Albert Pujols : October 13th, 2008, 10:35 pm est
News: Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols had elbow surgery Monday and is expected to be ready for spring training. The 2005 NL MVP underwent a 25-minute outpatient procedure to relieve nerve irritation in his right elbow, which had led to numbness, tingling in his ring finger and pinkie, weakness in his grip and pain along the inside of the forearm. Dr. George Paletta, the team physician who performed the surgery, said Pujols experienced those symptoms over the last month of the season. The surgery Pujols had was not the reconstructive procedure that has long been discussed. Now, the Cardinals hope he won't need that procedure. 'My opinion is we've managed this thing quite successfully,' Paletta said on a conference call. 'I'm still optimistic that we can manage this thing without surgery for the remainder of his career.
Analysis: Pujols sure played well for having a weak grip and pain in his forearm. He managed to stave off Tommy John surgery all season, and this procedure sounds like it'll help him stave it off longer. He has played for several seasons with a partially torn ligament in the elbow and isn't able to fully extend his arm, but Paletta said that's not unique. The doctor added that Pujols' range of motion was much better last season than in 2007. Still, with him expected back in plenty of time for spring training, you should have no reservations about drafting him in the first round next season. If he didn't play a position like first base, he might even deserve to go No. 1 overall
