Eric Gagne, RP, Los Angeles Dodgers

March 24, 2006 @ 14:29:34

By Jim Walker
Edited by KFFL Staff

When the 2005 Los Angeles Dodgers broke camp, they had high hopes they would be contending for a second consecutive division title and All-Star closer Eric Gagne's balky right elbow would heal in a relatively short amount of time. They didn't and it didn't. Gagne was on the disabled list from the season opener until the middle of May when he came back to tease the Dodgers by saving eight games in eight chances with an earned-run-average of 2.70. It was good to be a Dodgers fan. June 13th, Gagne was shut down for the season with an original diagnosis of a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right (throwing) elbow which would require a second Tommy John surgery on the same elbow as in 1997, but it turned out to be something less severe, a nerve that was entrapped by scar tissue. But nonetheless Gagne was done, and so were the Dodgers.

Before we go any further let's have a brief history lesson on what exactly Tommy John surgery is. Tommy John surgery is the replacement of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) which basically keeps the upper arm connected to the forearm. The UCL offers a great deal of stability that is necessary for the elbow to withstand the extreme stresses created by throwing a baseball at a high velocity. Sometimes the UCL will weaken and stretch (technically a sprain) and other times the result is a blow out. Whether it's a sprain or a blow out, a damaged UCL will prevent a player from throwing at full velocity or with effective control. This is where Tommy John surgery comes in. However, Gagne did not need a second Tommy John surgery this time. The surgery performed on Gagne had a return time of six months as it's a less invasive procedure as opposed to the 12-14 months of recovery time for Tommy John surgery. What the doctors found upon further examination of Gagne's elbow was there was some slight fraying from the original graft that was stitched when he initially had Tommy John surgery in 1997. Furthermore, there were nerves that had scarred down onto the graft, which was causing a considerable amount of pain for Gagne. The surgery relieved the pressure the nerves were placing on the graft. "The ligament was intact, but there was a sensory nerve that was running right along the elbow bone, along the ligament, so the symptoms were identical to a ligament tear, but it was really just an irritation to the nerve," renowned surgeon Frank Jobe, who performed the surgery, told ESPN.

As the dawn of a new season rises, one would expect that Gagne would be treated with kid gloves early on in the season and, in fact, that's exactly what Dodgers manager Grady Little plans on doing. In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Little divulged some key information regarding Gagne, stating that he would be limited to only pitching the ninth inning and as the season progresses he might be asked to get the final out in the eighth and then pitch the ninth but at no point during the season would he be asked to pitch two full innings. Additionally, if Gagne throws 25 pitches in an outing, it will be Baez who gets the call the following night if the Dodgers are in a save situation. Little even offered an explanation as to why Gagne's elbow broke down in 2005, stating that maybe the reason is because Gagne was asked to pitch two innings six times during the last month of the 2004 season, "Maybe that contributed to his (injury) problems last year," Little said. "Who knows?" Zing! The ball is in your court now, ex-manager Jim Tracy. Luckily for Little, the Dodgers have another All-Star closer in their midst in relief pitcher Danys Baez should Gagne go down. Baez was acquired in an offseason trade with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in which they also acquired former All-Star relief pitcher Lance Carter and a player to be named later. In return they sent two prospects, pitcher Edwin Jackson and pitcher Chuck Tiffany to the Devil Rays. This seems like a small price to pay for a proven closer who provides insurance in case Gagne goes down, and a set-up man.

Fast forward to spring 2006 where Gagne appears to be picking up where he left off in 2005. So far this spring he's appeared in five games, thrown five innings and given up three hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Granted he's only thrown a grand total of 41 pitches as of this writing, 29 for strikes, but the Dodgers are cautiously optimistic about his return to dominance.

If you're going to draft Gagne early, hedge your bets by grabbing Baez in the middle to later rounds as insurance. This way you have your bases covered in case the worst should happen with Gagne. If Gagne gets off to a fast start, at the very least you have Baez saving the occasional game and getting you some holds in the meantime, so he is still worth a roster spot. The question at hand is will Gagne return to form and reclaim his spot amongst the NL's most feared closers? Elbow injuries with pitchers are a tricky thing, but the magic eight ball on Gagne says: decidedly so. 

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Jim Walker
Jim has been a lifelong sports fan with particular interests in baseball, football and hockey. He's been involved in fantasy sports since 1998 and is looking forward to contributing solid analysis and witty insights to his reports.

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