Yardbarker: Aaron Heilman

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.

Weekend Update ... Castillo, Halladay and Other Cubs Rumors

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:05:00 -0500

The Chicago Cubs made a little noise last week with the two-year, $7.5 million deal for John Grabow and send Aaron Heilman to Arizona for a pair of prospects. Then Friday afternoon, the Cubs added five players to their major league roster ... three expected and two, well a little surprising. John Gaub, Welington Castillo and Blake Parker along with Rafael Dolis and James Adduci were protected from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft with both Gaub and Parker expected to be a part of the Cubs pen at som...

Guess The 40-Man Roster Additions

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:15:48 -0500

10:59 pm CST tonight is the deadline for teams to fill out their 40-man rosters with players they want to protect from the Rule 5 draft next month. With the trade of Aaron Heilman yesterday, the Cubs' 40-man roster stands at 33 players -- so they've got plenty of room to add players they want to protect. This article from the Atlanta Braves website gives some details on how this process works and also about some other upcoming deadlines. The number of players added by tonigh...

No Frenzy ... Just Trades for the Cubs

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:30:00 -0500

Tim Lincecum picked up his second consecutive NL Cy Young award on Thursday. The BBWAA awards will take a break on Friday and pickup next week with the announcements of the NL and AL MVPs. One note on the NL Cy Young award, Keith Law and Will Carroll might steer clear of St. Louis for a few months. Let the free agent frenzy begin ... just not on the North Side of Chicago. The majority of changes the Cubs are looking to make this winter will reportedly come via the trade route and not openi...

Cubs deal Aaron Heilman to the D-Backs

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:49:40 -0500

Cubs deal Aaron Heilman to the D-Backs Cubs deal Aaron Heilman to the D-Backs for a fringe relief prospect and an organizational depth guy, rather than fool with arbitration with him. I'm surprised to see Heilman is already 31 years old...

Cubs Trade Aaron Heilman To Diamondbacks; Also Re-Sign John Grabow

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:42:38 -0500

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP The Cubs handed a $7 million dollar contract to John Grabow, who has been worth $5.3 million dollars over his career. They later traded Aaron Heilman to Arizona for a pair of prospects. Browse more photos » On the eve of Free Agency, the Cubs made a pair of moves involving relief pitchers. First, the Cubs re-signed LHP John Grabow to a two-year contract reportedly ...

Cubs Get Something for Heilman

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:00:18 -0500

Aaron Heilman joined his fourth organization in the last 12 months tonight. Last year Heilman was part of a three-way deal that landed him in Seattle. Prior to the start of the regular season he was shipped to the Cubs and today he avoided being non-tendered and was instead sent to Arizona. Heilman pitched [...]

D-backls acquire Heilman from Cubs

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:23:02 -0500

Reliever Aaron Heilman has been acquired by the Arizona Diamondbacks from the Chicago Cubs for two minor league prospects. The 31-year-old right-hander was 4-4 with a 4.11 ERA in 70 appearances last season, striking out 65 and walking 34. He spent six seasons with the New York Mets before he was traded to Seattle last December, then dealt to the Cubs a month later. Chicago gets 24-year-old left-hander Scott Maine and 23-year-old infielder Ryne White.

Heilman to the Diamonbacks

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:21:44 -0500

The Cubs traded Aaron Heilman to the Arizona Diamondbacks rather than release the player. In return, the Cubs received left-handed reliever Scott Maine, who went 4-5 with seven saves and a 2.90 ERA at Double-A Mobile and Triple-A Reno, and first baseman Ryne White, who hit .266 with six homers and 52 RBI at Class-A Visalia. White [...]

Cubs Trade Aaron Heilman To Diamondbacks

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:45:23 -0500

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP No scenes like this will be seen in 2010. Aaron Heilman is headed to Arizona. Browse more photos » With all apologies due to BCB reader brian custer, a close friend of Aaron Heilman, he'll have to head to Phoenix to see his buddy pitch in 2010 -- the Cubs sent Heilman to the Diamondbacks today for two minor leaguers. Personally, I'm happy about this -- Heilman did pitch a little better in Se...

Cubs Deal Heilman to Diamondbacks

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:44:14 -0500

The Cubs have traded RHP Aaron Heilman to the Arizona Diamondbacks for two minor leaguers, LHP Scott Maine and 1B Ryne White. No one on the Cubs or their fans is probably gonna miss Heilman so I won't waste much space on him, but it was a good way for the Cubs to get something for a guy that was probably a good bet to get non-tendered.

White's a local boy that went to high school at St. Rita, not too far from MIdway Airport. He then went to college at Purdue and was drafted in the 4th round by the Diamondbacks in 2008. He spent that year in Rookie Ball and then the Midwest League for a handful of at-bats, so the Cubs probably got a chance to see him a bit there. Last year he went to Hi-A with Visalia and finished with a 266/371/356 with 65 BB's against 87 K's in 491 PA's. He'll be 23 next season.

Prior to the 2009 season, one scout.com article had him listed as a top 5 power hitting prospect in the Diamondbacks system, although he has yet to show that power.

White suffered a power outage once he began to face Midwest League pitching. Still, between Purdue, Missoula, and South Bend, White combined for 34 doubles, a triple, 19 homers, and 99 RBI in 2008. He is a big pull hitter who figures to improves as he continues to receive professional instruction. There are several Diamondbacks prospects who displayed more power this year, including Harbin, Peter Clifford, and Isaias Asencio, but none of them has quite the ceiling that White does.

He played a little bit of right and left field as well last year for Visalia.

Maine's a 6-3" lefty that will be 25 next season and was drafted in the 6th round in the 2007 draft out of the University of Miami. He pitched for both Double A and Triple A in 2009 and between the two leagues he had a 2.90 ERA in 2009 in 62 IP and a 8.9 K/9 rate and 3.2 BB/9 rate and a 0.3 HR/9. He was selected for the Arizona Fall League, but just made two appearances and gave up 3 runs in 1.2 IP. I assume he was replaced, but can't find any details on the matter.

He got hit pretty hard in 2009 by lefties, a .325 average versus .259 versus righties, but his K/9 rate was much better versus lefties, so it could just be a matter of bad luck. His career minor league splits show a .259 BA against lefties with a 10.59 K/9 rate compared to a .266 BA versus righties and 8.92 K/9 rate. He also seems to be able to induce more groundball versus lefties than righties (55.3% versus 42.0%).

Stuff wise, he comes from a low-three quarters delivery and features a fastball (89-92), curveball (wicked movement, difficult to control) and a changeup.

It should be noted that Maine has already undergone Tommy John Surgery way back in 2004 and also was in a very bad car wreck that shattered his skull and forced him to wear a protective face plate. At the very least, he's a good comeback story to root for...

DBacks acquire Aaron Heilman

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:42:47 -0500

According to MLBtraderumors and SI.com, the Diamondbacks have acquired Aaron Heilman. Thanks to emilylovesthedbacks for spotting this on twitter, more info to come. [Updated] The deal sees the Cubs getting a pair of prospects, in left-handed reliever Scott Maine and infielder Ryne White. Said Josh Byrnes, "Aaron has been a successful, durable reliever who will add experience and stability to our bullpen. The left-hander is 31, and har a 4.11 ERAin 72.1 innings for the Cubs in 2009.

From the Wire ... Aaron Heilman Traded to Arizona

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:39:07 -0500

According to a report from Jon Heyman, the Cubs traded Aaron Heilman to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday afternoon.

D'Backs Acquire Aaron Heilman

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:37:59 -0500

The Diamondbacks acquired Aaron Heilman from the Cubs, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com.