Research Question: What effect does revision UCL reconstruction surgery have on …show more content…
They started with 43 MLB pitchers who had undergone UCL reconstructive surgery, Tommy John surgery, and then required revision reconstruction between 1996 and 2012. Ten of the forty-three were excluded for various reasons. With the remaining thirty-three, they conducted a case-controlled study. They found the player’s history on open websites and verified the pitcher’s surgeries by cross-referencing the date of the surgery and a gap in pitching statistics. They did this for the year of the first reconstructive surgery and then the year of the revision reconstructive surgery. To maximize effectiveness, they collected each pitcher’s demographics (handedness, date of birth, age at surgery, and position (relief, closer, starter)) for their time in the MLB and also the minor league. From there, they evaluated only MLB pitching performance statistics for three years before and after revision reconstructive surgery. These statistics included innings pitched, earned run average (ERA), walks, and hits per innings pinched (WHIP), wins, losses, in percentage, walks per nine innings (BB/9), strikeouts per nine innings (SO/9), strikeouts per walk (SO/BB), hits per nine innings (H/9), home runs per nine innings (HR/9), wins above …show more content…
Although not found to reach statistical significance, SO/9 increased from 6.99 to 7.51. There were no differences detected in innings pitched, ERA, WHIP, WAR, RAR, wins, losses, win percentage, H/9, HR/9, and RA/9. (“Pitching” 5) Comparing the two groups, the CTL group pitched more innings and had a higher number of wins and losses. CTL pitchers also threw less balls than the UCL-R pitchers, which can change a games outcome. (“Pitching” 5-6)
Overall, the study found that players who have the revision reconstruction surgery are less likely to be able to return to MLB play. This means they will possibly have a shorter career. The UCL-R group could not pitch nearly as many innings that they could prior to the surgery. All in all, reinjure of the UCL after having Tommy John’s surgery once, does not have to technically end the pitchers career, but it will limit the amount that can be played once the pitcher