257 replies to this topic

[Mystic Merlin]

20 pounds of muscle in 6 months?

[Jed Zeppelin]

20 pounds of muscle in 6 months?

Sounds like typical offseason hyperbole. His injury happened at the beginning of September so it's more like 4 and a half months without accounting for post-surgery recovery during which strenuous weightlifting would have been out of the question. The earliest definite note I could find about having no restrictions on strength and conditioning was from December 23.

[TheGoldenGreek33]

I know everyone calls bullshit on stuff like this, but think about it. It may be unrealistic for you or me to do it, but we don't have the time, resources, or athletic ability as most of these guys. Like Jed said, he's actually been rehabbing since about the start of September. But, he is put through the most rigorous strength program, is set up with the best dietitians, and oh, he's a tremendous athlete with a great work ethic to boot. Is it really that tough to gain twenty pounds of muscle in close to five months? I have talked to a few bodybuilders if it's that unreasonable, and they said absolutely not. There are dozens of legal supplements that can help them do so.

Speaking of Westmoreland, on MLBN, Jon Mayo ranked him 28th on the Top 50 prospects.

Edited by TheGoldenGreek33, 27 January 2010 - 08:25 PM.

[tbrown_01923]

To me the number sounds really high, and I wonder if the number is accurate what percent is muscle. That being said it is much more likely for a twenty year old to put on muscle than a twenty year veteran.

[NB Sox Fan]

To me the number sounds really high, and I wonder if the number is accurate what percent is muscle. That being said it is much more likely for a twenty year old to put on muscle than a twenty year veteran.

I think this is the key. It's a combination of a kid growing into manhood and a solid work ethic. Also reports like these tend to round off numbers. Adding 20 lbs. seems to sound better than adding 14.4 lbs.

[SoxScout]

Ryan will be chatting online tomorrow at 2PM during BA's Prospect Handbook Chat: http://www.baseballa...010/269440.html

This is tomorrow, FWIW

[mabrowndog]

Bump.

30 minutes until Ryan's BA chat.

Submit questions here.

[ItOnceWasMyLife]

Submit questions here.

Thanks for the reminder and link!

[pokey_reese]

I think this is the key. It's a combination of a kid growing into manhood and a solid work ethic. Also reports like these tend to round off numbers. Adding 20 lbs. seems to sound better than adding 14.4 lbs.

What strikes me is that he is now (if the article is accurate) 6'2" and 220 lbs, while his profile from the 2009 season puts him at 195 pounds. From seeing him last year, he was strong but lean and athletic, and I worry about his plus speed if he has bulked up that much in such a short time. That kind of rapid addition of muscle mass often comes at the expense of mobility, though it might make him more durable. For a young guy who counts speed as part of his game, I would rather see him add muscle slowly, working more on endurance and felxibility in his strength training than mass. Plus, until I see a picture of him this spring, I have a hard time imagining that frame being 220.

[SoxScout]

Mike Andrews on SoxProspects:

Sources are telling me that when Westmoreland graduated high school in June 2008, he was 185. When he began working out in Ft. Myers last off-season, he was about 195. While playing for the Spinners in 2009, he was generally weighing in around 208 (but his milb page still lists him at 195). He is presently at 220 and about 5% body fat. Essentially, he gained about 12 pounds this off-season while maintaining his BF%. His 60 time has also improved since he was 185. He has focused on lower body stuff during his rehab. Hope this clears the air.

http://forum-soxpros...ml#reply-217961

[Joshv02]

And to beat the dead horse a little more, from Westmoreland's chat (link above):

Ryan (Clinton, MA): The ProJo said in a story this week you have added about 20 pounds of muscle and are 6'2, 220. Is that height and weight accurate?


Ryan Westmoreland: Yes that's accurate. I'm about 6'3 and I have been consistently weighing in between 215-220. I have been crushing it at the weight room and trying my hardest to put on as much 'good' weight as possible.

[pokey_reese]

Mike Andrews on SoxProspects:http://forum-soxpros...ml#reply-217961

That actually does clear up a lot, and makes me feel much better. I was thinking that the guy I saw last year was 195, but if he was already at 208 when I saw him, then I am not too worried about the extra 7-12 pounds, especially if it is in his legs.

[pokey_reese]

While some people have concerns about his ability to stay healthy, BA's Jim Callis called Westmoreland his breakout prospect of 2010 in his chat today, which is always nice to read.

I know that isn't especially informative for a high-ceiling prospect, but before pitchers and catchers report, what can you do?

[phragle]

I met somebody that was good friends with Westmoreland at a party yesterday. He said Westmoreland is faster than Jacoby, can throw 94 off the mound, and is going to start in AA. Take it FWIW.

Edited by phragle, 22 February 2010 - 02:24 AM.

[cutman1000]

He said Westmoreland is faster than Jacoby, can throw 94 off the mound, and is going to start in AA.

He sounds pretty impressive, but can he shoot fireballs from his eyes and bolts of lightning from his arse like William Wallace?

[someoneanywhere]

I met somebody that was good friends with Westmoreland at a party yesterday. He said Westmoreland is faster than Jacoby, can throw 94 off the mound, and is going to start in AA. Take it FWIW.

I take that to mean the person you met wouldn't know Ryan Westmoreland from William Westmoreland. He'll start in A-ball, probably at Greenville. If he sees AA this year it will be in August sometime.

[RobertTillman]

I met somebody that was good friends with Westmoreland at a party yesterday. He said Westmoreland is faster than Jacoby, can throw 94 off the mound, and is going to start in AA. Take it FWIW.

He was throwing 88-90 off the mound in high school. He then developed elbow problems and never pitched again, then shoulder problems. I highly doubt he has thrown off a mound since being drafted by the Sox. Sounds like he was feeding you a lot of BS.

[mikcou]

I take that to mean the person you met wouldn't know Ryan Westmoreland from William Westmoreland. He'll start in A-ball, probably at Greenville. If he sees AA this year it will be in August sometime.

Id be pretty surprised if he didnt start at Salem next year, given his success at Lowell last year.

[phragle]

He was throwing 88-90 off the mound in high school. He then developed elbow problems and never pitched again, then shoulder problems. I highly doubt he has thrown off a mound since being drafted by the Sox. Sounds like he was feeding you a lot of BS.

That's interesting, but I don't think it was BS, I think he was just exaggerating, we were all drunk. He definitely knew Westmoreland, he showed me his number in his phone, and told me the signing bonus. Another interesting thing he told me was that the FO never told him he was untouchable, he was particularly worried he was getting traded when he heard the Halladay and Gonzalez rumors.

[amarshal2]

That's interesting, but I don't think it was BS, I think he was just exaggerating, we were all drunk. He definitely knew Westmoreland, he showed me his number in his phone, and told me the signing bonus. Another interesting thing he told me was that the FO never told him he was untouchable, he was particularly worried he was getting traded when he heard the Halladay and Gonzalez rumors.

That's correct. The front office never told him he was untouchable. We've confirmed this multiple times at SoxProspects.com.

I've heard suggestions that Westmoreland thinks he can make AA by season's end. Given his performance last year, I too am not ruling out the possibility that they challenge him and send him to Salem (A+) rather than Greenville (A).

Edited by amarshal2, 23 February 2010 - 09:52 AM.

[TomRicardo]

Ryan Westmoreland can turn into a dragon.

[nighthob]

He sounds pretty impressive, but can he shoot fireballs from his eyes and bolts of lightning from his arse like William Wallace?

Edited by nighthob, 23 February 2010 - 11:27 AM.

[phragle]

That's correct. The front office never told him he was untouchable. We've confirmed this multiple times at SoxProspects.com.

I've heard suggestions that Westmoreland thinks he can make AA by season's end. Given his performance last year, I too am not ruling out the possibility that they challenge him and send him to Salem (A+) rather than Greenville (A).

I never knew if it was true or false, I don't venture too far in to SoxProspects.com. I'm just trying to add something valuable to the site.

His friend made him sound pretty confident, I'd be very surprised if Westmoreland didn't think he can make AA by the end of the season.

[alskor]

What I'm curious about is if he starts in CF this year. I would guess the answer is "yes."

That would make Salem a better fit, no? I assume Reymond Fuentes starts in CF at Greenville...

[TheGoldenGreek33]

What I'm curious about is if he starts in CF this year. I would guess the answer is "yes."

That would make Salem a better fit, no? I assume Reymond Fuentes starts in CF at Greenville...

I think there's a very real possibility that Fuentes and WML split time in center, with WML playing right when Fuentes is in center.

[amarshal2]

When I typed "end of the season" I meant "mid-season." From what I've heard, Westmoreland hopes he can make it to AA by mid-season. That would seem to imply the Red Sox told him that he would start at Salem. However, that's really not their style, so it might be wishful thinking on Ryan's behalf.

Getting to AA by mid-season would be outstanding. He would probably end the year a top 5 prospect in MLB.

[The Mainahh]

I wonder if WML's injury problems might not be more symptomatic than we are giving them credit for. If its true what my fellow lurker RobertTillman said that he has not thrown off a mound since HS when he developed elbow trouble, and then he had shoulder surgery on a labrum in 2008, and then broke a collarbone in 2009...Thats quite an injury history for a 19 year old kid. I just hope he can get through this season injury free.

Sidenote: Does anyone know which side he broke his collarbone on? Was it the same shoulder he had labrum surgery on and if so was it his throwing arm? If it was all the same arm we may have just witnessed the sort of shoulder injury that turned Johnny Damon (who allegedly had a rocket in HS) into a limp noodle CF.

[Billy R Ford]

Does anyone know which side he broke his collarbone on? Was it the same shoulder he had labrum surgery on and if so was it his throwing arm?

He broke his left clavicle, whereas he had the labrum surgery on his right shoulder. His right arm is his throwing arm (he's one of those bat-left, throw-right guys, like Mo Vaughn).

[snowmanny]

His right arm is his throwing arm (he's one of those bat-left, throw-right guys, like Mo Vaughn).

Or Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski.

[RobertTillman]

He was a dominant pitcher in high school. I know the RI competition isn't that great, but these numbers are impressive nonetheless. If it weren't for the elbow problems, I wonder if he still might be pitching today... http://www.phsbaseba...rstats2007.html

[amarshal2]

He was a dominant pitcher in high school. I know the RI competition isn't that great, but these numbers are impressive nonetheless. If it weren't for the elbow problems, I wonder if he still might be pitching today... http://www.phsbaseba...rstats2007.html

He was never considered a top prospect as a pitcher. His future was always going to be in the field.

[alskor]

I wonder if WML's injury problems might not be more symptomatic than we are giving them credit for. If its true what my fellow lurker RobertTillman said that he has not thrown off a mound since HS when he developed elbow trouble, and then he had shoulder surgery on a labrum in 2008, and then broke a collarbone in 2009...Thats quite an injury history for a 19 year old kid. I just hope he can get through this season injury free.

Sidenote: Does anyone know which side he broke his collarbone on? Was it the same shoulder he had labrum surgery on and if so was it his throwing arm? If it was all the same arm we may have just witnessed the sort of shoulder injury that turned Johnny Damon (who allegedly had a rocket in HS) into a limp noodle CF.

Interesting thought, but I don't think it has any merit. The two injuries are completely unrelated. He broke the collarbone running into a wall in the OF. That's a one time trauma injury and its not indicative or symptomatic of anything.

The injury didn't affect his shoulder, and he was scheduled to resume workouts by the end of the year.

(He did)
http://www.baseballa...009/268926.html

As for his arm, in high school he was known as having an off the charts great throwing arm from the OF. It was actually the first thing brought up by a couple people I've talked to about him.

Some praise for his arm:

He had a plus arm in high school, but it's not completely back yet.

http://baseballprosp...?articleid=9762

has a big-time arm

http://baseballprosp...?articleid=8444

solid arm strength.

http://www.baseballa...009/267145.html

He also starred as a pitcher in high school, and his arm should grade as at least average once it's back to 100 percent.

http://www.baseballa...010/269310.html

He's a gifted athlete who profiles as a good center fielder once he regains the average to plus arm strength he showed in high school

http://www.baseballa...009/268926.html

[pokey_reese]

KG from BP on Westmoreland in yesterday's chat:

Todd (Tallahassee): I was surprised to see you have Ryan Westmoreland ahead of Domonic Brown. Is defensive value the driver on that or is there something beyond that? Kevin Goldstein: It's a small driver, but as good as Brown is, Westmoreland's tools are absolutely insane. The reports I got from scouts who saw him in the New York Penn League were just unbelievable.

[Over Guapo Grande]

Just saw this on the NESN crawl:

Red Sox minor league outfielder Ryan Westmoreland diagnosed with a cavernous malformation in his brain and has taken medical leave from camp

To our docs- translation?


(text of quote taken from Tanguay and Zo, but matches the NESN crawl)

[Rudy Pemberton]

Here's some info, it doesn't sound like anything that should prevent from him playing, but I'm not a doctor.

Cavernomas

[Razor Shines]

Heyman tweets that WML is having surgery for it. From the link posted above, it doesn't seem too bad, but to a layperson..."cavernous brain malformation" doesn't have a very comforting ring to it.

[bosox0192]

Westmoreland, 19, left minor league camp on Thursday, March 4th. He was diagnosed on Friday, March 5th at Massachusetts General Hospital, had consultations with three leading experts in the field, and on Tuesday will have surgery with Dr. Robert Spetzler of the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, AZ.

http://boston.redsox...e...sp&c_id=bos

[Snodgrass'Muff]

A little more information on it...

http://www.mayoclini...-malformations/

Edited by Snodgrass'Muff, 13 March 2010 - 07:12 PM.

[Steve Dillard]

Some hopeful findings

Treatment
When patients present with recurrent hemorrhage, progressive neurologic deterioration, or intractable epilepsy, then treatment in the form of surgery should be considered. The decision to operate on a patient with a cavernous malformation must be made based on the exact location of the lesion and its surgical accessibility. By and large surgery offers an excellent option in terms of complete excision of lesion with stabilization of symptoms. Even seemingly deep- seated lesions can be reached using currently available stereotactic techniques. Thus, a relatively small lesion deep in the hemisphere can be reached through a small (1 cm or less) cortisectomy.


________________________________________________________________________________
_____________
Robert F. Spetzler, MD, FACS

Director, Barrow Neurological Institute
J. N. Harber Chair of Neurological Surgery
Chair, Division of Neurological Surgery
Director, Neurological Research


Dr. Robert Spetzler is a world-renowned neurosurgeon who specializes in cerebrovascular disease and skull base tumors. He has been involved in pioneering the technique of hypothermia and cardiac arrest for the treatment of difficult brain lesions. He has been honored many times by professional societies, including the American College of Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. In 1994 Dr. Spetzler was chosen to be the Honored Guest of Congress of Neurological Surgeons. At age 49 he was the youngest recipient of this prestigious honor.

Dr. Spetzler was born in Stierhoefstetten, Germany, and moved to the United States at the age of 11. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, and his M.D. from Northwestern Medical School, Chicago, Illinois. His postgraduate training was completed at Wesley Memorial Hospital–Northwestern in Chicago, Illinois. He completed a residency in neurosurgery at the University of California, San Francisco. He received board certification in September 1979 from the American Board of Neurological Surgery.

In 1983 Dr. Spetzler left his position as Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio, to assume the Chair in the Division of Neurological Surgery at Barrow. He has been the Director of Barrow since 1986. He is also a Professor of Surgery, Section of Neurosurgery, at University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson, Arizona.

Dr. Spetzler has published more than 300 articles and 180 book chapters in the neuroscience literature. He has co-edited a number of neurosurgical textbooks, including the Color Atlas of Microneurosurgery. He is on the review board of several neuroscience journals and is Editor-in-Chief of the Barrow Quarterly and Skull Base: An Interdisciplinary Approach.

Edited by Steve Dillard, 13 March 2010 - 07:53 PM.

[TheGoldenGreek33]

Jesus Christ, the kid can't buy a break.

[radsoxfan]

Wow, this guy really can't catch a break.

All the basics can be found with a simple google search, so I won't get into a ton of detail. Basically he has a pocket of tangled dilated thin walled blood vessels in his brain. It's not quite as scary as it sounds, as these are not high pressure arterial blood vessels on the verge of massive rupture, but low pressure/low flow vessels. However, they can still sometimes bleed. They can cause symptoms by such bleeding, or just by pushing up against parts of the brain. A lot of them are due to genetic predisposition, so I wouldn't be surprised if other people in his family have them even if they don't know about it. I've seen the prevalence in the population listed anywhere from 0.25% up to 1% when they do autopsy studies, so obviously a lot of people have them and never know it. I am curious how they found out about it. Sometimes they are incidental findings on MRIs or CTs. Other times, people have symptoms (headaches, seizure, etc) leading to the scan.

Hopefully it is at least easily accessable and the surgery is (relatively) simple. Sounds like his neurosurgeon clearly knows what he is doing, but brain surgery is scary no matter what. Here is a link to some cool pictures for those visually inclined. You certainly don't need to be a board certified radiologist to know something is wrong with a few of these images (especially if you scroll down to some of the MRIs). Of course they are showing the more obvious ones in most of the examples.

Cavernous malformation images

If you scroll down to the first MRI, the "top left" and the "bottom right" of the image are the malformations. The two bright disks on the top of the picture are the eyes for reference. The image is essentially looking up through the brain from the neck as if the patient was laying on its back. (which makes the malformations in actuality in the right frontal lobe and left occipital/posterior lobe in that example)

Edited by radsoxfan, 13 March 2010 - 09:58 PM.

[mt8thsw9th]

Word is RWML has opted to perform the surgery himself and will start the season in AAA.

[doublex]

A friend of mine went through this about 10 years ago. He had to have surgery, it was a little scary, but he got through it fine and made a full recovery with no problems since.

[sodenj5]

What's the recovery time on this type of operation? Is he expected to miss weeks? Months?

[Metrician]

Well, I feel a bit better than I did 15 min's ago. I know a media guy who told me Ryan was the most impressive kid he's dealt with. Obviously everyone will be pulling for him next week.

[phragle]

I'm about to pick this guy for the Tommy John Contest.

[TheGoldenGreek33]

Que the "he just can't stay healthy!!11!!" drum-line.

[Jed Zeppelin]

Que the "he just can't stay healthy!!11!!" drum-line.

That and "stay away from off the charts toolsy Rhode Island outfielders!"

[TheGoldenGreek33]

The best part are the fools that are dropping him to 5th or lower in their rankings. Really? Below Tazawa?