Bad luck relentlessly dogs Taillon
Afriend and I were commiserating Wednesday afternoon about the latest sad news involving Jameson Taillon.
“That kid has had nothing but rotten luck,” I said. “Tommy John surgery. Sports hernia surgery. Testicular cancer. Now, another Tommy John surgery. We’re never going to know how good he could have been.”
“You forgot the worst thing that happened to him,” my pal said.
“What’s that?”
“He was drafted by the Pirates.”
I would have laughed if that wasn’t so darn sad.
I can blame the often- hapless Pirates for many things, but I’m not going to blame them for Taillon’s latest injury, although I’m sure many will. The team did allow him to increase his big- league innings from 133⅔ in 2017 to 191⅔ last season, a significant jump, especially for a pitcher who had Tommy John
surgery in April 2014. But I can’t blame the club for allowing him to keep pitching this season even though he said, when he was shut down May 1 after just seven starts, that his arm didn’t feel right as far back as spring training. I can’t believe he shared that information with management. In today’s age of being super- cautious with pitchers, the Pirates would have shut him down immediately.
Regardless of blame or bad luck, this second Tommy John surgery is devastating for Taillon and the Pirates. He won’t just miss the rest of this season, he’ll miss all of next season. He might never be the same pitcher that Neal Huntington drafted No. 2 overall in 2010 between Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. The team will be without its presumptive ace until at least 2021.
That almost certainly means another losing season next year.
Who are going to be the Pirates’ starters in 2020?
Chris Archer has been a major disappointment. Trevor Williams no longer resembles the pitcher who was as good as just about anybody in baseball in the second half of last season. Joe Musgrove competes harder than anyone but hasn’t been good enough. Nor has Steven Brault. Rookie Dario Agrazal started off quickly this season but faded even faster. Mitch Keller won his first game in the big leagues Monday night against the Los Angeles Angels but still has much to prove.
I don’t like the potential of that group.
The Pirates wasted a chance to deal for a starting pitcher by hanging on to Felipe Vazquez at the trade deadline last month. Now, they are stuck with a terrific closer who hardly gets to pitch because the team is so bad that it hardly ever has a late lead.
The hope here is they will revisit trading Vazquez in the offseason and actually do it.
The Pirates also could find a pitcher in free agency this winter, but that would involve spending …
What’s that, you say? You aren’t going to bet on that?
Not as long as Bob Nutting owns the team?
Good point. Taillon’s second major elbow surgery really is sad news for the team. It has some nice lineup pieces around which to build. Josh Bell could finish with a monster season — maybe 40 home runs and 120 RBIs — despite a relatively brutal two- month stretch. Rookie Bryan Reynolds might win the batting title. Starling Marte has been the club’s most consistent player. There is much to like about Kevin Newman. Ke’Bryan Hayes appears to be close to taking over at third base.
But none of those pieces will matter without better starting pitching.
I really feel badly for Taillon.
He always has handled his adversity with poise and class. I think about the way he openly talked about his testicular cancer surgery in May 2017 to show others there is hope and life after being diagnosed with a dreaded disease.
It was a big reason he was the Pirates’ 2018 nominee for baseball’s prestigious Roberto Clemente Award, which goes to a player, in large part, for his community service.
Taillon has been any inspiration to many, much like James Conner has.
Now, Taillon’s career is in jeopardy.
Sports, like life, isn’t fair.