Yardbarker: Alan Embree

Chips Ahoy

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:15:20 -0500

According to Sun-Times beat reporter, Gordon Wittenmeyer, with the signing of John Grabow to a 2/7.5 contract (backended as only Jim Hendry can do) and the trading of Aaron Heilman to the Snakes, the Cubs have supposedly made their final bullpen move of the offseason.

The deal appears to secure the final key piece to the Cubs' projected 2010 bullpen, coming one day after the team traded veteran Aaron Heilman to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

I'm pretty happy to see Heilman move out of town but replacing his with Grabow seems kind of blah. It's a Hendry thing to get a grizzled veteran for that 8th inning setup role and since Grabow is able to get lefty and righty hitters out (i.e. not a LOOGY), he's the heir apparent for the crusty veteran out of the bullpen for 2010.

List em. Since Jim Hendry was given the reins to the GM job in 2002, he's added through trade or free agency the following veteran bullpen lugnuts: Antonia Alfonseca, Mike Remlinger, Dave Veres, Mark Guthrie, Alan Benes, Phil Norton, Joe Borowoski, LaTroy Hawkins, Glendon Rusch,Cliff Bartosh, Scott Williamson, Chad Fox (twice), Wade Miller, Bob Howry, Scott Eyre, Neal Cotts, Chad Gaudin, Jon Lieber, Luis Vizcaino, Heilman and lastly Grabow. I'd say for the most part, that's the ugly underbelly of MLB pitching although I know the Cubs are far from being alone in accumulating pitchers like these. Hence, I'm hoping the 2010 Cubs get more out of their young pitching so we don't see Chad Fox (round three?) ever again. Esmalin Caridad, Jeff Stevens and Justin Berg, I'm talking to you. It would be really nice to see productive seasons out of the recent 40 man roster additions including John Gaub, Blake Parker and even longshot/hotshot Raphael Dolis.

Grabow's career has been fairly lackluster but we all know how magically important lefty's are in the bullpen. Guys like Will Ohman, Scott Eyre, Joe Beimel, Brian Shouse, Scott Schowenweis, Ron Mahay, Ron Villone, Eddie Guardado and Alan Embree keep hanging around when righty's of their ilk would be long retired.

Looking at fangraphs, including charts on lefty/righty splits on Grabow, we see his strength is a fairly low HR/9 (0.95/9) rate, a decent LOB% (around 75%) and his weakness is walks (4.15/9).He's gonna drive Lou crazy if that walk rate continues.

The kicker on Grabow though is that he's got a time bomb in his elbow. He has a history of left (pitching) elbow bone chips. Again from the sun-times piece:

As recently as 2007, Grabow pitched with pain and spent time on the disabled list for the problem, but he did not have surgery to remove the chips. He opted for a treatment and maintenance program that allowed him to make 149 appearances the last two seasons.

''If you look at a lot of pitchers, they're going to have something going on in their shoulder or in their elbow,'' Grabow said. ''Just throwing a baseball all these years, your arm's going to develop a lot of things that are just part of the wear and tear. It's something you learn to manage. I've got a routine every day to be able to pitch every day.

''Thank God it hasn't been an issue the last two years. Maybe it's something I've put in the past and can just pitch through.''

Grabow was on the DL from the beginning of the 2007 season, after being shut down in spring training on March 11th with "elbow inflammation" (essentially elbow loose bodies or chips). He returned on April 25th but only pitched 51 innings that year. The last two seasons he went 72 and 76 innings so the problem hasn't acted up lately.

Where do these loose bodies aka bone/cartilage chips in the elbow come from?

The elbow joint is a complex hinge joint made up from the distal humerus (arm bone) and the two forearm bones that rotate (supination/palm up and pronation/palm down) around each other, the radius (radial head at the elbow) and the ulna (olecranon at the elbow which is the main hinge).

Elbow mechanics in throwing a baseball with spin, create significant compressive and shear forces across the elbow which can lead to damaging the articular cartilage and subsequently break off little pieces of cartilage or even bigger pieces that have bone and cartilage. This is the equivalent of getting sand in your shoe. Smaller grit isn't as irritating as larger pebbles. The larger pieces float around and if they wind up in tighter parts of the joint can cause it to lock up or get stuck. Usually they will move around to make the locking temporary but if the symptoms get more recurrent it makes more sense to treat this problem more agressively.

Grabow mentioned that he has a rehab routine to manage his elbow condition but there is luck involved in how well this works. Hopefully the loose debris is small enough he can work through it. Other non-surgical options include the usual non-steroidal anti-inflammatory meds or possibly a cortisone injection. If the symptoms are enough of a problem there is elbow arthroscopy to look inside the joint and remove the loose pieces of cartilage. MRI imaging usually does a good job of seeing these small loose cartilage pieces. X-Rays don't image cartilage well but they are useful to see bony loose pieces and spurs.

Elbow arthroscopy / (image), like other joint arthroscopy is done under fluid to distend the joint. The elbow anatomy has many more important nerves passing nearby so the portals (or entry incisions) to the joint are very precise to minimize nerve damage risk. Because the elbow is a smaller joint some of the equipment like shavers and grasping tools are smaller as well. Loose bodies and debris are fairly straightforward to remove but for the same reason they developed in the first place they can recur.

Elbow bone chips aren't limited to pitchers. NL MVP, Albert Pujols just underwent removal of bone chips from his right elbow (his 2nd surgery as in 2008 he had ulnar nerve surgery). Kosuke Fukudome missed the end of his 2007 season in Japan to undergo an elbow scope to remove bone chips. I wrote on this last season at TCR when he was quoted about the impact of his elbow problem on his subsequent play.

Fukudome had elbow surgery late in the 2007 season, and the elbow started bothering him last season right about the time his decline began in May. By the end of the season, his hitting mechanics were a mess.

''I didn't feel the pain physically, but I must have been subconsciously feeling the pain of the elbow,'' said Fukudome, still reluctant to openly admit pain. But when asked if it was a factor last season, he said, ''Probably it was.''

Of course, the issues are different for a pitcher than a hitter. The repetition, particularly a reliever who has to warm up and might not get into a game makes them more likely to get into this kind of problem. Lets just hope that Grabow's subconscious remains as calm as his elbow for 2010.

The State of the Rockies: Post GM Meetings Update

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:42:43 -0500

In what will be a semi-weekly occurrence from now until January on Purple Row Academy, I'm going to update my post on the State of the Rockies. In other words, I will update my loyal readers (all three of you)--as well as anyone stupid intrepid enough to follow me after the jump as to the roster framework the Rockies are looking at as some big offseason deadlines approach. This week, I'll be looking at what has happened thus far for the Rockies and what that means going f...

Saturday Rockpile: Options are all a guy really wants

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:50:33 -0500

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP Yorvit hopes to be diving face first into a pile of cash this offseason. Browse more photos » Rockies decline options on Torrealba, Embree | All Things RockiesNo surprises here, as both players have filed for free agency. Yorvit Torrealba could return to the Rockies for less money, but there's also a decent chance that he will find more money elsewhere. Meanwhile,...

Colorado Rockies decline options on Yorvit Torrealba, Alan Embree

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:28:48 -0500

The Colorado Rockies have declined their part of mutual options on catcher Yorvit Torrealba and left-hander Alan Embree, and they both filed for free agency.

Thursday Rockpile: Rockies close to deal with Jim Tracy, negotiating with Huston Street and Rafael Betancourt among others

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:51:12 -0500

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP Alan Embree likely won't be coming back to the Rockies in 2010. Browse more photos » Okay, so from Troy E. Renck's article about the state of Jim Tracy's contract negotiations, which currently seems to be pointing to a three year extension, there are several other tidbits, most of which we already knew but with a little more detail added: D...

Rockies' Embree has surgery to repair broken leg

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:26:40 -0500

Left-handed reliever Alan Embree had surgery Saturday to repair a broken right leg, and the Colorado Rockies recalled right-handed reliever Matt Belisle from Triple-A Colorado Springs to fill Embree's roster spot.

Colorado Rockies reliever Alan Embree undergoes surgery to repair broken right leg

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:19:55 -0500

Saturday Rockpile: Alan Embree out for season, Christian Friedrich returns Monday, Esmil Rogers solid in Springs debut

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:52:30 -0500

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP about 12 hours ago: Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Alan Embree, front center, is helped on to a cart for a ride off the field after taking off his leg a line shot off the bat of Atlanta Braves' Martin Prado in the seventh inning of a baseball game in Denver on Friday, July 10, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Browse more photos » Rockies dealt painful loss...

Rockies' Embree fractures leg, done for season

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:29:38 -0500

Colorado Rockies left-hander Alan Embree is out for the season after a line drive fractured his right tibia on Friday night.

The Dugout: Winning Games is Easy

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:00:00 -0500

by Jon BoisFiled under: Nationals, Rockies, The DugoutOn Tuesday night's game between the Nationals and Rockies, Alan Embree earned the win without even throwing a pitch. For one night, at least, he got to live the life of a fantasy baseball team owner.The real story here, of course, is that the win statistic suddenly seems a little trivial. Baseball experts across the board have always agreed that wins are the definitive pitching statistic. ERA? WHIP? Maybe those nerds at the acronym fac...

Willie Harris Needs One Moment; Alan Embree Doesn’t Even Need One Pitch

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:39:47 -0500

This is another devastating reminder that no groundball is routine. They should never be taken for granted. Each and every one carries a degree of danger with it, and you should always make sure you’ve taken every precaution to protect your future. That breathtaking error was Willie Harris’ first of the season. As Bob Carpenter said it, “What a terrible break for the Nads Nats… and for Willie Harris.” And before Rob Dibble tweets on the situation, Carpenter did say Nats. I listened to it several times and it was definitely Nats. Another tidbit from Tuesday’s fundamentally challenged, yet ultra-fascinating Rockies-Nationals tilt. First, check out this comical play in the 8th inning. Alan Embree picks off Austin Kearns Not very many pick-offs are newsworthy events, but this one was. The...

Starting Five: Alan Embree Works the Minimum, Literally

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 05:00:00 -0500

by Andrew JohnsonFiled under: Angels, Braves, Cardinals, Giants, Marlins, Rockies, Starting FiveStarting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.You Oughta Know ...That every once in a blue moon, a pitcher doesn't even have to throw a single pitch to get a win. How? Rockies reliever Alan Embree demonstrated Tuesday night against the Nationals. He entered the game with two outs in the top of the eighth and the score tied at 4-all and ...

With Embree signed no need for Feliciano...

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:23:40 -0500

I'll admit I'm a very impatient fan, the waiting game drives me nuts but on big ticket items ( Santana/K-Rod) Omar's approach has been aces, the verdict is still out on the complimentary pieces. Every time I hear that Omar passed on Street for Heilman/Feliciano it makes my ears bleed. I think ...