Poll: Confidence in Pedro

[SeaverGooden]

It seems to me the majority of baseball fans seem to doubt a real return to for for Pedro Martinez. So I was wondering how confident fellow Mets fans were in his return from shoulder surgery. Do you think with the advancements in these types of surgerys he could potentially come back better than he has been in the past 2-3 years? Do you think he'll pick up where he left off before the surgery? Do you think he'll return from the surgery not the same pitcher he was? Or do you think that we've seen the last from Pedro Martinez on the New York Mets?

[NYMets523]

I'm a little biased but I am very confident. I think having surgery and a long time to heal will help him out a lot.

[elpedro]

According to the doctor that did his surgery, he will trow harder now. :clapping

[EvanAparra]

Throw harder than he was before the surgery? Maybe... i'm no med student. Throw harder than ever? Heck no.

[SeaverGooden]

He definitley wont throw Harder than ever, just figured I'd cover all the bases.

[KCGHOST]

The problem for the Mets is that 2007 will be a rehab year with maybe a late return and then 2008 will be the return year. Pitchers rarely pitch at a high level the year they return from surgery. At that point Pedro's contract is over and you will have gotten 1-and-a-half good seasons out of him.

[NYMets523]

I wouldn't count Pedro out. And even if he never fully recovers, he still did a lot for this franchise.

[moebarguy]

He won't be a bid contributer to this team. I'm hoping that he will come back by mid-season, and contribute to the bottom half of our rotation, but to expect anything more than that is silly.

[Jose Reyes]

The rest of 2007 when he comes back will be like a rehab, so he definitely won't be the old Pedro. You also have to remember that he's getting into his mid 30s now. I don't expect him to ever be the same.

[The Kid]

I'm a little biased but I am very confident. I think having surgery and a long time to heal will help him out a lot.

Agreed. I think people are forgeting Pedro was one of, if not the best, pitchers in baseball just three years ago. Pedro has a lot of time to heal and I beleive he will work hard and regain his old form.

[elpedro]

in an interview in DR, pedro said that the recovery is going great and that he gained 10 pounds of mussle:clapping

[Joltin Joe Giradio]

Surgery is not magic. Give him 07 to be a rehab year. If he puts up an ERA around 4, that'd be pretty good.

[LostMet]

He had a relatively new procedure which allows for better range of motion than older procedures. Barring setbacks, and taking into account that everyone heals differently (scar tissue, etc), the doctor did say that he should be able to throw harder than he has for the past few years. If he could get his fastball back to 92-93 mph that would be fantastic. I am in the rehab business and my 17 year old had the same procedure in August, he is already back to 95 percent of where he was pre-injury with ROM and strength. Given all that, plus the positive signs coming from Pedro's camp, I am optimistic that he will be effective once he returns in August and will dominate in 2008.

[SeaverGooden]

I completley agree I think Pedro will be a major force upon his return, I saw today that for the upcoming season Bill James projected him at 7-2 in 15 starts with I believe a 2.98 era and near 100 strikeouts and if not over than just under at like 98. I saw that while browsing through Barnes & Nobles today when I stopped an looked briefly at the 2007 handbook.

[NYMets523]

As long as he has a winning record and an ERA under 3 he's in good shape.