This may become a rare sight–Johan Santana throwing a pitch, as he is doing in spring training. Santana has apparently suffered a fresh shoulder injury and is likely to miss all of 2013. Credit: John Munson/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports

At his best he was one of the best, but right now it appears that Johan Santana‘s pitching career might be over. It sounds as if his 2013 season is over before it began and that we may have seen the last of the New York Mets southpaw on the mound.

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson announced Thursday that doctors indicate Santana has a tear of the anterior capsule in his left shoulder. When athletes wish they could have a do-over it is usually to rectify something like a wild pitch or a botched ground ball. Unfortunately, in Santana’s case this may be an instant replay of a devastating injury that he had recovered from after missing the entire 2011 season.

Without stating flat-out that Santana is doomed for this year, Alderson said that it was “a strong possibility” that the pitcher will undergo season-ending surgery. After that, well, who knows? Santana is 34 and if a guy at that age has to sit out two out of three seasons, that does not bode well for his future. In any case, he will be almost certainly be finished with the Mets since his contract with the team expires after this season.

Santana’s return to the Mets rotation in 2012 after losing that 2011 season was initially heartening, but the post-season analysis most definitely offered a mixed message. On the plus side, Santana was the Mets’ opening day starter and in mid-season he pitched the first no-hitter in the history of a team that began play in 1962. But in Santana’s last 10 starts he went 3-7 with an 8.27 earned run average, kind of a flashing light alerting people something was amiss. He adjourned to the disabled list before the end of August with a new injury described as lower back inflammation.

A native of Venezuela, the 6-foot, 210-pound lefty has a lifetime record of 139-78 in 12 Major League seasons, a winning percentage of 64.1. Between his days with the Minnesota Twins, his first team, and the Mets, Santana has led leagues in wins (once), ERA (three times), games started (twice), innings pitched (twice) and strikeouts (three times).  Santana twice won the American League Cy Young Award and is a four-time All-Star.

From the little information that has been publicized it is not clear, but unlikely, that Santana just taking time off to rest and then build strength in the shoulder is not going to be an alternative to surgery. If that route is chosen it could turn out to be a surprising cure or a waste of time. Either way Santana, who never threw an inning in spring training, doesn’t pitch, though he does collect a salary in excess of $25 million for this campaign.

It was bad enough when Santana needed major repair work the first time and everyone was rooting for him to bounce back from it. It would be doubly sad if his career has come to a screeching halt because of the same type of injury now. At the very least it sounds as if fresh surgery, followed by lengthy rehab, is a gamble. Will it work? Will it cure Santana’s throwing woes? There is no way to tell for sure unless he endures a new cut and puts 100 percent effort into starting over.

How frustrating it would be if Santana goes through all of that and still can’t pitch with his past effectiveness. How rewarding it would be if he puts up with all of that aggravation and returns to a lineup renewed and can still pitch in top form again. At one time Santana seemed to be on a path to the Hall of Fame. Now he would just like to be able to trod a path between the dugout and the mound.

Johan Santana is facing a big year in 2013 and needs to stay healthy. (Image Credit: John Munson/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports)

Fully recovered after a series of injuries cost him significant time over the past two seasons, Johan Santana will be held back a few weeks before the New York Mets allow him to make his first start of Spring Training. The decision is not due to another injury, according to quotes from GM Sandy Alderson passed along by Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com, but rather an effort to let Santana build up some more arm strength before he’s thrust into game action.

There’s no structural issue. It’s just a matter of building up strength. So he’ll be long tossing before he gets back on the mound. We expect that his schedule will have been delayed somewhat.

Santana underwent surgery following the 2010 season to repair a torn capsule in his left shoulder and would miss the entire 2011 season. He’d return last year, making 21 starts and pitching 117.0 innings for the Mets while posting a 6-9 record, 4.85 ERA, 1.333 WHIP, and 8.5 K/9. He wasn’t “vintage Santana”, but he was still a welcome sight on the mound at Citi Field for a fanbase longing to see a winning team once again. Santana’s season did include the franchise’s first no-hitter, on June 1st against the St. Louis Cardinals, but he’d have his year cut short by inflammation in his lower back that would lead the team to shut him down in mid-August.

The 33 year old left-hander had been originally expected to make his first start next weekend, but the team has apparently moved that target date back about two weeks. There don’t appear to be any plans or expectations that Santana will need to start the season on the DL, though the team wouldn’t rule out the possibility. Manager Terry Collins reportedly noticed a “lack of arm strength” during Santana’s past two bullpen sessions and the team’s medical staff was consulted before any decisions were made.

Santana will reach free agency at the end of the season in all likelihood, as the team will likely pay a $5.5 Million buyout of a vesting option. He’ll earn $25.5 Million this season, the final year of a six year contract the team signed him to after acquiring him from the Minnesota Twins in 2008.

Delaying the start to his Spring Training regimen certainly can’t hurt a player in Santana’s position. Given his recent injury history, Santana has to be hoping for an injury-free 2013 season in an effort to regain some value as he hits the open market. He could put himself in line for a three or four year deal if he’s able to put forth a solid season. Presumably such an offer won’t be coming from the Mets, however, as the team appears inclined to build from their internal pitching depth and re-signing Santana just simply might not be in the budget. New York has eight starting options on their 40-man roster under the age of 26 whom they can turn to if they allow Santana to leave (Jeurys Familia, Dillon Gee, Matt Harvey, Jeremy Hefner, Collin McHugh, Jenrry Mejia, Jonathon Niese, and Zack Wheeler).

Santana hasn't been the same since his 134-pitch no-no. Image: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

The New York Mets have been maintaining for a while now that ace left hander Johan Santana is healthy. Earlier Monday, the club confirmed that Santana would make his next scheduled start, though he would be limited to 100 pitches. Now, it appears that start is in jeopardy.

Out of nowhere, Johan Santana getting an MRI on his back tomorrow.

— Kevin Burkhardt (@KBurkhardtSNY) August 21, 2012

Santana, who tossed the first no-hitter in Mets franchise history back on June 1, has struggled mightily since making history. It took him a career-high 134 pitches to complete his gem, but was it too much, too soon on a pitcher that missed most of the past two seasons with injuries? If Santana has been pitching in even a small amount of discomfort, he could wind up compensating and risking further injury.

In his last five starts, Santana has worked a total of just 19 innings while allowing an amazing 43 hits and 33 runs. Eight of those 43 hits have left the yard. In that time, his ERA has risen from a sparkling 2.76 to just a shade under five at 4.85.

According to Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog, despite the scheduled MRI, Santana remains on track to pitch Thursday.

For more on the Mets, head over to Rising Apple.

John Parent is the Senior Director of Human Resources for the FanSided Network. He can be reached at john.parent@fansided.com or via Twitter @JohnJParent.

July 20, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets pitcher Johan Santana (57) throws a pitch during the second inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-US PRESSWIRE

on Saturday.  Santana made a rehab appearance at Class-A on Sunday and is scheduled for a bullpen session this week before returning Saturday.  He has been on the disabled list since July 21st with a sprained ankle.

Earlier this year Santana threw the first no-hitter in Mets history.  He is 6-7 with a 3.98 ERA this year.  While he is not having his typical dominating year, Santana has certainly helped the Mets.  Unfortunately, the Mets are not truly in the play-off hunt anymore.

New York is 53-57, 14 games back of the Washington Nationals in the National League East.  Early on, the Mets played surprisingly well and held first place for a good chunk of the first part of the season.  However, they could not sustain their success.

Santana has struggled to stay healthy lately.  He missed all of last season and has been injured off an on throughout his career.  However, when healthy, Santana is one of the best in the game.  He won the American League Cy Young in 2004 and 2006 while playing for the Twins.  He has a lifetime 3.15 ERA.  And he has 169 career wins.

Flagship carriers of this trend are the pitchers who have thrown five no-hitters this season (and it’s only mid-June!), including two perfect games. The spotlight will always be on the big achievement, and rightly so, but it’s the underlying supporting evidence that leaps out if you are looking. Every day, it seems, there are several low-scoring pitching duels.

(more…)

June 13, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Matt Cain (middle) is showered with beer from his teammates after throwing a perfect game against the Houston Astros at AT

June 1 Johan Santana became the first Met pitcher to throw a no-hitter: 8-0 against St. Louis in New York.  Met manager Terry Collins let Santana throw 134 pitches even though Santana missed the entire 2011 season with a bad arm.  It is inconceivable that Collins would have let Santana throw 134 pitches in any other regular season circumstance.  Collins must have valued that no-hitter beyond its actual value to the team.  With the Mets leading 8-0 after seven innings, Santana did not need to pitch the last two innings.  Santana benefited from a missed call by an umpire on a ball that clearly hit the foul line and would have been a hit.

June 13 in Tampa Met knuckleball pitcher RA Dickey threw 106 pitches and allowed one hit in nine innings as the Mets beat the Rays 9-1.  B.J. Upton was awarded a single in the first inning on what appeared to be an error by Met thirdbaseman David Wright.  Collins wants the Major Baseball League (MBL) to overturn the official scorer’s decision.  Aside from Collins possibly being a bit unbalanced, he must value a no-hitter way more than the accomplishment deserves.

Matt Cain of the Giants pitched a perfect game June 13: 10-0 against Houston.    Cain threw 125 pitches and the Giants led 10-0 after five innings, so like Santana, Cain could have been pulled much earlier except that his manager, Bruce Bochy, wanted to give him a chance to throw the perfect game.  Cain benefited from a great diving catch by his right fielder and a good catch by his center fielder in very deep left center.

Are these pitching oddities such a big deal?  June 14 a poll was put up asking fans to choose the most impressive pitching performance.  Among the choices were a 20 strike out game and the perfect game thrown by Don Larsen of the Yankees in Yankee Stadium against the Brooklyn Dodgers in game five of the 1956 World Series.  The Yanks won 2-0 on a solo home run by Mickey Mantle in the fourth and a single by Hank Bauer in the sixth.  Larsen threw 97 pitches.  Yankee manager Casey Stengel needed to win that game as the series was tied 2-2.  Stengel was not concerned whether Larsen got credit for a perfect game, a term with which Larsen was not even familiar after the game.  Larsen benefited from a great catch by Mantle in left center against Gil Hodges and a ricochet off third baseman Andy Carey to shortstop Gil McDougald who threw out Jackie Robinson. Also, Duke Snider hit a long foul home run.

In 1999 I attended the perfect game at Yankee Stadium by David Cone against the Montreal Expos.  Remember them?  The Yankees were holding a Yogi Berra Day and for some reason invited Larsen to attend.  It was great theater as Cone battled oppressive heat and a rain delay.  Cone benefited from a great catch by Paul O’Neill early in the game.

The way to evaluate a no-hitter is to determine the batting average of the players in the game.  For a perfect game use the on base percentage.  More difficult is to determine which of these to use for each individual batter: career, season, one calendar year, one month, one week, …?

But a massive number of strike outs seems to me to be much more of an accomplishment for the pitcher who actually retired those batters without any help.  Even then other circumstances need to be considered.  Outs on the bases reduces the number of batters to be retired as would a losing effort in which the pitcher did not pitch the bottom of the ninth inning.  Also, how many times did the pitcher face opposing pitchers?  And how strike out prone were the batters?  A small hitter’s park helps boost the strike out total as it is more difficult for batters to foul out and long flies either hit or go over close fences in the outfield rather than get caught on the warning track.

________________________________

You can follow the personal baseball blog of Kenneth Matinale here: Radical Baseball

Should

June 1st. Should the team win their appeal with the commissioner’s office, they will have two no-hitters in their history; both controversial.

Johan Santana’s no-hitter should have been a one-hitter after replays showed a foul ball was clearly in play. The third base umpire, Adrian Johnson, ruled what should have been a double by Carlos Beltran foul even though the ball hit the chalk line. Santana went on to finish the no-hitter. Now, the Mets are appealing a one-hit, dominating performance by R.A. Dickey last night. They aren’t appealing the performance but the official scorer’s ruling.

In the first inning, B.J. Upton hit a ball to David Wright. Wright had to field the ball with his bare hand, but he wasn’t able to field it cleanly. Upton reached first safely and it was ruled an infield single. Dickey didn’t allow another hit the rest of the game.

(more…)

A day after Johan Santana tossed the first no-hitter in 51 years of New York Mets history, R.A. Dickey shut down the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals for two straight shutouts for the Mets. The knuckleballer allowed seven hits, no walks, and struck out five. It took him exactly 100 pitches (that’s efficiency right there) from a pitcher who did an excellent job of getting swinging strikes, keeping the ball on the ground, and throwing first pitch strikes in a great performance on the mound.

June 2, 2012; Flushing, NY,USA; New York Mets starting pitcher R.A. Dickey (43) pitches during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 4

Felix Doubront got the win and outpitched former top prospect Kyle Drabek. Alfredo Aceves saved his 14th game of the year, but he still sports a high 4.73 ERA. Nick Punto doubled and homered for the first time this year, while Daniel Nava also had two RBIs for the Sox. The Blue Jays received a couple of hits from Edwin Encarnacion and homers from Jose Bautista and Jeff Mathis.

Athletics 9, Royals 3

Making his first start since a DL trip, Oakland Athletics ace Brandon McCarthy looked mediocre in six innings. He allowed eight hits with just two strikeouts, but you have to give him credit for only allowing two runs. Yoenis Cespedes has also recently returned from an injury and had two runs and three hits to pace an Oakland attack that was at its best. Jemile Weeks also had multiple hits and scored twice, and the lead-off hitter tripled in this game.

Nationals 2, Braves 0

Although Brandon Beachy pitched well, Stephen Strasburg prevailed in this battle of top young pitchers. He pitched seven scoreless innings with just four hits and no walks allowed. Strasburg struck out six, and the only extra base hit he allowed was Jose Constanza‘s first double of the year. In fact, the No. 9 hitter was the only player on the Braves to have multiple hits.

Marlins 5, Phillies 4

Ricky Nolasco and Cole Hamels were both mediocre on the mound for their respective NL East clubs, but Hanley Ramirez wasn’t mediocre at the plate. He crushed it and helped get to Hamels with two home runs in a magnificent performance for the star third baseman. The No. 3 hitter drove in three runs with those two round-trippers, and the Phillies only had one home run. Who hit that? Hunter Pence, of course.

Mariners 10, White Sox 8

This matchup between the Seattle Mariners and Chicago White Sox went 12 innings and featured lead changes and intrigue in the eighth. In the 12th inning, John Jaso hit an RBI double to give the Mariners what would be a decisive 9-8 lead. Chone Figgins would drive him in with a single as Addison Reed ended up getting charged with the loss. Jesse Crain also had a hand in the loss and was credited with blowing the game for Chicago.

Dodgers 6, Rockies 2

Aaron Harang pitched six innings of four-hit ball and allowed just one run with three walks and six strikeouts. The former Cincinnati Reds ace pitched well in this game and has a 3.90 ERA this year. Bobby Abreu walked twice and hit his first home run of the year for the Dodgers, while Andre Ethier had two RBIs and doubled for the 18th time this year.

Orioles 2, Rays 1

Both Brian Matusz and Jeremy Hellickson are highly regarded young pitchers, with Hellickson being named AL Rookie of the Year last year and Matusz having struggled in his Major League career. Both starters brought their “A” games in this AL East battle, as Hellickson allowed just one earned run with eight strikeouts in 6.2 innings. Matusz, meanwhile, was even better and wove a 7.1 inning gem with just two hits and one run allowed. He struck out seven batters in the narrow 2-1 victory.

Brewers 5, Pirates 1

Erik Bedard was chased out of the game after 3.2 putrid innings and allowed all five runs that the Milwaukee Brewers had against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Brooks Conrad hit a sac fly and hit a three-run shot for his first homer of the year. In fact, he had his first RBI of the year as well and scored the hot Cody Ransom in with his round-tripper. Ransom, by the way, drove in two runs hitting right in front of Conrad. The real story in this game was Shaun Marcum, who was great in seven innings and allowed five hits, one run, no walks, and struck out eight.

Twins 7, Indians 4

Joe Mauer had three hits, three RBIs, and a home run as the Minnesota Twins got ten hits and five runs off of Cleveland Indians starter Josh Tomlin. The hurt didn’t stop there, as Trevor Sipp allowed two runs coming in after Tomlin. Matt Capps struck out two in the final frame to get the save for Minnesota.

Tigers 4, Yankees 3

Kevin Long and Joe Girardi were thrown out in the top of the seventh after a quizzical decision by the umpire. The game was marked by a bases loaded walk from Jose Valverde to Mark Teixeira that tied it up at 3 and nearly blew the game for the Detroit Tigers. Instead, third-string catcher Omir Santos overcame some putrid defense to hit a game-winning sac fly- to be honest, I don’t see anything remarkable about a GW sac fly. The big story was Miguel Cabrera, who crushed a double and blasted two home runs that were way outta there and were clocked at 466 and 444 feet (I think they’re short changing him).

Reds 12, Astros 9

Brandon Phillips drove in three runs, Joey Votto had four hits and three runs, Drew Stubbs had three hits, scored three times, and drove in four runs, and Zack Cozart scored three runs in a huge offensive performance from the Cincinnati Reds. The Houston Astros were led by three runs and hits from Jose Altuve, three RBIs from J.D. Martinez, and three walks from Chris Johnson.

Diamondbacks 4, Padres 2

Willie Bloomquist had a big 3-5 game for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and he helped Daniel Hudson get the win after pitching eight innings of two-run ball with just five hits allowed.

Giants 2, Cubs 1

Matt Garza pitched six solid innings for the Chicago Cubs, but Matt Cain was the best “Matt” in this game. Cain tossed eight innings of one-run ball with just five hits and two walks allowed. He struck out seven batters and his lone blemish was a 425 foot home run from David DeJesus.

Angels 3, Rangers 2

In a great pitching match-up between current Texas Rangers staff ace Yu Darvish and former ace C.J. Wilson turned into a loss for Darvish and a no-decision for Wilson despite both pitchers pitching well. Wilson was better in this one, and Ernesto Fieri struck out three to pick up a four-out save.

This decision would seem to be a wise one for the Mets, as Santana is still in the process of recovering from a major surgical operation on his shoulder that took place on September 14, 2010. While his average fastball velocity has dropped to 88.4 MPH in 2012, over three miles slower than he was throwing in 2007, this season represents a huge return to form for the two-time Cy Young winner. After Friday’s effort, Santana boasts a 2.98 ERA on the season with 68 strikeouts and just 21 walks in 68 innings of work.

Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

New York’s decision to skip Santana’s next turn likely means that veteran Miguel Batista will be activated from the disabled list to pitch in the former’s place. Batista, who has a WHIP of 1.68 through 27.1 innings this season, would be much more likely to pen a poem about Santana’s no-hitter than author one of his own on the playing field.

The Mets still have a large investment in Santana, as he’s owed $24 million for his services this season and another $25.5 million guaranteed for 2013. While the $25 million owed to the left-hander in 2014 is a club option, it will cost $5.5 million to buy out his contract, meaning the Mets still owe Santana roughly $55 million at the bare minimum not counting what they’ve already paid him this season.

Should Santana develop shoulder issues in the near future, critics will point to this start as the culprit and call out manager Terry Collins on the decision to let his ace finish the historical game, but it’s hard to discount the significance of the event for such a storied baseball franchise. It’s a great moment for the Mets and their fans, and so far the team seems to be making all the right decisions in the immediate aftermath of the monumental occurrence.

Can’t get enough of Spencer? Check out his work at StanGraphs and follow him on Twitter at @shendricks221.

And that’s because the umpire says so. It’s official. It’s in the books. Controversial play or not, a foul ball is a foul ball when the umpire says it is regardless of whether or not your eyes tell you differently. That’s the rule of the game. That’s the law of the game. It happens every day, too, even if we don’t care as much because in the cosmic big picture there isn’t much difference between a six-hitter and a seven-hitter, and there isn’t much difference between a ball and a strike.

(more…)