The Sad Story of Jaret Wright

The Indians hit Jaret Wright pretty hard on Sunday. Tom Hamilton and Mike Hegan were waxing nostalgic about the 1997 season and the magical run that the Indians had. As you see if you follow the link for Jaret, he was 21 years old in 1997. He was something of a postseason hero and even started Game 7 of the World Series. Mike Hargrove rode him pretty hard that year. He also pitched well in 1998, but eventually developed shoulder problems. You can see that he bounced around quite a bit after that.

I guess it's hard to feel too sorry for someone who made nearly $24M in 10 years, but you just have to wonder what he could have been if he wasn't abused. This also sets up an ethical question that has no clear answer. Is it worth it to ride a young pitcher hard for a season or two if it will get you into the postseason? Here's a guy who is still relatively young and describes his shoulder as being basically OK because "it only hurts when I pitch." He has had to endure some surgeries and a lot of pain. He did make it back to the big stage with the Yankees last year, but didn't pitch that well in the playoffs.

He just seems like a story of wasted potential. Kind of like tapping a major oil well, but never capping it. You just occasionally come and collect a barrel or two of crude from the petroleum rain, but never make full use of it.