Corbin’s Vision of the Future a Little Clearer Now

Sept. 16, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Patrick Corbin (46) in the fourth inning against San Francisco Giants at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Hilderbrand-USA TODAY Sports

Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin tweeted earlier from his personal account, that he has undergone lasik surgery to correct his vision. The tweet read, “No more glasses or contacts, eyes feeling better. #Lasik 20/20.”

Though it currently remains unclear as to whether this was a baseball-influenced move or not, we’ve seen players such as Brian McCann have the procedure done in the past so they could ditch the contact lenses and glasses.

McCann ultimately battled blurred vision in his left eye after his first procedure due to a change in his vision, but hopefully Corbin doesn’t have to deal with the same situation. Blurriness would be even more problematic for a pitcher, because as you can imagine, it’s harder to read the signs a catcher is flashing and hit your target.

The 22-year old Corbin put together a solid rookie campaign last year, going 6-8 with a 4.54 ERA, and currently projects to be battling for the team’s fifth starting spot coming out of Spring Training. Corbin will, however, have plenty of competition for the spot as top prospect Tyler Skaggs and veteran Josh Collmenter both want to win that spot as well. The rotation will get even more crowded when Daniel Hudson returns from injury during the month of July. More competition could also come in if the Diamondbacks go through with trading an outfielder, so perhaps Corbin is doing whatever he can to get his body ready.

The crafty left-hander has performed well in the minor leagues over the past three seasons and could be ready to make the leap to the big leagues on a full-time basis. When not in a D’backs uniform last season, Corbin split time between Class AA Mobile and Class AAA Reno, where he posted a 5-2 record with a 2.84 ERA.  In 2011, he put up decent numbers in the hitter friendly Southern League while with Class AA Mobile (9-8, 4.21 ERA). In 2010, he was stellar, pitching in Class A ball with four different teams (13-4, 3.42 ERA). He came over to the D’backs that season in the trade that sent Dan Haren to Anaheim and was considered to be one of the major components of that trade.

If Corbin does not win the job, he would most likely be sent back to Class AAA Reno and be one of the top pitchers for the Aces. He would be likely to be the first pitcher to get the call-up if the D’backs were to lose anyone to injury or illness. He performed admirably in that role last year and manager Kirk Gibson has to feel comfortable with Corbin in that role if it came down to that.

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SPECIAL THANKS TO MICHAEL NATELLI  FROM DISTRICT ON DECK, OUR WASHINGTON NATIONALS FANSIDED AFFILIATE, FOR CONTRIBUTING GREATLY TO THIS ARTICLE.  FOLLOW MICHAEL ON TWITTER @MICHAELNATELLI