The Washington Nationals announced Monday that Jordan Zimmermann, one of the few bright spots in their nightmare of a season (save their current eight-game winning streak, of course), has a torn elbow ligament and will need Tommy John surgery. With the recovery timetable given by the Nats -- 18 months -- it's likely that the budding ace will miss not just the rest of 2009, but all of 2010 as well. Neither Zimmermann's ERA (4.63) nor his WHIP (1.35) are eye-catching, but his 9.1 strikeout-per-nine-inning rate along with his 2.9 BB/9 in 2009 are phenomenal for a pitcher that won't turn 24 until next May. He entered 2009 as the Nats' best pitching prospect and arguably their best overall prospect and nothing he did on the mound this year disproved those perceptions.
It's hard to overstate how devastating this injury is for the Nats; it's easily the worst thing to happen to them this year and they're currently on pace for 104 losses, even accounting for their current win streak. The usual caveats (as given by acting GM Mike Rizzo in the linked story) about how most pitchers make full recoveries from TJ surgery apply here, of course, but the Nats are playing solely for the future right now and losing Zimmermann is a huge blow.
In the immediate aftermath, this injury also raises questions for the Nats with their on-going Stephen Strasburg negotiations. Will Scott Boras try to turn the screws, knowing the Nats are a little more desperate for pitching? Will the Nats be more likely to pay what Boras wants with their best pitching talent out for a year and a half?
Besides a freak, devastating injury to Ryan Zimmerman, I don't think the Nats could've gotten worse news. And it comes just when things were starting to look up for them.
