Aug
23
2012

Santana Shut Down: A Blessing In Disguise?

An article by Connor O'Brien

Sandy Alderson announced at a press conference yesterday that Johan Santana has been placed on the 15-day Disabled List with inflammation in his lower back retroactive to August 18. Alderson also said that he does not expect Santana to pitch again this season, but said he would be ready for Spring Training.

You never want to see this happen to your ace, or any of your starting pitchers. Back injuries often linger, especially with pitchers. However, there are plenty of positives that Mets fans can take away from this.

For one, there’s no more risking Santana’s arm this year. Looking back, expecting him to come back with a regular workload after not pitching in the big leagues since early September 2010 was insane. He said he had started his throwing program in mid-December, roughly six weeks earlier than he usually does. We are roughly six weeks away from the end of the season. His body is telling him to shut it down. Him pitching much further would have put his arm at a greater injury risk. And let’s face it: he may not be able to return from another big surgery again.

After the last game he pitched on August 17, I said in my game story that he should be shut down for the year, and this was even before we all knew about the seriousness of the back injury. I said that the fatigue is getting to Santana, which it clearly was. It was time to shut him down.

The hot topic around baseball all year has been Stephen Strasburg’s innings limit. After having Tommy John surgery in 2010 and making only five starts last year, he is on an innings limit of about 160. This scenario is a little bit different, considering Strasburg is a 24 year-old who will help the Nationals for the net five or six years, however, the Mets should have taken this stance with this situation, in my opinion, especially when you consider the fragility of Santana’s arm in the past.

Another positive to take away from this is the fact that we will now get to see an actual prospect in Santana’s slot in the rotation. No Tim Redding or Nelson Figueroa (no disrespect to them). Collin McHugh is the pitcher taking Santana’s spot and will get the start later today. He is somewhat similar to Dillon Gee (and could even be a little better) and he is certainly someone I will be excited to watch over the final six weeks of the season.

As I said, it’s always sad to watch your ace go down time after time. Hopefully, though, this will give Santana the rest he needs to return in 2013 ready to pitch a full season. It’s not great that he had to be shut down but hey, it could be much, much worse.

Follow me on Twitter @UpAlongFirst

About the Author: Connor O'Brien

I am a very young, but passionate Mets fan who has blogged about the Mets for three years. I hope you all enjoy the unique perspective that a fan like me can bring to the table. More about me... favorite Met- Johan Santana... favorite food- Citi Field burgers and hot dogs!... favorite musician- Mos Def... favorite Mets moment- the no-hitter of course, but I also attended Game 1 of the 2006 NLDS as well as Johan's three-hit shutout in late September 2008. Follow me on Twitter @UpAlongFirst

6 Comments + Add Comment

Connor O'Brien August 23, 2012 at 9:03 am

Oops typo in there guys…
hotstreak August 23, 2012 at 9:17 am

“An Ace is an Ace.” Not really it can be the high card or the low card. .Kudos to Johan coming back for a great first half after his surgery. Now is the time for him to recoperate. In his mind he knows he can do it. The competitor within him will bring him back to being a high Ace. That is an Ace of Hearts.
Hodges14 August 23, 2012 at 10:01 am

I think Johan will be fine next season. I mean they really piled on the workload in that first half and he was one of the top 5 pitchers in WHIP and ERA up until the no-no. You have to think between the ankle and back that the dude is just tired. That arm needs a long rest. He’ll be all the better for this next spring.
Marco August 23, 2012 at 10:33 am

Santana is a team guy and you have to love him for giving us the no-no this season. More important, how can Collins keep saying, “I won’t stand for that” regarding the Mets pathetic performance. They have no pride, they can’t win a game in their own ballpark. They play like high school kids against the worst pitching staff in the majors. Why not admit that the season is over and treat these last few weeks as spring training and reduce ticket prices to $1. That’s the least management can do to make up for the incompetent leadership and the punishment and torture they have put the fans through these past several years.
Mr North Jersey August 23, 2012 at 12:23 pm

If Santana comes back next year that much stronger and by shutting him down he averted some injury due to trying to pitch through his discomfort then I would not say it is even in disguise rather just a blessing.
Nathan August 23, 2012 at 5:16 pm

I agree that he should have been shut down injury or not. Baseball is an extremely gruelling sport. Players often get nagging injuries along the way and are forced to tough it out. Many do not appreciate the schedual of a starting pitcher and the workload their body undures over 162 games. Johan is a competitor in the truest sense and would have continued to pitch all season long if he was not stopped. I am glad the admin made the correct call and told him to take a break. The upside of trying out new arms is not as obvious as some may think. A young pitcher may be able to put up some good numbers in a small sample size and increase trade value. Small sample sizes for starting pitchers can be extremely decieving yet more often than not someone will be willing to take a flyer on a guy who looked great for three or four starts.

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