Even the most cold-hearted of fantasy told-you-so'ers bit their tongues when the news broke Monday that Mets ace Matt Harvey had been diagnosed with a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. If the case of Harvey, in the midst of a 9-5 sophomore campaign with a 2.27 ERA, 0.931 WHIP and a league-leading 191 strikouts, has taught us anything about predicting UCL injuries, it is that it’s not about pitch counts, innings, body type or mechanics. But it’s also about pitch counts, innings, body type and mechanics.

Harvey signed with the Mets in August of 2010 after being drafted seventh overall out of North Carolina. He threw 135.2 innings in 2011, splitting time in High-A St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton, and the following season, his total increased to 169.1 innings pitched between Triple-A Buffalo and the big club. This season, it was cited that the Mets had plans to shut down Harvey after approximately 200 innings, par for the course in the modern game with regards to young starters.

The book on Harvey when he was drafted was a triple-digit fastball that exploded from a clean delivery on a classic pitcher’s frame. Organizations have long been known to pass over prospects with exceptional amateur numbers because of flaws in their body type or pitching mechanics. The futures of Chris Sale, Tim Lincecum and Jason Motte were questioned early in their careers because of these factors. Of the three, Motte underwent Tommy John surgery for a torn UCL in May and Lincecum's fastball velocity and command took a nosedive. The fate of Sale remains to be seen, though his saran-wrap-on-a-skeleton build and whip-like arm action still cause concern at fantasy drafts, despite the White Sox offseason decision to lock up the lefty to a long-term deal.

If it wasn’t the Mets’ treatment of Harvey or some inherent flaw in his mechanics, what exactly caused the shining star of a clouded franchise to break down? Among the most catastrophic - and most common - of pitching injuries, the troubling fact about UCL tears is that even the greatest medical minds in the game can’t pinpoint why they happen, though the process of fixing them has been refined to an art. Dubbed by some as a “rite of passage” for pitchers, ligament transplant - or Tommy John surgery - saves big league arms, and the rehabilitation process saves careers. Pitchers often cite that the amount of effort put into rebuilding strength, combined with brand-new body part, leaves them throwing harder than ever before.

Before you give up on Matt Harvey as a fantasy option going forward, consider the growing list of Tommy John surgery survivors. Adam Wainwright, Brett Anderson, Joba Chamberlain and John Lackey are among pitchers who underwent the procedure in 2011, all of which have enjoyed flashes - if not extended runs of success in 2013. The Tommy John surgery Class of 2010 includes names like Stephen Strasburg and Kris Medlen, both of whom came back incredibly strong and are no longer on a strict post-surgery innings watch. If history tells us anything, it’s that Harvey can be very much the same pitcher he was was before his elbow injury. Fantasy owners: After a good cry in the corner over losing your ace for the next 9-12 months, cut yourself some slack. Even the best of the best have been baffled by trying to predict and prevent an injury that has been unpredictable and unpreventable to date.