Tommy Brennan - TOMMY JOHN

Tommy Brennan - TOMMY JOHN

Well, the Mets re-signed Jose Reyes (I am not surprised; he is signing at $3 million, and for those of you who remember the TV show The Price Is Right, I have it from fake sources that it was the Wilpons' favorite show too).  He had a pretty great 2nd half last year - and wants to be here 200% - so let's see what he can bring this year, and see what else (if anything) the Mets have up their sleeves between now and opening day. 

This team, as currently constructed, needs to move from the worst-impacted team injury-wise in baseball (which, in 2017, they were) to one of the ten least impacted in 2018 in order to compete for the playoffs.  IMO.  Too much to ask or hope for that much health? You decide.  I don't make those decisions.

Now on to my article which has little to do with 2018 prospects, whatsoever.  But I thought it interesting, and I'm the one writing here!

No, this article is not a plug for Tommy John underoos.

We do, however, hear the term Tommy John surgery (TJS) all the time.

Ouch, baby, very ouch.

Several Mets minor leaguers are currently out in their TJS post-recovery period, along with IF TJ Rivera. Other current pitchers now on the staff or now pitching in the Mets minors have had it.

Back in 1975, though, a lefty fella named Tommy John (pictured slightly to the left of center, above, in honor of not being a righty) was the first player to actually get that surgery.....how many hundreds of such surgeries since?

Before his TJS, he had quite a career - he made the majors at age 20 in 1963 with Cleveland, and you'd have sworn he was pitching for the Mets - despite an ERA of 3.61 in 1963 and 1964, he went 2-11.  Yep, Cleveland was bad, too.  

Then he goes to the White Sox for the next 7 seasons - despite excellent pitching, posting a 2.95 ERA over 1,493 innings, he goes just 82-80.  He should have sued for career lack of support.

Ahh, then off to Dodger Land, and in 1972-74, he goes a stellar 40-15 - but then, naturally, the elbow succumbed.  

But was he finished?  Not by a long shot.

The following was in Wikipedia about John's surgery:

In the middle of an excellent 1974 season, John had a 13–3 record as the Dodgers were en route to their first National League pennant in eight years, before he permanently damaged the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching arm, leading to a revolutionary surgical operation. 

This operation, now known as Tommy John surgery, replaced the ligament in the elbow of his pitching arm with a tendon from his right forearm. The surgery was performed by Dr. Frank Jobe in September 1974, and it seemed unlikely he'd ever be able to pitch again, as he spent the entire 1975 season in recovery. 

John would work with teammate and major league pitcher Mike Marshall (who had a Ph.D. in kinesiology and who was said to know how to help pitchers recover from injuries) who taught John a completely different way to pitch in which he would not turn his leg and go straight to the plate, thus eliminating the chance of his hurting his knee and arm, and John returned to the Dodgers in 1976.

So, he misses part of 1974 and all of 1975 while getting and recuperating from a revolutionary surgery, and makes it back in 1976 and in 3 more Dodger seasons, goes 47-27.  

Nice recovery, I'd say!

In 1979, he goes to (where else) the Bronx, where of course he has his best 2 back-to-back seasons ever, going 43-18.  At the age of 36 and 37, mind you.  The next 2 seasons for the Yanks, the aging lefty goes 19-18, and off he goes again.  

He goes 26-38 with a few other teams from ages 39-42, then back to the Yanks - at ages 43-45, he goes 27-17!  

Finally, at age 46, he wraps up with a 2-7 Yanks season, but for his career as a Yankee, 91-60, 3.69.  Pinstripe Magic.

Overall, 288-231, 3.34 ERA in 700 career starts spanning 27 seasons, one of which he sat out due to the surgery named after him.  I did not calculate it, but his ERA up to age 40 was probably slightly below 3.00.  Clearly, if not injured, he would have won at least 12 games in the last third of 1974 and all of 1975, while at his peak, which would've gotten him to 300.

What was the career tally post-surgery?  He astonishingly went 164-125 AFTER his surgery, from the ages of 33 thru 46.  So without the surgery, he would have been a 124-106 major leaguer that few, if any, outside the John family would have remembered.

AGAINST THE METS? 9-2, 2.71 - any surprise there?  Meet the Mets, greet the Mets, step right up and beat the Mets.  Amazingly, and I'm sure you were about to ask...what was his highest career ERA against any major league team?  A low 4.07, with all others 4.00 or less.  Amazing.

Interestingly, in 4,710 career innings, he fanned only 2,245 (4.28 per 9 IP); career season high?  138, reached twice.

Hey he also hit .157 and had 141 hits in over 1,000 plate appearances, fanned just once every 5 at bats, and even racked up 93 sacrifice bunts and 54 RBIs!

Was Tommy John good enough to make the Hall of Fame, fellow heavily-under-supported lefty Jerry Koosman might ask (similar ERA, 3.36, but just 222-209, just 19 seasons, and Jerry started his MINOR league career at age 22, while John started his MAJOR league career at 20)?  

The answer: nope!

Sadly, Mr. John never got higher than 31.7% of the votes, with 75% needed, despite coming in 2nd in Cy Young balloting twice, 4th once, and making 4 All Star teams.  

TJ should be in the Hall of Fame, IMO, for  two reasons: 

He had an extraordinarily long and successful career, and; 

He is clearly famous for that surgery named after him...vote him in, Veterans Committee, if you still can.  He can go into the guinea pig wing of the Hall.

Or at least pick up a pair of Tommy John briefs as a show of - ahem - SUPPORT.