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MLB X-factors for 2017, Part III: AL West

By Jim Turvey

Mar 18, 2017; San Antonio, TX, USA; Texas Rangers catcher Alex Burg (98) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a two run home run during a spring exhibition baseball game against the Cleveland Indians at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2017; San Antonio, TX, USA; Texas Rangers catcher Alex Burg (98) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a two run home run during a spring exhibition baseball game against the Cleveland Indians at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 1, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Garrett Richards (43) throws during the game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
May 1, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Garrett Richards (43) throws during the game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

Los Angeles Angels – Garrett Richards

It takes a bold man to stare Tommy John in the face and say no these days. That’s precisely what Richards decided to do when he suffered a partial tear in his UCL last May. Instead of going under the knife like so many pitchers do in the modern game, Richards opted for rehabilitation and a season off. He used stem cell treatment in his rehab, a new and upcoming alternative to TJ which led to Richards giving Jeff Passan of Yahoo maybe the greatest quote of all time: “Science bro… I’m a believer now.” Hopefully the Angels are believers as well, seeing as their only hope at relevance in 2017 is likely tied to the health of Richards.

When Richards has been healthy, he has been a stud throughout his career. The 28-year-old former first round pick has an ERA+ of his 105 for his career and an ERA+ of 120 for the last three seasons. Unfortunately, he has also suffered two massive injuries that have officially placed him in the “handle with caution” section of the MLB pitchers bin. In 2017, because of his alternative path to rehabbing his arm, many are going to see Richards as a ticking time bomb. Every start in which his velocity sits a bit lower than normal is going to span a dozen articles on Angels fanblogs. Every extended shoulder shrug is going to demand Zapruder-level inspection of the video. Heaven forbid if Richards so much as rubs his elbow the wrong way.

By electing to avoid TJ, Richards has made his life a lot more annoying, but he may not have made the wrong decision. Masahiro Tanaka opted out of TJ after his July 2014 injury, and he has made 55 starts over the past two seasons, with his best season yet coming in 2016. Richards is still an early test case for Tommy John alternatives, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

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