ago, ScottT said:

What was the benefit of saying he was dehydrated last year?

Exactly. So the conspiracy theorists are suggesting the Angels knew he had damaged his UCL but just said he was dehydrated so they could make their fans feel better for 5 days? Or maybe they thought the UCL would miraculously heal in 5 days and no one would have to know? Or they thought they could just say he's dehydrated for the rest of the season?

This is what I think happened: he came out of the game and described his symptoms. They made a diagnosis immediately (without an MRI) based on his description. 

After a few days, in which he actually played catch, which he wouldn't have done if they had known his UCL was damaged, it still didn't feel right. So they had an MRI. The MRI showed the extent of the damage. 

End of story. 

Thats why he had an MRI this time before throwing at all. If the MRI showed structural damage, what would be the benefit of them saying it didn't? If he can't pitch, there needs to be a reason. So the MRI showed nothing wrong with his UCL but clearly he or the team or both don't feel he's ready to throw yet. If this continues much longer - and it's still only been 9 days - he will probably have another MRI that will or will not show something. 

Certainly there is no reason for them to give alarming possible diagnoses before they know what's happening, but after they do there's no reason to lie about it.

I suppose the only upside might be if you're trying to make a trade for a starter and don't want to seem desperate, but I suspect any other GM would figure that out. If the Angels suddenly are asking about starters, they would assume it's because Richards is seriously hurt. 

[Blarg]

17 hours ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

I've had the last 2 days off so I don't know. 

@Jeff Fletcher takes 2 days off, the Angels lose 2 straight. Coincidence or correlation? 

[Angels#1Fan]

19 minutes ago, Jay said:

Did anybody really think that Richards would be healthy?

 

When I first heard that Richards was going to forgo TJ surgery I posted here that it would likely be a miracle if he makes it out of ST.  Well he made it out of ST, so maybe he'll be able to make it back again this year but I really think the odds are not in his favor. Hope I'm wrong.

[Slegnaac]

Guess I will wait a while longer before I put my Richards jersey back in the plastic bag.

[ScruffytheJanitor]

40 minutes ago, Jay said:

Did anybody really think that Richards would be healthy?

 

 

Yup. Sure did. Still do, actually. 

[well_red]

[Chuck]

Did they inject sickle cells or stem cells into Richards' elbow?