Mathieson update

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As you may or may not have seen, the news on Scott Mathieson is not good. Per Scott Lauber

Just got finished writing this for The Paper, but I want to post it here, too. Scott Mathieson’s string of tough luck seemingly won’t stop. Mathieson, a hard-throwing 24-year-old right-hander, could be headed for his third elbow surgery in less than three years. He felt tightness in his elbow two weeks ago while long-tossing, and after being examined separately by noted orthopedic surgeons Dr. Lew Yocum and Dr. James Andrews, those doctors are going to meet with Phillies physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti to discuss a course of action.

Assistant GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said the Phillies hope to have a verdict by Wednesday, but he said another surgery is “a possibility.”

Uh.

Next time someone says “its just Tommy John surgery, he’ll be ok”, point them to Scott Mathieson and ask him how he feels. I think this basically means his 2008 is lost, and probably a chunk of next season too. A shame, because he definitely could have had an impact this year.

Also, can someone tell me why Pat Gillick isn’t sharing this news with us? Are we experiencing a Weekend at Bernies thing here?

13 thoughts on “Mathieson update”

  2. Feel bad for Segovia he was sent back down to Clearwater. He is another one have trouble coming back from arm problems. On the other hand, finally a reason to check in on Lehigh Valley. R.J. Swindle is now listed on the Iron Pigs. roster.

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  4. Bernie was better dressed.

    On a related note, does anyone really think that Ruben Amaro, Jr. won’t be the team’s next GM? They certainly seem to be telegraphing that move.

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  5. I kinda hope not…there’s gotta be a reason so many teams have passed on Amaro when he’s interviewed with them. He seems like the perfect assistant to me.

    On Mathieson…Its always ashame to see a good young player’s career killed by injuries. I suppose he’s in that 10% group that doesn’t come back from TJ surgery. I’m thinking this could be it for him as a prospect…what a shame.

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  6. Trying to be somewhat positive about Matty: he is still a very ambitious guy who MAYBE will come out on top IF he can hang in there and look to 2009’s latter games.

    Though the problem is ongoing, MAYBE it can be bettered with unradical noninvasive surgery. Arthroscopic means?

    Rooting hard for this guy, He needs all the encouragement he can gather; could we learn a website for him and post encouraging notes??

    An determined guy! Let’s give him all the support we can conjure up!

    Go, Matty!

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  7. I am also not happy about the notion of Amaro becoming the next GM – does seem like an assistant. But, really, we know so little about him. At least with Arbuckle, there’s some track record. I am also concerned that Amaro’s promotion will lead to Arbuckle’s defection (wouldn’t you leave if you were in his shoes? I think I would).

    The good news with Mathieson is that he’s a pitcher. A hitter can rarely recover from that much lost development time, but a pitcher is different (particularly where the pitcher has already advanced to the majors). If he gets healthy next year or the year after, he can still have a career (I’m going back here, but . . . I keep thinking about Dazzy Vance who had arm problems and was ineffective until he was 31 and then became a lights-out strikeout pitcher – it does happen, look it up). Unfortunately, we don’t know if his problem is major and structural or just one of those crazy annoying things that seem to never go away and may just need the correct treatment (see Jayson Werth).

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  8. OT but on the bright side, your comments concerning Tommy John surgery give me hope for the future of the Philadelphia Eagles, who hold the 2009 1st round pick of the Carolina Panthers. Carolina’s season largely depends on Jake Delhomme’s recovery from the Tommy John surgery he underwent last fall. The Panthers expect Delhomme to play less than a year after the same procedure, that the much younger Mathieson hasn’t recovered from in two years. Although quarterbacking and pitching are clearly not directly comparable, its the same injury. This news evokes conflicting emotions: I feel for Mathieson, but a similarly slow recovery would bode well for my other favorite team. Sorry for going off-topic.

    Best case scenario: in late April 2009, I spend a lazy Saturday afternoon switching channels between a strong outing by Mathieson and the NFL draft, where the Eagles use Carolina’s 1st rounder to pick in the top 5.

    Any news on Drabek? I hope his TJ recovery is going much better. I recall Mathieson’s injury being much more severe.

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  9. HS guys taken in the 2002 draft by the Phillies (Top 20 Rounds Only)

    1 – Cole Hamels – Major League All-Star
    2 – Zack Segovia – multiple injuries
    3 – Kiel Fisher – Retired after years of injuries
    5 – Jake Blalock – Traded. Re-signed by treated as a non-prospect.
    8 – Steve Doetsch – Not signed
    17 – Scott Mathieson – TJ Surgery, Ulnar Nerve Surgery?

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  10. 1 out of 6…Hmm. My first thought would be what’s the average success rate for HS prospects and how bad have the Phillies really been? If we got a Cole Hamels every 6 picks, I think I could live with that.

    On the Amaro/Arbuckle thing…if one is chosen over the other, the other will almost certainly be gone. I personally think if Amaro isn’t chosen, he’ll be gone too. He was almost promised the job after Wade left only to see it go to Gillick…that’s gotta sting even if he is the de facto GM now.

    I’d love to see Mathieson come back and still pitch in the majors at some point, but I’m thinking the odds are starting to get stacked against him.

    I add my voice to the Drabek question, has there been any news on how he’s recovering from TJ surgery?

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  11. I think I read report that Drabek isn’t expected to throw in a game until Mid-July to August at the earliest.

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  12. Speaking of Gillick and injuries, hows that Gavin Floyd for Freddy Garcia deal looking right about now? Floyd’s just taken his second no no into the 8th or longer already this year. And it’s only May….

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  13. Floyd would never have succeeded in Philly at the point Gillick traded him. He had no confidence and needed a fresh start. They royally screwed him up but not letting him throw his curve for 2 straight years in the minors and he simply couldn’t handle the pressure of being a projected Ace in Philly. The only mistake Gillick made with that trade was not getting a physical on Freddy Garcia.

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