A 2nd Tommy John surgery could be tougher for Shohei Ohtani to return from

Ohtani tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow while pitching against Cincinnati on Aug. 26. The unprecedented two-way star is continuing to bat as a designated hitter but won’t pitch again this year while considering his medical options.

There is no way to know exactly what date the injury occurred as Otani's handler's refused to allow him to have any "imaging" taken of the arm sooner, as weeks before hand, he was having issues, and the team let him continue to pitch, even though they suspected something was wrong, hence the request to have it checked out!

The Angels and Otani's "handlers" are both to blame for possibly not catching the damage sooner. Possibly BEFORE the tear occurred as well!

The management of the team should never have allowed him to continue to pitch if they had even the slightest doubt. But they did, AND Otani's handlers should all be fired for not allowing him to be checked out sooner!

This is what happens to pitchers when they pitch over 100 pitches a game in Japanese high schools and then pitch again at the same volume the very next game.

This is what happens to pitchers when they pitch over 100 pitches a game in Japanese high schools and then pitch again at the same volume the very next game.

I think you mean the very next day! Koshien has gotten a little better with this, as there are mandatory days off between the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals, but it's still bad.

People used to praise the HS pitchers, like Matsuzaka, for pitching all the innings and all the games in a tournament, sometimes over 600 pitches in less than two weeks over 4 or 5 games.

It's time that the HS baseball association puts pitch count limits on HS pitchers here. They do it in "Pony" or "Boys" leagues for JHS kids, it's time for HS.

I personally know a couple of Elementary school kids who had "Tommy John" surgery here in Japan, because of their "coaches" abusing them. One kid taught himself how to pitch left handed, because of the serious damage he did to his right elbow.

Japanese pro ball isnt much better either!

Hence my belief that Otani would have been a hell of a different pitcher, if he had skipped Japanese pro ball and stuck to his guns, and went to the MLB after high school!

An MRI only seems brilliant in hindsight. Ho hum.

Did Babe Ruth and other greats get such surgeries. I really like Ohtani but maybe it is better to salvage your health and play another position or change careers.

This is bad on so many levels.

It's got to be rough on Ohtani mentally, as he knows he won't be pitching for quite a while, if ever.

Japan, a country already overwhelmed and bombarded with Ohtani news, will now have to suffer further bombardment during the off-season in the form of daily updates on the surgery and recovery.

The Angels battery will suffer, as will the teams performance.

The doctor who performed the first Tommy John will be under undue scrutiny and criticized no matter how perfectly he executes the surgery.

Ohtani, his agent, and the Angels are all being criticized by sensationalist news outlets and keyboard warriors from Japan and other baseball nations, like Taiwan.

He'll be back on the mound. Only a fool would write off the GOAT!

In the meantime, Ohtani can still dominate with bat in hand. That's the advantage of being a "dual superstar".

He'll be back on the mound. Only a fool would write off the GOAT!

I am a huge fan of Ohtani, but this GOAT talk is going to age really quick if his best pitching days are behind him (he only has 38 career wins).

As just a hitter, he is very good but closer to “Rafael Palmero” good than to “Babe Ruth” good.

Fighto! has the right idea. I wouldn't bet against Ohtani's return to the mound. It looks bad, for sure. It's quite possible that he won't be back on the mound. That being said, if anyone can pull it off it would be Shohei. Even if he doesn't make it back, I'll check the box scores anyway to see how he did.

 Only a fool would write off the GOAT!

Only a fool would call him the G.O.A.T.! Longevity matters, along with production, and while his is unique, in his ability to pitch and hit, he will never, ever, be in the discussion as the G.O.A.T., unless he can keep it up for another 10 years.

He's like Barry Bonds, before he juiced himself up, power and speed as a hitter. But as a pitcher, he'd better get to 200 wins, at least. Long way to go!

If he could manage to stay healthy for an entire season, he'd be everyone's choice to build a team around, but not now, and maybe never. It's a shame.