re: Dugas headed to Fredricksburg Nationals

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I posted this because I knew damn well what I was talking about and it got all down votes from keyboard Doctors that feel a shoulder with no damage still needs surgery.

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Did you watch Dugas after he got hurt? He absolutely has shoulder damage. I’d be shocked if he didn’t tear his labrum. He shot-putted the ball for the rest of the season. And Jay had to try to hide by doing something very unconventional moving Thompson to 2nd in certain situations.

And his hitting took a complete nosedive for a month or so after that injury. I’ve had a torn labrum, and most people think it’s mainly a throwing issue, but it absolutely affects your swing. Taking as many cuts as you have to to play at that level is excruciating while swinging. The whole back side of his right shoulder had to hurt like a son of a bitch. Now, because he’s a tough SOB and a gamer, he managed to adjust and tough it out and started hitting again, but I promise it wasn’t easy. And since he fought through it through the end of the season, the Nationals may as well let him keep fighting it and get the crucial experience over the next month. But I would bet just about anything he has surgery almost as soon as his season is over. A professional baseball player simply cannot throw like he’s having to throw right now. And those injuries only get worse over time. But with the best orthopedic surgeons in the world and a while off-season to rehab with some of the best PTs in sports, he should be back and near 100% by the time training camp rolls around. He’s got September, October, November, December, and January to get right, and he will.

Another thing is that 2nd base is probably “easiest spot” to hide that arm, and that may be where they see him long term due to his stature. But he could also play some LF at some point, and that arm absolutely doesn’t play there. The slowest dudes in baseball would be scoring from 2nd on a single to left and tagging up on shallow fly balls.

But why the animosity, anyway for those of us who know he’s hurt? Nobody is crapping on Dugas. It wasn’t his fault he got hurt. If anything, it shows just how tough he is, and I gained a ton of respect for him for not only playing through it, but eventually figuring out a way to thrive in spite of it.