When Steve Busby went under the knife in July 1976 to repair a torn rotator cuff, it was the first time the surgery had been performed on an active pitcher. Like most pitchers, he never fully recovered from the injury. After winning 56 games in his first three full seasons in the majors, and an all-star for two of them, he won only eight more games over the rest of his career.
Looking at how Busby might fit into the roster of a Retrotisserie Baseball team, I was curious what other pitchers had promising careers curtailed by a rotator cuff injury. This is no small feat, as a diagnosis was beyond the ken of modern medicine until perhaps the 1970’s. There are doubtless many more pitchers with undiagnosed rotator cuff tears throughout baseball history, but my research revealed only two confirmed cases prior to 1970.
Not content with a simple list of pitchers who tore their rotator cuff, I set about to create the best pitching staff I could. Because that’s what we do here at Retrotisserie Baseball. And also because a simple list would not engender the heated discussion bound to follow this post because of who I left off the list!
Here’s your starting rotation:
Mark Fidrych: The Bird is possibly the most famous pitcher to suffer a rotator cuff tear. Fidrych went 19-9 in 1976 with a league-leading 2.34 ERA and 1.079 WHIP, winning rookie of the year honors. In 1977, he was 6-2 with a 1.89 ERA and .971 WHIP before he hurt his arm on July 4th. He won four more games the rest of his career and was forced to retire in 1980 at the age of 25.
Brandon Webb: Between 2006 and 2008, Webb went 56-25 with a 3.13 ERA and 1.172 WHIP, winning a Cy Young Award and placing second twice. He tore his rotator cuff on opening day 2009 and never pitched in the majors again.
Don Gullett: By the age of 25, Gullett was 91-44, with a 3.03 ERA and 1.208 lifetime WHIP. He was already being compared to Sandy Koufax and appeared destined for the Hall of Fame. A rotator cuff tear limited him to eight appearances in 1978. Gullett pitched his last major league game July 9th, 1978, at the age of 27.
Gary Nolan: Nolan was a member of the Big Red Machine with Gullett, but injuries limited the combined effectiveness of the duo after 1971. Through 1976, Nolan had compiled at 106-66 record, 2.97 ERA and 1.126 WHIP. Injuries forced him to miss the first few weeks of the 1977 season. Nolan was not consistently effective upon his return, with a 1.65 WHIP in eight starts. Traded to the Angels in midseason, he made five starts for them, with a 1.82 WHIP. He retired prior to the 1978 season.
Mel Stottlemyre: Stottlemyre had a long and distinguished career for some pretty lackluster Yankees teams. From 1964 through 1973, he had a 2.94 ERA and 1.212 WHIP and won 20 games three times, but only managed a 158-132 record overall. He suffered from shoulder troubles throughout his career, numbing the pain with cortisone, so it is not clear when he tore his rotator cuff. He made 15 starts in 1974 before being diagnosed with the tear, and retired prior to the beginning of the 1975 season.
Honorable mention:
John Fulgham: Like Fidrych, Fulgham was a one-season wonder. He debuted midway through 1979, and finished 10-6 with a 2.53 ERA and 1.021 WHIP. Those numbers would have led the league, but he was 16 innings shy of the minimum required to qualify for the title. Due to shoulder trouble in 1980, Fulgham was limited to 14 starts in 1980. He had surgery in 1981, and spent parts of the next two seasons in the minors before retiring in 1983.
Bullpen:
Robb Nen: Between 1994 and 2001, Nen was an elite closer, recording 271 saves with a 2.72 ERA and 1.151 WHIP. He hurt his shoulder during 2002, pitching through the injury for the second half of the season for the pennant-winning Giants. His final major league appearance was during Game 6 of the 2002 World Series against the eventual World Champion Angels.
Bill Dailey: During his one full season in the majors, Dailey sported 21 saves, a 1.99 ERA and .911 WHIP for the 1963 Minnesota Twins. He injured his rotator cuff during 1964, blowing four saves in 14 games without a successful save, and retired after the season.