Can Lackey pull it together after surgery?

[TylerD]

Just a simple curious question. Does anybody think Lackey has some good baseball left in him after his Tommy John surgery? I know he had a down year in Boston, but who knows how much of it was do to injury. The reason I say this is because Jake Delhome *sp* for the Carolina Panthers had the exact same surgery and came out the very next year in 2008 and played fantastic. Took his football team to 12 and 4.

 

I've always liked Lackey, but he comes across as a lazy player, however a lot of his bad play may be fixed after surgery..... I'm a positive thinker

[jung]

For baseball pitchers maybe the biggest question post TJ is what happens when they try to throw the various pitches that they had been throwing as pros. It stands to reason that they will not have had an arm as strong as it is post TJ for most if not all of their professional careers. In many cases a power pitcher's "stuff" is better. Sometimes so much that he has no control until and if he figures out how to pitch again.

 

Lackey has grown to depend on his slider being his best pitch and in general control and location is more important to Lackey. Just about the worst thing you can do with a slider is overthrow it as it flattens out.

 

During 2010 and 2011 Lackey was dropping his arm angle more and more as he tired and many of his pitches were up in the strike zone because of it. TJ may go a long way to resolving that but Lackey will have to learn to pitch again just like every major league pitcher has had to post TJ.

 

So it is hard to tell at this point what Lackey will have and even he won't know until he starts to throw again. TJ for major league pitchers is not a guarantee of a reinvigorated career. However pitchers who have the surgery usually just don't have an option. So at least Lackey will have the opportunity again.

[Elktonnick]

For baseball pitchers maybe the biggest question post TJ is what happens when they try to throw the various pitches that they had been throwing as pros. It stands to reason that they will not have had an arm as strong as it is post TJ for most if not all of their professional careers. In many cases a power pitcher's "stuff" is better. Sometimes so much that he has no control until and if he figures out how to pitch again.

 

Lackey has grown to depend on his slider being his best pitch and in general control and location is more important to Lackey. Just about the worst thing you can do with a slider is overthrow it as it flattens out.

 

During 2010 and 2011 Lackey was dropping his arm angle more and more as he tired and many of his pitches were up in the strike zone because of it. TJ may go a long way to resolving that but Lackey will have to learn to pitch again just like every major league pitcher has had to post TJ.

 

So it is hard to tell at this point what Lackey will have and even he won't know until he starts to throw again. TJ for major league pitchers is not a guarantee of a reinvigorated career. However pitchers who have the surgery usually just don't have an option. So at least Lackey will have the opportunity again.

 

I for one would prefer not to think about John Lackey until July 2013.

[jung]

I for one would prefer not to think about John Lackey until July 2013.

 

I don't blame you one bit.

[FredLynn]

I for one would prefer not to think about John Lackey until July 2013.

 

Everyone has the same sentiment, but he is going to be in the back of everyone's mind. If he did pitch injured for most of this year I am sure it affected his performance. So part of the blame has to put on the management for allowing him to go on and on and on being the worst SP in MLB with over 100 IP. They should have removed him once it became clear that he wasn't going to improve. Since he was THE WORST SP in baseball, by definition ANYONE would have been an improvement.

[Brennan]

I doubt alot of the injury reports from the Sox medical staff/FO spin doctors. Lackey wasn't much more impressive the year previous and alot of people knew that he wasn't the type to succeed in the ALE. I would never expect him to be more than a #4 for us healthy or not, but like some have already said here, I don't even want to hear his name again till we absolutely have to. I would like to ship him to the Cubs with a big bow on his giant grotesque mis-shapen head.

[BOSOX11]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that TJ surgery corrects his attitude as well as his arm.

[iortiz]

Somehow This thread made me want to listen the eye of the tiger song by survivor

[TylerD]

Somehow This thread made me want to listen the eye of the tiger song by survivor

 

Lmao!!

 

I agree with most as Lackey isnt on the top of my mind, however its something I have been curious about. Alot of pro athletes play injured and suck, and can have a rebound year after surgery. None the less im excited to see how our pitching pans out, but something about Lackey.... Every once and a while his name seems to come up in convos I have about baseball with friends.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Don't worry guys. If Lackey can throw to a 4.50 ERA in 2013, that's all we need.

 

It's not hard to dish a 4.50 ERA pitcher for 2 years/16mm, especially coming from the AL East and trading to somewhere in the AL or NL West.

[redsoxbeatz]

Pretty sure the surgery is just a publicity stunt. Now the Sox don't have to trade him away to eat his money but also don't have to play him. He's just drinking booze.

[User Name]

So Lackey and his agent are going to give up an extra year of control to the Sox for the league minimum just for a publicity stunt?

 

Solid reasoning there.

[seabeachfred]

Everyone has the same sentiment' date=' but he is going to be in the back of everyone's mind. If he did pitch injured for most of this year I am sure it affected his performance. So part of the blame has to put on the management for allowing him to go on and on and on being the worst SP in MLB with over 100 IP. They should have removed him once it became clear that he wasn't going to improve. Since he was THE WORST SP in baseball, by definition ANYONE would have been an improvement.[/quote']

 

Well remember Pumpsie who was managing the team this past season. We all grew tired of hearing it but you knew Fetch's refrain why he kept sending him and Wakefield out there......."I DON'T WANT TO LOSE THEM"!!!!!!!!!!! Thank God I won't have to hear that again or see that Sit and Spit's face in out dugout ever again.

[Elktonnick]

Well remember Pumpsie who was managing the team this past season. We all grew tired of hearing it but you knew Fetch's refrain why he kept sending him and Wakefield out there......."I DON'T WANT TO LOSE THEM"!!!!!!!!!!! Thank God I won't have to hear that again or see that Sit and Spit's face in out dugout ever again.

 

It isn't 2013 yet!

[VA Sox Fan]

Just a simple curious question. Does anybody think Lackey has some good baseball left in him after his Tommy John surgery? I know he had a down year in Boston, but who knows how much of it was do to injury. The reason I say this is because Jake Delhome *sp* for the Carolina Panthers had the exact same surgery and came out the very next year in 2008 and played fantastic. Took his football team to 12 and 4.

 

I've always liked Lackey, but he comes across as a lazy player, however a lot of his bad play may be fixed after surgery..... I'm a positive thinker

 

Who knows? Not a good thread. No offense.

[jung]

Don't get the wrong idea OP. Nobody is trying to be unkind or terse. There is literally no way to answer this question at this time.

[SCM33]

John Lackey??? Who the f*** is that?

 

I think I know of a guy by that name, he was absolutely terrible, and management MADE him seek like 4 opinions of the TJ surgery before he had it.....so they could bury him and his name would never be spoken of again.

 

Same guy?