Injury won’t change how Daniel Hudson pitches

Daniel Hudson doesn’t have what one would call
“prototypical” mechanics on the mound.

The right-hander’s arm slot is lower than most, and the
violent, whip-like motion his arm goes through to deliver
the ball looks as if it would place extra stress on the
elbow.

Of course, Hudson’s elbow finally gave in, as the 25-year-
old was diagnosed with a 100 percent tear of the UCL, an
injury that will likely require Tommy John surgery and
sideline the hurler for the next 12-18 months.

Still, don’t expect Hudson to change the way he pitches.
After all, it’s what makes him who he is, and why he’s
effective.

“It is what made me, I thought, a better pitcher than I
would be if I had a different arm slot,” he told Arizona
Sports 620’s Burns and Gambo Thursday. “I have a
special…the way I throw, it’s different.”

Hudson said no one has ever tried to change him for fear
of him getting hurt, saying that if it was going to
happen, it would happen.

“I had somebody tell me one time every pitcher has got a
certain number of bullets in their arm, and once they’re
up, they’re up,” Hudson said. “Something like this was
bound to happen.”

It’s not like Hudson was just waiting for the day his arm
would be betray him. Though GM Kevin
Towers and Sports Illustrated writer Tom
Verducci knew it was possible, Hudson always figured
there was really nothing he could do other than keep
pitching and hope for the best.

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