Injury Report: Kyle Gibson

by Kyle Boddy on Jun 6, 2009 10:22 PM PDT in Pitching Mechanics Comment 8 comments

According to MLB.com, Kyle Gibson has a stress fracture in his throwing forearm and is experiencing tightness as well. They also said:

At this point, the news could be a lot worse for Gibson, since the injury as diagnosed would not require Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery and his recovery time will be much shorter.

Forearm tightness is often a precursor to elbow reconstructive surgery, so I wouldn't necessarily say that he does not need "Tommy John" surgery just yet.

I wrote this piece in December 2008 about Kyle Gibson, voicing concerns about his throwing shoulder. After rewatching the clip in question:

I noticed that he uses the "elbow lift" technique that so many scouts love (the "short arm action"), which causes timing problems and late forearm turnover.

Kyle Gibson is one to watch, for sure. He will still probably be drafted in the top 15 picks, but the spin on his story about forearm tightness could be a lot more serious than the initial report.

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The two "reports" I read have been very vague.

I suspect that it’s a stress fracture of the olecranon process. Gibson’s style relies on heavy doses of his slider, a pitch that amateur pitchers tend to released with a supinated wrist.

While still technically part of the forearm (ulna bone), it is part of his elbow. I think the reports are vague intentionally so as to keep the words “elbow injury” away from Gibson’s name.

I can’t imagine where else a forearm stress fracture would occur. Proximal end of the radius? Something near his wrist?

Draft Prospect: Tyler Matzek, LHP, Capistrano Valley HS - TexasLeaguers.com

by NoNameOnCard on Jun 6, 2009 10:51 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

The only reason I can think of a stress fracture in the forearm is due to trauma, not ballistic activity. As far as I know, he hasn’t taken any liners off his pitching arm lately.

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by Kyle Boddy on Jun 6, 2009 11:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Forgive my ignorance, but doesn’t the term “stress fracture” specifically mean that the fracture is caused by repetitive stress on the bone rather than a one time trauma (such as a liner off the forearm)?

by Lou Brown on Jun 8, 2009 10:13 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

True

Though stress fractures also encompass unusual stress. I used the term incorrectly.

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by Kyle Boddy on Jun 8, 2009 2:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kyle Gibson

No wonder he has forearm tightness. He barely uses his legs at all. Note that the pivot leg is off the rubber a foot before release. Also note the high follow through that doesn’t allow for proper arm deceleration. Gibson looks big; a six-two pitcher, for example, needs a 70-inch arm sweep from release to finish to allow the arm to slow without damage. Gibson’ sweep looks to be around 50 inches with a 12-inch recoil.

Richard J. Noyes

by Pitch Doc on Jun 8, 2009 1:43 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs