Myers speaks about his injury
According to Brett Myers, hip surgery is likely, and the question is when. “From what I gather from our team doctor and our head trainer, surgery will happen at some point whether it’s now or after the season,” he told the Inquirer this evening. Though the Phillies have not specified which hip specialist Myers will see, indications are that it could be Bryan T. Kelly, the specialist from the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York who performed second baseman Chase Utley’s hip surgery last November. ``I am going to explore every option I need to,” Myers said. “Keep pitching, but if he tells me, `It’s over, you need to have (surgery) now or you could cause damage,’ I will have it. I have to. It’s a no brainer. If he tells me rehab and anti-inflammatory medicine will take care of it, I’ll pitch through.” Myers, of course, is a free agent after this season, but isn’t thinking about that now. ``I’m not thinking about the future. I want to pitch this season,” he said. He said that he was doing his best to calmly weigh his options. ``Once you get over being upset, reality sets in and you have to be realistic and make a decision. I’m trying to weed out the pros and cons of what I can do. But if (Kelly) says have the surgery now, I will. If I have surgery now I hope to be back in September.' Earlier today, we speculated whether the hip problem has made Myers an inconsistent pitcher this year, and here’s what he said: ``this has been bothering me as long I can remember. I never knew what it was. It just became unpitchable this season.'' ***
Myers speaks about his injury
Andy Martino
A couple of points of analysis:
If he has surgery, he will be one of several big leaguers to have recent hip surgery. Because we don’t know the specifics of his issue and how it compares to other players, we can’t learn too much (plus Myers is a pitcher). But for what it’s worth, Mike Lowell and Chase Utley had their surgeries in October and November, respectively, and both have returned to full strength. Alex Rodriguez’s surgery was in March, and he returned May 8 and has played well since. Carlos Delgado and Alex Gordon have had more recent surgeries and are yet to return.
The speculation about trading for a starting pitcher should now get more serious. Before, though the Phillies were considering all options, the whole discussion had a sensationalistic, talk radio feel. Now, they should go get a guy. This is a team built to win now, with position players in their prime. The rotation was troubled enough to begin with, and the internal options are not satisfying. Kyle Kendrick is still working on his command in Triple-A; Carlos Carrasco is struggling big time; Drew Carpenter, in that spot start against the Nats, did not pitch aggressively enough with a lead, and demonstrated that he is not ready; Chan Ho Park, the team believes, is better suited to the bullpen.
The Phillies style, as you know, has not been to trade for the Jake Peavys of the world, but the Jason Marquis (see Blanton, Joe). That’s not to say they won’t step out of character, but their payroll is already pretty high. My opinion? Mortgage the farm to get a good pitcher, if that is possible. This is an organization built to win now, and the rotation is the only thing holding them back from dominating the division. It was the biggest issue before Myers' injury, and now is huge. He had been inconsistent this season, but was improving. It is imperative that, should they lose him, the Phils replace Myers with a quality big league arm. There is no minor leaguer who should be untouchable in a deal.
What do you think?
The wife beater finally gets his justice. Karma is real treat those around you as you wish to be treated.....— Truth- get oswalt— gulls3012
- They were fooling themselves last winter when they felt their pitching staff was adequate enough for another title run. Granted, they had no choice other than to resign Moyer. He was a hero from last year's squad and deserved another contract. I was more concerned about the #5 spot. They should've signed a free agent veteran pitcher with all-star credentials. Someone who has battled injuries or was at the tail end of his career. They gambled last year on Benson and lost. Who's to say they would've come out on the short-end of the stick this time around? They could've offered someone like Smoltz, Sheets, Penny or Wolf a roll-of-the-dice minor league deal loaded with incentives but didn't. Probably for the same reasons why they didn't add a righthanded bat for the bench. They're cheap and that's what will prevent us from repeating as champs here in '09.— mdriban
Comment removed.- see what is available, rumors are cliff Lee, Brad Penney, Peavy and marquis are available. For now, go off the board and bring up vance worley - both Gillick and Amaro have seen him pitch in the last month.— Slocs
- Sign Dr. Kelly— mick314
- Phils need 3 pitchers, not 1. Work with young prospects. Be willing to trade hitters; can't expect to win 8-7 games very often and contend in the division, much less win it all without starting pitching. Need to risk ala July 2007 when club let Abreu go.— Syd
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- Andy, suggest you ask Rubie about Pedro. We would be interested in his response.— mick314
- Dr Heller: Thanks for the chuckle...Adam Eaton!?! It's going to get interesting around here to see what Ruben & the rest of Phils organization do going forward. I hope that they are able to fill the void for this season especially since things seemed to be moving in a positive direction in regards to our pitching staff.— KarenA
- It might make sense to use someone out of the box until the trade market makes itself clear. I say give Joe Savery the shot, and whenever a trade can be made with the full market of pitchers available, plan to send him back down to AAA so he doesn't turn into KKendrick.— B in DC
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Why is Peavy considered to be a "top" pitcher takeitdeep, or is it takeadump? Have you seen his home vs road splits over his career? Fact is Peavy is above average to good away from Petco, and unless you can get a Sabathia or a Santana AND KEEP THEM FOR A FEW YEARS, you don't mortgage the farm for that. I'd much rather have prolonged competitive teams with a few division and WS titles mixed in than go back to the way things were before Thome arrived.- I want no parts of Pedro, and apparently many GMs feel the same way. I would definitely make a big move if it was possible, this is a time to keep winning, no need to worry about guys who may or may not make it 3-5 years from now.— Gary Varsho
