01/17: Hanging with Humberto
Posted by: James
Milb.com posted a long piece yesterday about Humberto Sanchez and his road back from Tommy John. Here are some of the interesting parts but the whole article is well done and worth the time.
After undergoing Tommy John surgery on April 17, 2007, what had been a promising season for one of the newest top prospects in the Yankees organization suddenly became a long, hot summer of rehab.
...
Despite feeling strong and in shape, the 6-foot-6 right-hander discovered that he was unable to completely straighten his arm.
"It didn't hurt to throw, but my extension wasn't where it was supposed to be," explained Sanchez, who underwent more X-rays with famed doctor Dr. James Andrews to figure out the cause of the problem. "They showed that I had some bone spurs in my elbow that had calcified. It happens in maybe one out of 400 cases, but for some reason in mostly Hispanic guys, though they don't know why."
Knowing that it could cause future problems, Sanchez and his doctor decided to go back into surgery to clean out the spurs, setting his progress back another couple of weeks.
...
When visiting his mom in New York, he's watched the new Yankee Stadium rise next to the current park. It fills him with mixed emotions. "The stadium was old and I'm all for change," he said. "The new stadium is absolutely state-of-the-art. I was just in awe at how beautiful everything was." Sanchez knows what the next months hold for him -- throwing constantly and getting into shape. The latter, Sanchez admits, is something he has historically not been too keen on.
...
When camp convenes next month, expect Sanchez to be about a month or so behind the other pitchers reporting. It is hoped that by March he'll be able to throw off a mound. Ideally he would finish Spring Training by remaining in Tampa for a rehab stint with the Yankees' Class A Advanced Florida State League team.
...
"My goal is just to be 100 percent by the end of April, a year out from the surgery," he said. "My dream goal would be to be in New York by the All-Star break, but a lot of things come into it -- if they need someone there [and] my performance at that point."
...
Despite feeling strong and in shape, the 6-foot-6 right-hander discovered that he was unable to completely straighten his arm.
"It didn't hurt to throw, but my extension wasn't where it was supposed to be," explained Sanchez, who underwent more X-rays with famed doctor Dr. James Andrews to figure out the cause of the problem. "They showed that I had some bone spurs in my elbow that had calcified. It happens in maybe one out of 400 cases, but for some reason in mostly Hispanic guys, though they don't know why."
Knowing that it could cause future problems, Sanchez and his doctor decided to go back into surgery to clean out the spurs, setting his progress back another couple of weeks.
...
When visiting his mom in New York, he's watched the new Yankee Stadium rise next to the current park. It fills him with mixed emotions. "The stadium was old and I'm all for change," he said. "The new stadium is absolutely state-of-the-art. I was just in awe at how beautiful everything was." Sanchez knows what the next months hold for him -- throwing constantly and getting into shape. The latter, Sanchez admits, is something he has historically not been too keen on.
...
When camp convenes next month, expect Sanchez to be about a month or so behind the other pitchers reporting. It is hoped that by March he'll be able to throw off a mound. Ideally he would finish Spring Training by remaining in Tampa for a rehab stint with the Yankees' Class A Advanced Florida State League team.
...
"My goal is just to be 100 percent by the end of April, a year out from the surgery," he said. "My dream goal would be to be in New York by the All-Star break, but a lot of things come into it -- if they need someone there [and] my performance at that point."
