New York Yankees: Does Michael Pineda Have the Work Ethic to Return from Injury?
April 27, 2012 · Michael Moraitis · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
New York Yankees starter Michael Pineda might’ve received a bit of good news today when former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling made it clear that with a little hard work, Pineda could return before a full calendar year, according to ESPN.
Schilling had the same surgery at the age of 28 and was able to take the mound 10 months later.
“I came back after my surgery, throwing four to six miles harder than I did before,” he said. “That is where the magic is. It is all about rehab. Most doctors can make you 100 percent well physically. I would tell you that it is 25 percent about the surgery and 75 percent about the rehab.”
In the same article, Dr. Craig D. Morgan specifically states how important a vigorous work ethic is to the recovery of this surgery. Morgan performed Schilling’s procedure with success and would know a thing or two about the subject.
“They are functional and good by six to eight months, but they are at their best the next year after that. It is kind of a spectrum of a comeback. Schilling was better than he was before he got hurt. The reason for that was that he bought into the exercise program for his total body, which made him a better pitcher than he was before he got hurt.”
While it’s great news to hear there will be a much shorter recovery time for the Yanks’ right-hander and how much better he could become, it’s troubling to hear just how hard Pineda will have to work in order to reach those goals.
This is the same guy who came to camp 20 pounds overweight to start spring training coming into the biggest year of his young career. With all the attention and pressure on him, you would’ve thought Pineda would come to camp much more prepared.
But that wasn’t the case.
Hopefully this injury will teach Pineda to be a bit more responsible as well as help him develop more maturity. Pineda will be under close watch during his rehab, and while that’ll help keep him on track, Pineda must be able to remain focused on his own accord if he wants to recover from this.
So far, Pineda hasn’t proven he can do that.
Even with the hard work, Pineda might never be the same again. Former starting pitcher Mark Mulder had a similar surgery and never recovered.
I find it hard to believe the same will happen to a 23-year-old like Pineda, but it just goes to show you that there is a ton of hard work to be done.
Is Pineda up for the challenge? I guess we’ll know for sure around this time next year.
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