Jarrod Parker to have Tommy John Surgery

Mar 10, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jarrod Parker (11) throws in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

It is good to know that the Texas Rangers are not the only team to have some injury difficulty in the American League West. Well, not really. I always like when the Texas Rangers beat the best the other teams have to offer, but that is not going to happen with the Athletics this season. Jarrod Parker will miss the entire 2014 season because of Tommy John Surgery.

"“Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jarrod Parker needs to have Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ulnar-collateral ligament in his right (pitching) elbow (Susan Slusser via Twitter). As is the standard case with this procedure, Parker will be out for this entire season.” CBS Sports in reporting."

Even Buster Olney weighed in on the AL West today after this news came down.

Jarrod Parker has won 25 games the last two seasons for the Athletics and this will be a big blow to their rotation. So what does it mean for the Texas Rangers and their fans? It means that they will not be the only ones missing a good starter (Derek Holland for the Texas Rangers). The good news for Texas Rangers fans though: they will get Derek Holland back before the end of the season but the Athletics will not get Jarrod Parker back. I personally don’t believe that this shifted the balance of the American League West, but it does make a difference. We will see how the A’s respond to this.