Duke's Matuella Done For Season, Will Require Tommy John Surgery - BaseballAmerica.com

Two key points from this article that help explain why some of the recent commentary regarding the cause and effect that "leads" to Tommy John surgery is at times overly presumptuous. To point to any one factor as THE ANSWER is foolish and ignores the fact that each injury is unique and in many cases is multifactorial.  

• For a pitcher, pain in any part of the body can lead to unintentional mechanical consequences.
• With mechanical changes and injuries, there’s no telling what happened first.

from BaseballAmerica.com
Duke's Matuella Done For Season, Will Require Tommy John Surgery - BaseballAmerica.com:

Duke righthander Michael Matuella, who entered the season as the top draft-eligible college pitcher and a projected top-five pick despite a back condition that was discovered in the fall, will miss the remainder of the college season due to a completely torn ulnar collateral ligament. Tommy John surgery will follow.

One area scout who saw Matuella’s last start, in Delaware against Boston College, said he topped out at 94 mph but that his fastball velocity sat in the 90-92 mph range most of the outing, which included five walks and just two strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. Matuella’s slider, which sat in the 84-86 mph range a year ago, was mostly in the 79-81 mph range much of the spring as well.

As a sophomore, the 6-foot-6, 220-pounder hit 98 mph and showed a unique package of stuff and command, making him the very early favorite to be the first overall pick in 2015.

Matuella then dealt with back issues, particularly a condition called spondylosis. Spondylosis refers to a combination of pain and degeneration in the spine. Rather than potentially exacerbating the issue, Matuella opted not to pitch and instead rest and rehabilitate his back last summer and last fall.

For a pitcher, pain in any part of the body can lead to unintentional mechanical consequences. Two evaluators who have seen Matuella pitch in each of the past two years told Baseball America that the righthander’s delivery has changed significantly. Matuella is finishing across his body, with his arm deeper out front at release and firing down and across his torso.

With mechanical changes and injuries, there’s no telling what happened first. What we do know is that Matuella has not shown the same caliber of stuff as a junior than he did as a sophomore. Here’s a timeline of the righthander’s past two months:"

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