The New York Mets announced that Zack Wheeler underwent successful Tommy John surgery to repair his UCL and a torn flexor tendon. That’s good news. However, Wheeler could have avoided the surgery. How? Listen to Season 2, Episode 5 of The Fix.
Pitching motion expert Angel Borrelli and ESPN SweetSpot blogger Joe Janish start out by discussing the deceleration phase of the baseball pitching motion and how it is important toward both staying healthy and in troubleshooting mechanics. Then, they talk about a mechanical flaw that some pitchers exhibit (most notably Stephen Strasburg, Mark Prior, and Zack Wheeler) that is described in some circles as an “inverted W.” Finally, Joe recounts the Seattle Mariners’ decision to leave pitcher Roenis Elias in a recent game after he suffered a forearm cramp.