Where is Scott Proctor?

October 12, 2008   ·   Paul Raymond   ·   Jump to comments

While watching the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers the last few days, I’ve had a few questions on my mind. Being a fan of the New York Yankees one of those questions has obviously been where is our good buddy Scott Proctor? How come he isn’t pitching? Why was he left off the post season roster? Well those questions have been answered and honestly I feel pretty bad for the guy. It turns out Mr. Proctor has some pretty bad elbow issues and will undergo surgery on his throwing hand.

Proctor missed significant time (all of July and August) this season due to a sore elbow. At the time, the severity wasn’t really known and Proctor was activated on September 1st when the rosters expanded. Manager Joe Torre went back to using his work horse regularly, albeit a little less then usual, 8 appearances in 23 days. During that stretch he was actually pretty damn effective but for some reason the Dodgers decided not to add him to their postseason roster, and it looks like they won’t be using him at all if they advance to the World Series.

With that being pretty much finalized, the pitcher has decided to undergo surgery on his elbow area. The injuries aren’t to severe but still bothersome. He’ll be undergoing surgery to repair a partial tear of his flexor tendon, as well as having a bone spur shaved off the back of his elbow. OUCH! The recovery time isn’t that long and Proctor should be ready to go at the start of spring training.

Hopefully the problems he is currently experiencing aren’t the beginning of things to come as Proctor has shown the ability to be an effective set-up man in the majors. If these injuries aren’t the norm and he recovers fine he still has a chance, but managers like Torre are going to have to make sure to not over use him. Unfortunately, due to all over usage by Joe in 2006 and 2008, and former Dodgers manager Grady Little in 2007, I don’t think Proctor will ever reach his potential. At the age of 31, he could still prove to be effective but his best days are probably already behind him.

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