Baseball diversion: Another Mets phenom gets surgery

Paul Wilson. Bill Pulsipher. Jason Isringhausen (1.0). Phil Humber.

What do they all have in common? They were highly touted as Mets prospects and went under the knife. Some had productive careers — Izzy was a top-level closer who is back with the Mets as their eighth-inning guy — but none of them ended up being productive with the Mets.

Should we add Jenrry Mejia to the list? The team announced today that the 21-year-old, who opened the season in the Met bullpen last year (which only proved that Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya should have been fired much earlier than they were), is about to get the dreaded Tommy John surgery.

Highly regarded New York Mets pitching prospect Jenrry Mejia appears headed for Tommy John surgery that will sideline him for a year.

The 21-year-old Mejia, who made the Opening Day roster last season as a reliever, has a complete tear of the medial collateral ligament in his right elbow, the team announced. Mejia was examined Monday in New York by Mets doctor David Altchek, who recommended surgery.

Mejia plans to get a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., before proceeding.

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Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet