HI NOTES: Eric, Gibby & Tommy John

♦ As Brandon Weiss reported Sunday in his first The Extra Nines blog at mutigers.com, Eric "Anderson is listed as probable to make his 2013 debut next week as well. Anderson, who pitched in the Cape Cod League and for Team USA in 2011, is coming off Tommy John surgery that he underwent last May."

Photo by Peter Roan
flickr.com

That's a remarkably quick turnaround for pitcher after Tommy John surgery. In spite of that quick recovery, Anderson has been awarded a red-shirt year due to the injury, so he is technically a Junior this season, with another season of eligibility with the Tigers after this season. He is, though, eligible for the MLB Draft this coming June.

♦ A former Tiger, Kyle Gibson, has made a similar 10-month recovery from Tommy John surgery, leading to possibly earning a spot in the major league Twins' pitching staff, as reported by his home town Greenfield Reporter: G-C grad is fully recovered from Tommy John surgery.

On Sept. 7, 2011, the six-foot-6 right-hander underwent “Tommy John” surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow.

Shortly after his procedure, Gibson told the Daily Reporter that his goal was to be ready for spring training in 2013 and compete to be one of Minnesota’s five starters.

Five days before he’s due to report to spring training, Gibson has achieved his objective.

“It was my goal in 2011, and I wasn’t even on the 40-man roster. I’m trying to make that goal a reality, for sure,” said Gibson, who lives 15 minutes away from the team’s spring training complex. “If I use the stuff I have and keep getting better, I definitely have a chance. I don’t know what my chances are, realistically.

“But if I focus too much on my chances instead of doing what I need to do, I won’t get my work done.”

After a lengthy recovery process, Gibson returned to the mound on July 10, 2012 for a rehab assignment in a Gulf Coast League game in Fort Myers...

♦ All of which makes this Yahoo Sports article quite timely and informative: Braves pitcher Kris Medlen on way to becoming Tommy John surgery's greatest success story

Until recently. As pitchers' elbows failed more and more, as surgeons became more and more adept at fixing them, something curious happened: Tommy John wasn't all that scary anymore. It practically became a rite of passage.

"Tommy John now," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said, "is almost like a root canal."
. . .
Still, surgeons, team doctors and trainers today believe pitchers are coming back from Tommy John better than they have, and that the old norms – it takes at least a year to regain command – may no longer apply. Strasburg (2.7 walks per nine), Anderson (1.8) and Medlen (1.5) each possessed brilliant control before surgery and moved their pitches with similar aplomb after...

You will want to click the link and read the entire article.