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Chien-Ming Wang, who last pitched in MLB in 2013, makes Royals' roster
By Mike Axisa | Baseball Writer
April 3, 2016 12:17 pm ET
Chien-Ming Wang's remarkable spring comeback has landed him back in the big
leagues. The Royals announced their Opening Day roster Sunday morning, and
Wang did indeed claim the last bullpen spot:
Wang, 36, has not pitched in MLB since 2013. He spent the 2014-15 seasons
bouncing around Triple-A and an independent league.
The former Yankees ace won 38 games from 2006-07, but a foot injury in 2008
and a major shoulder injury in 2009 sabotaged his career. Wang suffered a
torn shoulder capsule and had a 6.60 ERA in 163 2/3 innings from 2009-13.
http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/visual/whatshot/USATSI_9153096.jpg
Torn capsules are usually the kiss of death for pitchers. It has ended the
careers of Rich Harden, Mark Prior, and John Maine, among others. Wang lost a
lot of velocity off his trademark sinker following the surgery, hence his
ineffectiveness.
However, the velocity returned this spring. Several spring training parks in
Arizona are equipped with PitchFX, and the system clocked Wang's sinker at
92.6 mph on average this spring. The sinker had not averaged 92+ mph since
2009, before he hurt his shoulder.
http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/visual/whatshot/CMWvelo040316.png
Wang's sinker topped out at 96.3 mph this spring. In 2013, his last stint in
the big leagues, PitchFX had the sinker averaging 90.4 mph and topped out at
93.5 mph. He's added about 3 mph to his sinker despite being three years
older.
This spring Wang allowed five runs (four earned) in 15 innings. Most
importantly, he had 27 ground ball outs and only seven in the air. That
indicates the sinker is working. For now, Wang figures to pitch in long
relief with Kansas City.
One strong spring training does not mean Wang is back to where he was with
the Yankees. He's going to have to continue to prove himself given his recent
history. The improved velocity is definitely encouraging though. This is one
comeback story worth rooting for.
本篇外電底下部份留言：
Rich Porter
Great pitcher until the injury glad to see him get an other shot
Neeno Brown
He was a good pitcher for the Yankees a while back before injuries came up...
Good to see him back in the MLB
Logan Darr
He had some velocity this Spring! Happy to have him
Susan Tu
Oh my god that was awesome
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