I immediately knew what happened when I saw him release the pitch.
Before he crumpled to the ground, I just knew he wouldn’t be pitching again this year… and possibly never again like the pitcher of old.
And then the official diagnosis was made public…
Non-Displaced Fracture of the Olecranon Process (Broken Elbow)
Joel Zumaya throws hard. Very hard. He is a super-talented big league pitcher. He’s also had his fair share of injuries in the short time he’s been in the big leagues. Whether his injuries were caused by actually throwing a baseball, or whatever story you’d like to believe (helping his parents move boxes, playing too much Guitar Hero), Zumaya has spent a significant portion of his time in the big leagues “on the shelf.”
Instead of breaking down all of his injuries (that’s a poor choice of words), I want to just look at this one because, well, it was the most gruesome, and it could have been prevented.
Joel Zumaya does a lot of things wrong when he throws a baseball. (Sadly, when the “experts” get together and analyze his throwing motion, they will say pretty much the same thing… only they’ll just leave it at “bad mechanics,” and that his velocity was the big reason for his elbow fracture. I won’t cop out with that ridiculous, and over-used answer!) Despite the laundry list of things he should have been taught to correct, there are two major reasons for this horrible injury.
1. The “Power Position.”
That’s right. The very backbone of what you’ve been taught since you’ve been a little leaguer, is a major factor in this injury.
When pitchers (or any ball player throwing a baseball) bends their throwing elbow to 90 degrees or more (the “or more” is for catchers) just before they “start to throw,” their hand makes a circle – or loop – that moves backward, out and away from the body, and finally toward the target.
The outward part of the circle, combined with the pitcher’s body rotating towards the target, leads to the ultimate reason for Zumaya’s broken elbow.
2. Forearm “Flyout”
When the pitching forearm reaches the outer part of the circle made by the “power position,” it literally gets powerfully flung out and away from the body… and not at the target. This action causes the bones of the elbow to slam together. Think of nearly hyper-extending your arm… or for you movie buffs, think Steven Seagal breaking the drug dealer’s arm in “Marked for Death.” (Yeah, I know they’re extreme examples! But I need to get your attention!)
Over time, this move can lead to a loss of range of motion (you won’t be able to fully extend nor flex your arm), “bone” chips or spurs, and in cases like this, a broken elbow.
But I’m not bringing this up to protect the pitchers of the big leagues.
I want to make sure the younger pitchers know what can happen if you throw incorrectly.
Because elbow fractures happen to YOU more often than adult pitchers.
(Note: this injury took time to develop. It was not a “one pitch injury,” that some people will say it is. Although it was the straw that broke the camel’s back.)
I feel terrible for Joel Zumaya. I feel worse when I hear the experts write the injury off as an accident, or something that can’t be predicted.
I feel even worse when I see instructors teaching the same “mechanics,” that are ruining the careers – but more importantly the arms – of super-talented pitchers.
Joel Zumaya didn’t deserve this… and neither do you. Make the correction in your throwing delivery starting today.
Coach Bones
