Twins Pitching Prospect Blayne Enlow to Undergo Tommy John Surgery

[Seth Stohs]

On Wednesday, Twins Daily’s #10 Twins prospect RHP Blayne Enlow will undergo Tommy John surgery. He will obviously miss the remainder of the 2021 season and hopes to return strong sometime in 2022. 

On May 18th, Blayne Enlow struck out ten batters in 5 2/3 innings If there was one thing that Enlow’s “prospect status” needed, it was to bump up the strikeout totals, and he had 23 strikeouts in his first 14 2/3 innings over three starts. Following the game, Enlow discussed how important strikeouts are for him, and it gives us a strong glimpse into his strong and confident mentality. It's a mentality that will certainly help him out through the rehab process. 

Unfortunately, days after that performance, he was throwing a bullpen and it wasn’t going well. He wasn’t throwing with the same velocity, so they shut him down. He was put on the Injured List with an elbow strain. He returned to Ft. Myers to start rehabbing, but imagine showed a torn UCL and the decision was quickly made to schedule Tommy John surgery and start the process to get back.  

Last week, I mentioned to Enlow that many have been coming back from Tommy John surgery better than ever. His response. “Yeah. I know I will!” 

He is excited about the prospect of coming back and being part of what could be a very exciting Twins starting rotation of the future. 

While he hasn’t had Tommy John surgery, Enlow is fully aware of it and the process for recovery and return. He and Akil Baddoo were roommates the year that Baddoo had his surgery.  

Enlow hasn’t been afraid of work, and now he can work to make his own Return from Tommy John story. 

This isn’t the first time that Enlow has had a major injury. When he was a sophomore in high school in Louisiana, he was in a horrible car accident. He broke his ankle and pelvis. However, he returned to play that summer and became a huge prospect. He teamed with fellow Twins prospect Royce Lewis on Team USA’s 18-and-Under team that beat Cuba for a championship. 

He committed to LSU, but when the Twins drafted him with the first pick of the third round of the 2017 draft, the Twins were able to meet the $2 million signing bonus that he was looking for. It was able to happen because the Twins were able to sign top overall pick Royce Lewis below slot. 

After missing all of the 2020 season (pandemic), Enlow arrived at Instructional League last fall and was hitting 95-96 mph with his fastball. He’s always been known for his ability to spin the ball, and his changeup appeared much improved this season. He remains a top pitching prospect in the organization and I know we all look forward to his return. 

More injury updates below, but be sure to watch Blayne Enlow's appearance on Twins Spotlight in February. 

 

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A week after Enlow was placed on the Injured List with a right elbow strain, fellow Kernels/Twins top pitching prospect Matt Canterino went on the injured list with a right elbow strain too. Like Enlow, it came immediately following a 10-strikeout game (in four innings). The Twins announced to the media at Target Field on Tuesday night that imaging showed that Canterino has no structural damage. 

The same day Enlow was placed on the IL, slugger Matt Wallner was also placed on the Injured List. He suffered a wrist injury on a swing. Wallner noted, “I’m down in Ft. Myers, just starting the rehab process and look forward to getting back to Iowa as quickly, and as responsibly, as possible.” 

 

Hard-throwing right-hander Edwar Colina has been on the 60-Day Injured List since the beginning of the season. On May 26, Colina had an “arthroscopic debridement of his posterior elbow.” Summary? He had some bone chips removed. 

He mentioned to me that he still has the stitches, but he’s feeling good. “I hope to be back as soon as I can. I just want to be healthy and come back at 100% to help my team. That’s my goal right now.” 

 

Join us in wishing Enlow and all of these players well upon their rehab and eventual return to the field.

 

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[Danchat]

Ugh, not good. This move Enlow's arrival date to somewhere in 2023, most likely. Good to hear Canterino didn't have a serious elbow problem. 

[Dman]

Enlow made the right choice.  Waiting typically doesn't help much it at all.  Totally sucks that needs TJ and I feel bad for him but with any luck he comes back stronger than ever.   We need his arm we need him to be healthy and to work out and I think unfortunately TJ is the best way to get there.

I will miss watching him pitch this year.  I still think he is going to be monster once he gets healthy.  It has been a tough year but better times are ahead.

[operation mindcrime]

I wish him a speedy recovery!!!! How does this affect his 40 man and rule 5 stuff moving forward? Thanks!

[Seth Stohs]

7 minutes ago, operation mindcrime said:

I wish him a speedy recovery!!!! How does this affect his 40 man and rule 5 stuff moving forward? Thanks!

Yeah, it certainly is a big factor for consideration when the Twins make their adds in November. Would a team take him and stash him for a year? 

[ToriiRules!!]

Man just can’t catch a break this year… hopefully Canterino doesn’t need it either!!!

[Vanimal46]

Really unfortunate news. Good luck to him in his recovery! He’s had a pretty extensive injury history in his professional career so far, no? 

[mikelink45]

It seems as if every pitcher must get TJ - is this the result of the emphasis on strikeouts?  I do not remember so many pitchers going down when we used to field the ball and get ground outs and double plays.

[Mike Sixel]

Bummer. Good luck in your recovery!

[Steve Lein]

Well, this is depressing ?

18 minutes ago, Seth Stohs said:

Yeah, it certainly is a big factor for consideration when the Twins make their adds in November. Would a team take him and stash him for a year? 

Same way the Twins lost Burdi, no? He'd still be a definite add for me.

[Seth Stohs]

1 hour ago, Vanimal46 said:

Really unfortunate news. Good luck to him in his recovery! He’s had a pretty extensive injury history in his professional career so far, no? 

Not that I recall... 

[big dog]

And we were all so looking forward to putting 2020 behind us. Be careful what you wish for, I guess.

Good luck, Mr. Enlow, I hope the recovery goes well and perhaps you are fortunate to be able to sit out the rest of this train wreck.

[roger]

Oh, crap!

And does this put the Twins in a pickle come November.  Haven't looked at the must add list and how many spots they will likely have, but it will be almost impossible for them to add Enlow.  And that gives some team with extra space a chance to pluck him from of the organization, knowing he won't pitch until summer, 2022 at the earliest.  Does some team take a chance?  Boo, bah humbug!  

[PDX Twin]

12 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

It seems as if every pitcher must get TJ - is this the result of the emphasis on strikeouts?  I do not remember so many pitchers going down when we used to field the ball and get ground outs and double plays.

How in the world did pitching even happen before this surgery was invented? 

This is only half sarcastic. Did pitchers not strain/sprain/rupture the UCL ligament in those days? (And if they did not, why is it ubiquitous now with all of our modern medical and training advances?) Or did pitchers simply quit when the UCL went out? Or did they find a way to pitch with a damaged ligament?

I'd appreciate any clarification from those with more knowledge.

[AceWrigley]

11 minutes ago, PDX Twin said:

How in the world did pitching even happen before this surgery was invented? 

This is only half sarcastic. Did pitchers not strain/sprain/rupture the UCL ligament in those days? (And if they did not, why is it ubiquitous now with all of our modern medical and training advances?) Or did pitchers simply quit when the UCL went out? Or did they find a way to pitch with a damaged ligament?

I'd appreciate any clarification from those with more knowledge.

Rest, rehab and rub some dirt on it. I think the term was a sore elbow.

[big dog]

33 minutes ago, AceWrigley said:

Rest, rehab and rub some dirt on it. I think the term was a sore elbow.

There were an awful lot of guys back in the day who had a really good three-year run and then were never the same.

Consider Dave Boswell from the Twins. 19 years old in 1964, 23 IP.  Worked his way up to 106 IP, then 169, then 222, 190, and in 1969 he threw 256 innings at age 24. Went 20-12 with 10 complete games, ERA+ of 115.

That was it- he threw a total of 130 innings over the next 4 years. Career over at age 24. He said that his career effectively ended when he threw a slider to Frank Robinson in the tenth inning of a game (he lost 1-0 in 11 innings).

 

 

[mikelink45]

4 hours ago, PDX Twin said:

How in the world did pitching even happen before this surgery was invented? 

This is only half sarcastic. Did pitchers not strain/sprain/rupture the UCL ligament in those days? (And if they did not, why is it ubiquitous now with all of our modern medical and training advances?) Or did pitchers simply quit when the UCL went out? Or did they find a way to pitch with a damaged ligament?

I'd appreciate any clarification from those with more knowledge.

I wish I could explain it.  This is an interesting attempt - Pitcher Abuse stat  - and here is a look at shorter starts - Innings per start.  This is just a look at the last few years and the trend of starter use Workloads

Bob Feller says that it is because they do not throw enough, some say it is the extra torque for spin.  I do not know. 

[chpettit19]

4 hours ago, PDX Twin said:

How in the world did pitching even happen before this surgery was invented? 

This is only half sarcastic. Did pitchers not strain/sprain/rupture the UCL ligament in those days? (And if they did not, why is it ubiquitous now with all of our modern medical and training advances?) Or did pitchers simply quit when the UCL went out? Or did they find a way to pitch with a damaged ligament?

I'd appreciate any clarification from those with more knowledge.

Combination of things. Extra torque from throwing harder. Extra stress from throwing different pitches (splitters, etc.). Training is different and designed for max effort for more velocity so more stress on the arm that wasn't there back in the day. New technology lets us know there's an injury and how to treat it instead of trying to pitch/play through it. Even now players are given the option to play through partially torn UCLs. More stress put on arms from a young age without proper rest and recovery plans (velocity gets you noticed so they're going all out from the age of 12).

[mikelink45]

5 hours ago, big dog said:

There were an awful lot of guys back in the day who had a really good three-year run and then were never the same.

Consider Dave Boswell from the Twins. 19 years old in 1964, 23 IP.  Worked his way up to 106 IP, then 169, then 222, 190, and in 1969 he threw 256 innings at age 24. Went 20-12 with 10 complete games, ERA+ of 115.

That was it- he threw a total of 130 innings over the next 4 years. Career over at age 24. He said that his career effectively ended when he threw a slider to Frank Robinson in the tenth inning of a game (he lost 1-0 in 11 innings).

 

 

I think the innings are not as important as the pitches that are chosen - putting a curve on the ball puts a pressure on the joints. 

[big dog]

6 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

I think the innings are not as important as the pitches that are chosen - putting a curve on the ball puts a pressure on the joints. 

That might be- Steve Stone was basically done after his Cy Young year and says he knew he was throwing too many curves and wrecking his elbow, but as he said, you don't get many chances to win a Cy Young.

On the other hand, you have guys like Frank Tanana who were fireballers, got hurt, and then started throwing breaking balls because they no longer had heat. I suppose different injuries lead to different outcomes. I think he had a shoulder problem, though I'm not sure I remember that correctly.

[mikelink45]

Most innings pitched Jim Kaat pitched 304 innings for the Twins in 1966 and was healthy enough to pitch 264 the next year.   Jim Palmer - HOF - Oriole led the league in innings pitched four times.  Bert Blyleven led the league in innings pitched twice and since he was such a curve ball pitcher he probably disproves my theory that it is the non-straight pitches that hurt the hurler. 

career inning pitched leaders are not all in the ancient days - Nolan Ryan is fifth right behind Phil Niekro (but knuckleballers do not count - I just wonder why more don't throw it), 

7.	Don Sutton+ (23)	5282.1	R
8.	Warren Spahn+ (21)	5243.2	L
9.	Steve Carlton+ (24)	5217.2

 

13.	Greg Maddux+ (23)	5008.1	R
14.	Bert Blyleven+ (22)	4970.0	R

Jim Kaat who belongs in the HOF is number 25 on this list.

The longer 162 game season and the additional playoffs add to the stress as well as the all or nothing K/BB/HR craziness.

We brag about averaging 12 Ks per nine innings. (Shane Bieber 2021 - 12.92) - now I know everyone hates pitch to contact, but let's assume that every one of those twelve batters hit the ball on the average of every second pitch and that every strikeout had a minimum of one ball and no fouls - 4 pitches.  Now that is 24 pitches versus 48 and if they pitch 30 games that is 720 pitches versus 1440.  If we figure fouls and full counts the number gets really skewed, no wonder pitchers can't go deeper, can't pitch as much. 

[old nurse]

11 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Most innings pitched Jim Kaat pitched 304 innings for the Twins in 1966 and was healthy enough to pitch 264 the next year.   Jim Palmer - HOF - Oriole led the league in innings pitched four times.  Bert Blyleven led the league in innings pitched twice and since he was such a curve ball pitcher he probably disproves my theory that it is the non-straight pitches that hurt the hurler. 

career inning pitched leaders are not all in the ancient days - Nolan Ryan is fifth right behind Phil Niekro (but knuckleballers do not count - I just wonder why more don't throw it), 

7.	Don Sutton+ (23)	5282.1	R
8.	Warren Spahn+ (21)	5243.2	L
9.	Steve Carlton+ (24)	5217.2

 

13.	Greg Maddux+ (23)	5008.1	R
14.	Bert Blyleven+ (22)	4970.0	R

Jim Kaat who belongs in the HOF is number 25 on this list.

The longer 162 game season and the additional playoffs add to the stress as well as the all or nothing K/BB/HR craziness.

We brag about averaging 12 Ks per nine innings. (Shane Bieber 2021 - 12.92) - now I know everyone hates pitch to contact, but let's assume that every one of those twelve batters hit the ball on the average of every second pitch and that every strikeout had a minimum of one ball and no fouls - 4 pitches.  Now that is 24 pitches versus 48 and if they pitch 30 games that is 720 pitches versus 1440.  If we figure fouls and full counts the number gets really skewed, no wonder pitchers can't go deeper, can't pitch as much. 

1994 is ancient history for baseball. 

An assumption that 12 batters in a row will average making contact on the second pitch is a big fantasy.  Keeping track of the number of pitches a pitcher throws per game doesn't show up on fangraphs.  Deep counts looking for your pitch is as likely to happen swinging for the fences as well as swinging for first base.