Humberto Eager For Fresh Start

Humberto Sanchez. Remember him? The 24-year-old, 6-6 right hander was supposedly the crown jewel of Detroit's package for Gary Sheffield. With a nice 12-to-6 curveball to compliment his impressive plus-fastball, Sanchez, who grew up a Yankees fan in the South Bronx, was supposed to be a stud. Unfortunately, Sanchez's promising start to '07 was cut short after discomfort in his elbow forced the pitcher to undergo the dreaded Tommy John surgery on April 17, 2007. And as if the daunting 12 to 18-month recovery period wasn't bad enough, Sanchez's return to the mound was further delayed when he found he was unable to straighten his arm due to bone spurs in the elbow that had calcified. On MiLB.com, Lisa Winston pens a nice profile of the pitcher as he deals with his rehab and recovery.