I certainly don't agree that a labral tear means the end of a pitching career. What we've found is that it requires dedication to improved mechanics (since mechanical flaws likely contributed to the tear), a very serious commitment to physical therapy and conditioning, a strong desire to pitch, and more time than anticipated, for successful recovery from SLAP surgery.
It's been a very long and often discouraging road for my son. As the name I've chosen makes clear, I'm very proud of my son, whose tenacity in spite of adversity will serve him well in life.
He believed that he was ready to pitch in May, over thirteen months after surgery. But he failed to make his Legion team as a pitcher, and did not look great in tryouts. His velocity was only in the low 70's, and his control mediocre. He landed with another Legion team, and got some limited innings.
He kept working to get bigger and stronger, and to improve his pitching. He attended a couple of showcases that struck us as simply moneymakers for the organizers, and was getting discouraged. In August, he pitched two scoreless innings against pretty good talent at a showcase, and was clocked at 79 mph. Like that good golf shot that gets you back on the course, he and I had a little boost of encouragement.
He also began to long toss regularly. By December, he could throw 80 or 81 mph. He has developed four good pitches, and at least in the gym, has good control.
He is hoping for a great senior season. He's applied to quite a few D3 colleges, where we think he could have both academic and athletic success. He's 6'2" and 195 lbs., a good student, and a great kid. We've not done much to market him to prospective college coaches, but will be sending out emails to the coaches at schools where he's applied.
I'm very hopeful that all of his hard work will pay off in successful senior and summer baseball seasons. I believe that he will be a real find for some college baseball program, and that he will be a much stronger and better pitcher due to all that he has been through, including the labral tear.
In any case, he is a better person for what he has gone through as a result of that tear.