With a high level of concern, Spin Williams hit send. During a 12-day span in May 2014, six starters in the Washington Nationals organization had been injured. Williams, the Nationals’ senior advisor for player development, had been studying pitching injuries and solutions in 2013 more than he had in the past. Then the batch of injuries hit. Williams‘ worry prompted him to release the mass email through the organization. He wanted ideas.
Injured pitchers are not new. They are not specific to the Nationals, an organization known for its tautly structured Tommy John surgery recovery program and its shutdown of Stephen Strasburg in 2012.