The past two years have been very up and down for Rich Harden. He has shown that he is a quality pitcher in the big leauges and can be a solid starter in the MLB, but he has been unable to avoid the injury bug. In the past two season Harden has started only 13 games and pitched a total of 72 1/3 innings. For a pitcher with the talent Harden has, 13 starts is clearly not enough. That is all in the past now and both Harden and the Athletics have high hopes for the 2008 season.
In the beginning weeks of spring training Harden has begun throwing short sessions off the mound with favorable results. If the A’s plan on having any success in the American Leauge West this season, they must have a healthy Rich Harden. It will be a slow process in getting back to full strength, but the A’s are optimistic in Hardens return.
