Thursday, February 7, 2008

Questions About Schilling's Shoulder

The health of Curt Schilling's shoulder has recently become an issue. How much of an issue it is is unclear at this point, however. So far, the facts are as follows:

One doctor (Craig Morgan) has recommended that Schilling have surgery on his shoulder now. And the Red Sox have looked into if it would be possible to void Schilling's contract. But that's all anybody really knows. Anything else at this point is speculation.

There is conflicting news on just how much time Schilling could potentially miss in 2008. Some say that he's questionable to start Spring Training on time, others go as far as to say he's questionable for the entire season. It's likely that any news source knows just how severe Schilling's injury is. And Schilling's pitched hurt in the past, so even with an injury he may still be able to contribute to the rotation.

It's also likely that news sources are blowing Schilling's injury out of proportion. With a lack of interesting news to report on, many newspapers are no doubt desperate for attention. Even so, this will be an important story to follow throughout the season.

Fortunately for the Red Sox, they have arguably the best pitching prospect in baseball ready to take on 180 innings of work. And if worst comes to worst, they could always rely on Julian Tavarez as a starters, as they did for most of last year. But it would be ideal to have a healthy Schilling as he has been an elite pitcher in the division the last two years and has a track record of postseason excellence.

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