he would have hernia surgery next week, an

miaowang123 · April 19th, 2017, 4:41 am

TSN Baseball Insider Steve Phillips answers three questions each week. This week, topics cover if and when the Blue Jays should start rebuilding, how good catchers handle a pitching staff and how best to develop young pitchers to best avoid arm problems. 1. Jim Bowden wrote on ESPN.com this week that the Jays should already be thinking of blowing the team up, deeming last years deals a failure and suggesting that waiting to tear it down would compound the problem. Agree or disagree with Bowdens assessment? Let me first say that I respect Jim Bowden for his knowledge and his experience. He has been around the game for quite a while and knows what he is talking about. That being said, I do not think it is time for the Jays to blow this team up. We are only in the first week of the season. It is far too early to consider demolition plans. The Jays have a ton of offensive talent. I agree with Bowden that on paper they are under-manned in the pitching department. But the game is not played on paper. It is played by people. RA Dickey could return to his Cy Young form of a couple of years ago. Mark Buerhle looked amazing in his first start and Brandon Morrow at one time, when healthy, was dominant. Drew Hutchison and Dustin McGowan have some upside. Of course, there is plenty that needs to go right but funnier things have happened. I didnt think the Pirates had enough pitching last season nor did I think the Orioles had enough pitching in 2012 to be a playoff team. But they both were. Fans need hope. The season begins with hope for all 30 major league teams. Why rob them of that feeling unnecessarily? I agree with Jim Bowden that it is unlikely that the Jays will make the playoffs. I picked them to finish fourth. So I get it. But I have been wrong before and so has Jim. The season is a marathon. There is plenty of time to disassemble if it is appropriate. Quite honestly, if they should do it now, they should have done it in the offseason when more teams could vie for the Jays talent and had money to spend. This may be the worst time to create a market for players as most teams are tapped out financially at the start of the season. They spent their money in the winter. Just ask Kendrys Morales, Stephen Drew and Scott Boras how difficult it is to find GMs with money to spend. The trades of 2013 were a bust for the Jays but it doesnt necessarily mean that things cant work out this year. If and when it becomes clear that hope is lost for 2014, there will be time to tear things apart. But that wont mean that everything has to be done during the season. Take a deep breath and at least enjoy some hope. 2. The Jays players are already expressing admiration for new catcher Dioner Navarro and the way he handles the staff, in some ways taking not so veiled shots at former catcher JP Arencibias struggles behind the plate. What is your assessment of Navarro and can you explain the intimacies of "handling a staff" and what that really means? Many fans know and use the term, but few really understand the minute details or why it is so important. I am not surprised that Dionner Navarro is getting rave reviews for his ability to handle the pitching staff. Some part of that is about him and some part of that is about the deficiencies of JP Arencibia in the past. We often talk about a catcher "handling a pitching staff" and just assume that everyone knows what we mean. Let me see if I can explain it. It is imperative for a catcher to know his pitchers. He doesnt just have to know what pitches they throw but he has to know when they should be thrown, to whom they should be thrown, how hard to throw them and where to throw them. He has to understand how each individual pitchers arsenal of pitches can attack each hitter on the opposition. The catcher has to know how each pitcher handles pressure. He has to understand when they arent quite right on a given day and what to do to get them right. He has to know the keys for each pitchers delivery and when they are out of sync how to get them back on track. The catcher has to read body language. He has to communicate confidence and support with his own body language. Some players are smart. They can rationally think through situations and know what to do. Some players have instincts, which is defined as a "feel" for the game; an idea about what needs to be done in this time and space. Their natural reactions can lead them down the right path without tremendous thought. The best players have a combination of intelligence and instincts. Navarro has both and it can be seen in his work behind the plate. He has the feel and intelligence to evaluate the situation and what is needed to be successful. This will lead to improved preparation and execution over the course of the season. The Jays need to maximize the talents of their pitching staff as they are not as deep as other teams. Navarro is just the guy for the job. 3. Another season, another rash of pitching injuries, with the Mets Bobby Parnell the latest to possibly face Tommy John surgery. He would be the third Met to have TJS in under a year. GM Sandy Alderson told the NY Times its an "industry-wide problem." Pitch counts and innings limits for young pitchers dont appear to have made much of an impact. Do you acknowledge this as an industrywide problem - or is it more of a team/system problem as it does seem to hit some teams (including the Jays) more than others. What do you think is the best way to bring a pitcher along after draft day? And has your mind changed on that over time? Injuries for pitchers is a GMs worst nightmare. Just when you think you have enough pitching, injuries happen and you can find yourself shorthanded. The arm is not built to throw a baseball. Every time a pitcher throws the ball, there are fibers that tear in the shoulder, bicep, tricep and forearm. I have seen thermodynamic pictures of a pitchers arm before and after pitching. The amount of heat given off from the bleeding in the arm after pitching is profound. You can only imagine the toll that throwing a couple of hundred innings can take on a pitchers arm. In 2013, Justin Verlander threw 218 innings and 3692 pitches (most in majors). That doesnt include the 23 innings he tossed in the playoffs, nor does it count spring training innings and pitches. In addition to all of this game activity, Verlander had pitching practice between starts. The bottom line is that his arm took a ton of abuse. When I became general manager of the Mets in July of 1997, one of the first things I did was call a meeting with our top pitching coaches and team doctors. We were having a significant number of arm injuries and it was severely impacting the pitching depth in our organization. The outcome of that meeting was clear; pitchers can injure their arms in two ways: fatigue and poor mechanics. Too much throwing for any pitcher can lead to injury. It doesnt matter if he has perfect mechanics or the worst mechanics; too much throwing can break down any arm. There was an old school belief that the more pitchers throw the stronger they get. The science doesnt support that. Fatigue breaks down the arm. Mechanics for a pitcher is critical. He has to be able to repeat his delivery in order to throw consistent strikes. If a pitcher has poor mechanics in his delivery, he can put more pressure on his elbow or shoulder, making it more prone to injury. Pitchers can pitch with poor mechanics but they are much more prone to injury, especially if they are fatigued. Poor mechanics lead pitchers to tire more quickly and when tired, the poor mechanics make the pitcher more vulnerable. It is really that simple. After this meeting, we implemented very stringent pitch count limits in our minor league system and dramatically reduced the number of arm injuries. The arm only has so many bullets in it. They cant all be wasted in the minor leagues. We had to learn to be more efficient in our player development. I predicted Stephen Strasburgs arm problems a couple of years ago. He has poor mechanics, which put a significant amount of stress on his elbow and shoulder. You might wonder why they just dont try and correct his mechanics. Often times, cleaning up a pitchers poor mechanics can rob him of what makes him special: velocity, movement or deception. In Strasburgs case, his mechanics are his mechanics. It is how he is wired to throw a ball. I completely supported the Nats when they made the unpopular decision to shut Strasburg down even when they were going to the playoffs in 2012. If the Nats dont take dramatic steps to protect their big right-hander moving forward, he will break down again. He is so valuable to their franchise they are crazy if they dont. Arm injuries will always be part of the game. But I truly believe that individual organizations can make significant strides in reducing arm injuries. Throwing less to pitch more is the answer. Dick Butkus Pink Jersey . Seth Smith hit a towering drive for a tying homer leading off the eighth and Chris Denorfia singled home two runs to give the Padres a 3-1 victory against the rival Dodgers in baseballs North American opener Sunday night. Womens Mike Ditka Black Jersey .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. http://www.bearsauthoritystore.com/Authentic-Mike-Ditka-Bears-Jersey/ . The post-season, Pierce said repeatedly, is no time to panic. And the Heat, apparently, are nothing to fear. Mike Ditka Orange Jersey .J. Ellis have avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year contract. Walter Payton Rush Jersey . Dwyane Wade took over in the fourth quarter.PHILADELPHIA - The Uptons used their bats and their arms to lift the Atlanta Braves to the win.Brothers B.J. and Justin Upton each homered and had an outfield assist, and the Braves held on for a 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night.Justin Upton also doubled for the Braves, who won for just the third time in 15 games and are 6-18 in a forgettable September.According to Elias Sports Bureau, the Uptons are the first brothers to homer and record an outfield assist in the same game since 1900.Thats one feat right there, Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. Thats really something special. They can share that for the rest of their lives. Both guys are so talented on both sides of the ball.Ryan Howard had three hits, including his 23rd homer, and two RBIs for Philadelphia.Atlantas Aaron Harang (12-12) gave up two runs and eight hits in 6 2-3 innings.Its really nice to finish the year strong and feel healthy, Harang said. Its been very gratifying. The first day of spring training I didnt even have a job.Craig Kimbrel pitched out of a jam in the ninth to earn his 46th save in 50 chances.Marlon Byrd led off with a single and Domonic Brown reached when shortstop Andrelton Simmons booted a double-play ball. Tony Gwynn Jr.s sacrifice moved the runners to second and third with one out. Kimbrel struck out Freddy Galvis before walking pinch-hitter Darin Ruf to load the bases.Ben Revere lined out sharply to Simmons to end the game. Revere flung his helmet into foul territory after Simmons ranged to his right to make the catch.Justin Upton doubled and scored in the second, and B.J. Upton gave Atlanta a 2-1 lead when he led off the third with a line drive to right for his 12th homer of the season.Justin Upton threw out Chase Utley in the fourth from left field, and B.J. Upton nailed Wil Nieves trying to score from second in the fifth.Its a pretty cool thing, B.J. Upton said. You really dont think about things like that. The big thing is to win the ballgame and finish strong.Howard connected in the second, and then had a tyying RBI single in the sixth.ddddddddddddBut Justin Upton put Atlanta in front for good with a majestic, two-run shot to left in the seventh off A.J. Burnett (8-18). It was the 29th homer for Justin Upton, who has a career-best 102 RBIs.It was the third time this season that the Upton brothers homered in the same game and the sixth time in the last two years.Burnett became the first Phillies pitcher to record 18 losses since Hall of Famer Steve Carlton went 13-20 in 1973, allowing four runs and five hits in 6 2-3 innings. The veteran right-hander has a player option to return in 2015 at $12.75 million, though he has been ambivalent about it during a disappointing season.Obviously a frustrating year, Burnett said. You come over here and expect to make an impact and you make the wrong impact. I gave them all I had. Its been one of those years where not a lots gone right.He walked three batters, ending the season with 96 walks. Besides entering Saturday tied for the most losses in the majors, Burnett led baseball in walks.Burnett said he would have hernia surgery next week, and then begin mulling whether to return in 2015.TRAINERS ROOMBraves: LHP Alex Wood (left forearm strain) was scratched from his scheduled start for Sundays season finale. Wood ends the year with an 11-11 record with a 2.78 ERA.Phillies: SS Jimmy Rollins missed his 18th straight game with a left hamstring strain.UP NEXTBraves: Atlanta will use a bullpen by committee, beginning with James Russell, for Sundays finale. Russell is 0-0 with a 2.66 ERA in 21 relief appearances this season.Phillies: LHP Cole Hamels (9-8, 2.47 ERA) faces the Braves for the first time since pitching the first six innings of a combined no-hitter on Sept. 1. Hamels is 2-0 with a 0.45 ERA in three starts against Atlanta this season.STREAKINGKimbrel has converted 25 straight save opportunities, the longest active streak in the majors.DOUBLE UPUtley hustled to a double in the fourth inning, giving him 36 doubles on the season. Thats his best total since 2008 when he had 41. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '

he would have hernia surgery next week, an

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