Overuse of young pitchers fueling MLB's Tommy John surgery problem

The scout can look at the wonder of the prodigy -- a 17-year-old kid with top-end major league velocity -- and dream on it. He sees a first-round pick. A

Tom Verducci | Apr 15, 2014

Overuse of young pitchers fueling MLB's Tommy John surgery problem /

Jameson Taillon will miss the entire 2014 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery at age 22. — Jameson Taillon will miss the entire 2014 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery at age 22 :: Gene J. Puskar/AP

Matt Moore left his April 7 start with an elbow injury that will require Tommy John surgery. — Matt Moore left his April 7 start with an elbow injury that will require Tommy John surgery :: Orlin Wagner/AP

The scout can look at the wonder of the prodigy -- a 17-year-old kid with top-end major league velocity -- and dream on it. He sees a first-round pick. A future ace. What he doesn't want to see is what people like Fleisig see. It is an image that is becoming more and more common: A rubber band about to break.

Published Apr 15, 2014

TOM VERDUCCI

Tom Verducci is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated who has covered Major League Baseball since 1981. He also serves as an analyst for FOX Sports and the MLB Network; is a New York Times best-selling author; and cohosts The Book of Joe podcast with Joe Maddon. A five-time Emmy Award winner across three categories (studio analyst, reporter, short form writing) and nominated in a fourth (game analyst), he is a three-time National Sportswriter of the Year winner, two-time National Magazine Award finalist, and a Penn State Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient. Verducci is a member of the National Sports Media Hall of Fame, Baseball Writers Association of America (including past New York chapter chairman) and a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 1993. He also is the only writer to be a game analyst for World Series telecasts. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, with whom he has two children.