Tommy John: A Pitcher Who Belongs in the Hall of Fame
A Legacy of Endurance and Excellence
How many future starting pitchers between the ages of 20-25 will be able to win 288 games, maintain a career ERA of 3.34, and accumulate 4,710 Major League Baseball (MLB) innings over 26 seasons?
On September 25th, 1974, the first Tommy John Surgery was performed on left-handed pitcher Tommy John. Almost 50 years later, could that first Tommy John Surgery also be the most successful?
The Surgery That Changed Baseball
By the time Tommy John underwent the now-familiar but at the time revolutionary surgical procedure to repair a pitcher's elbow, he was 31 years old and had pitched 2,142 MLB innings.
After undergoing Tommy John surgery, Tommy John went on to pitch until age 46, adding another 2,346 innings to his MLB career. Remarkably, in the five seasons following his surgery, John threw at least 200 innings each year and won 20 games or more in three of those five seasons.
The Forgotten Era of Pitching
In the clip provided, a 38-year-old Tommy John is warming up to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1981 World Series. The clip embodies an era of starting pitchers who have been forgotten and remain overlooked because they didn't possess the big fastball.
Tommy John was a pitcher, not a rite of passage.
The Changing Landscape of Baseball
The statistics related to the return to a previous level of performance after Tommy John Surgery are well-known, but what's more intriguing is the evolving landscape of the game. The surgeries are now happening too soon, before careers are ever established, ushering in an era of pitchers with two or three Tommy John surgeries.
Achieving at least 1,000 innings after Tommy John surgery is increasingly unlikely in the modern era due to various factors, including evolving pitching strategies, and more conservative management of pitchers' workloads.
A Hall of Fame Worthy Career
Given his remarkable post-surgery success and durability, it is time to reevaluate why Tommy John is not in the Hall of Fame. Tommy John, the pitcher, belongs in the Hall of Fame.
The enduring legacy of Tommy John is not just in the surgery that bears his name, but in his extraordinary career. It's time to recognize his contributions to the game and honor him with a place in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
For more insights and in-depth analysis on the evolution of pitching and injury prevention, visit dvsbaseball.com.
