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| The Cardinals hope that Jaime Garcia will be doing a lot of this in 2013. (US Presswire) |
You'll recall Cardinals lefty Jaime Garcia's 2012 season ended under regrettable circumstances. Not only was he forced from his NLDS Game 2 start against the Nationals because of shoulder problems, but he also reportedly angered some teammates by either A) not disclosing his injury prior to making such an important start; or B) malingering (one cannot win sometimes, it seems).
Anyhow, time is reportedly healing Garcia's shoulder (if not the psychic wounds to be found elsewhere). Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Garcia threw 25 pitches from the mound Monday and did so without any discouraging signs. "By December he'll have a normal offseason and in January begin the throwing program for spring," GM John Mozeliak told Goold. "In everything I heard [from the team medical staff] today, the word surgery never came up."
That's good news, obviously. Still, Garcia's shoulder concerns can be classified as "major," and as a minor-leaguer he underwent Tommy John surgery. Health is not to be assumed.
The 26-year-old boasts a career ERA of 3.43, but his numbers have steadily declined since his outstanding rookie campaign of 2010. Garcia is signed through 2015 with club options for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
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