Pirates Prospects has learned that right-handed pitcher John Pomeroy had Tommy John surgery and will miss the rest of this season. Pomeroy underwent successful surgery on April 19th. After resting up for nine days, he returned to Pirate City this weekend to begin the rehab process. With the timing of the surgery, Pomeroy likely won’t return to game action until the 2018 GCL season begins in late June.
Pomeroy was the 13th round draft pick in 2016, signing for a $100,000 bonus. He was considered a very raw pitcher, who put in 14.1 innings at Oregon State in 2016, getting limited mound time due to control issues. His appeal was a fastball that sat mid-90s and a big 6’5″, 225 pound frame. He went to Bristol after signing, where he showed the same fastball and control issues, with 19 walks and 18 strikeouts in only 13.2 innings. During the Instructional League, we saw him hit 98 MPH, as the Pirates stretched him out a bit to get him some extra innings.
Pomeroy noted that the arm issues didn’t begin until this spring. He also knows the Pirates have had some successful returns from Tommy John surgery, with players such as Angel Sanchez, Jacob Taylor and Eduardo Vera returning recently with more velocity. He acknowledged that success and noted the hard work he has to put in during his rehab.
“Yes I’ve heard that as well [regarding the successful returns]. I just have to attack my rehab every day and have confidence in myself that I will come back better than ever. There’s no other way.”
We noted numerous times that the Pirates had the most Tommy John surgeries between March 2014 and the end of 2015. They had just one last year though, Nathan Trevillian. He had his almost exactly a year before Pomeroy, so we could finally see him make his first appearance this June/July for the Pirates since being drafted in 2015. Pomeroy is the first Pirate since Trevillian to have TJ surgery.
Another mid-round 2016 draft pick has been out since the start of Spring Training. Right-handed pitcher Adam Oller, who was taken in the 20th round out of Northwestern, had a shoulder impingement, which happened on the first day of Spring Training. Oller also pitched at Bristol last year, where he had some success, albeit as a college pitcher in a rookie league. He put up an impressive 46:9 SO/BB ratio in 54.2 innings. He also pitched in the Fall Instructional League, so Oller ended up putting in a lot of innings last year between Bristol, the FIL and 109.2 in college.
According to Oller, he has been throwing for the last couple weeks and he will get on the mound for the first time this week, so this is a bit of good news in the wake of Pomeroy’s surgery.
