Mike Stutes says he feels like he has a brand new shoulder
Mike Stutes says the arthroscopic surgery he underwent last year makes him feel like he has a brand new shoulder. Now, he will look to win a spot in the Phillies bullpen.
Mike Stutes says he feels like he has a brand new shoulder
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
Mike Stutes has been something of a forgotten man this offseason. Whenever you hear about a pitcher undergoing shoulder surgery, you tend to lower your expectations. But Stutes' feels just the opposite.
"I feel like I have a brand new shoulder," the 26-year-old righthander said this morning.
The surgery was not major and did not involve any significant structural alterations. The procedure is called a debridement. Essentially, doctors went in and cleaned up the joint, restoring a range of movement that had become limited.
Stutes said he did not realize how limited he was until after the surgery, which left only a small scar and allowed him to return to throwing in September.
He last pitched in a competitive situation on April 21 of last season, when he allowed three runs on three hits in one inning against the Padres, and then hit the disabled list with a shoulder injury that ended his season.
Stutes said his shoulder had been "clicking" as far back as the 2011 season, when he helped stabilize the Phillies bullpen during the summer before struggling down the stretch.
Now, not only is his velocity back to its normal level, he said he feels like he has a little extra juice on the pitch.
Stutes acknowledged that he might have some ground to recover in what figures to be a fierce competition for the bullpen. Closer Jonathan Papelbon, set-up man Mike Adams, righthander Chad Durbin and lefty Antonio Bastardo all seem like sure bets for the 'pen, barring injury. That leaves three spots -- and perhaps as few as two, depending on how many bench players the Phillies decide to keep -- for a host of young players to lock up. Righthanders Justin De Fratus and Phillippe Aumont and lefties Jake Diekman and Jeremy Horst all spent time on the big league club last season and have the kind of stuff that could win them a spot. Righthanders Michael Schwimer and B.J. Rosenberg and lefties Joe Savery and Raul Valdes also spent time with the Phillies last year.
But Stutes has more major league experience than most of them, having gone 6-2 with a 3.63 ERA, 8.4 K/9, 4.1 BB/9 and 1.0 HR/9 in 62 innings in 2011. And he feels like he is in even better shape now. One of the many storylines to watch as spring training progresses.
always liked Stutes. and its Debridement...no worries!— AHash- I knew he would have shoulder and/or elbow problems. Look at that delivery in the picture above with the W formation of his upper body. Why couldn't Dubee figure this out? You know the same Dubee who has only produced ONE great bullpen arm his entire decade here.— BumSatellite
- often can't change delivery and as my son says " i'll take3 yrs in mlb with a bad delivery with good ball movement and then bad arm , over having no career at all. some guys cannot be effective without the flawed delivery . also, if concerned about bad delivery shortening a career , then watch strasburg- he leads with his elbow and throws across his body- very effective way to create a lotta movement, but not conducive to long career . i'm sure they've tried to change him but he might not be able to— RUgodot
Yeah, debridement. "Debraidment" is when your mother takes the braids out of your sister's hair.- Stutes, Horst and Aumont if they have 3 vacancies.— NewMick314
- I forgot he was even on the team much less he had elbow surgery in the offseason....— The Moose is Loose
- He's a good pitcher. If he's on the fringe, then the bullpen's gonna be pretty strong this year.— Dave14
- Mark - what do YOU think of the infamous "W?"— dwp66
- That infamous inverted W shot is the one they always pull out. It's like they're jinxing the guy. And why don't they just call it the "M"? Inquiring minds want to know.
RUgodot is right I think -- very hard to change bad mechanics. What concerns me with Stutes is the combination of mechanics and small stature. I feel like he's ready to break at any minute. DeFratus may end up getting a spot over Stutes ... or maybe if he falters or ends up on the DL again. I tend to agree on Horst and Aumont for the other two spots based on what we saw last year.
— s
