It’s never an easy thing to swallow when you feel like you didn’t truly get a fair chance at something. When you spend considerable time looking forward to something, only to have it ripped away from you; it leaves you feeling helpless and hurt. Life isn’t fair – there’s no doubt about that.
In sports, it happens all the time. Players can spend countless hours in the gym, on the ballfield and in the film room, preparing and optimistically hoping for that big season. All those dreams can be dashed within an instant. There’s no way of predicting when an injury will hit. Ken Griffey Jr. has been mired by a slew of ailments since he’s arrived in his hometown of Cincinnati. He put together his best season as a Red this year, only to suffer a torn groin with just a couple weeks left to go. Milton Bradley, who has been on the DL four times this season, suffered a torn ACL late last week when he was… ahem… arguing with an umpire. Injuries can, and do, strike at any time.
This season was no different. Following a bad collision late last season, Nick Johnson never got to see a single at-bat in 2007. Rocco Baldelli endured his second lost season in a span of three years because of the injury bug. Juan Encarnacion sustained an eye injury that is believed to be career-threatening. … In this edition of the DL Down Low, we’ll examine what position players were hit the hardest in 2007 by an injury… or in Jim Edmonds case, five injuries.
Position Players
1. Scott Rolen (shoulder) - .265, 8 HR, 58 RBI (392 at-bats)
2. Nick Johnson (leg, hip) - none
3. Scott Podsednik (groin, rib cage) - .243, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 12 SB (189 at-bats)
4. Rocco Baldelli (hamstring) - .204, 5 HR, 12 RBI (137 at-bats)
5. Hank Blalock (ribs, forearm) - .295, 9 HR, 29 RBI (193 at-bats)
Despite a second-half surge, it was all in all a lost season for the Cardinals, who were mired by injuries throughout the whole year. Mark Mulder, Preston Wilson, Jim Edmonds, Juan Encarnacion and Rolen – among others – were ravaged by the injury bug. Slowed by a shoulder injury, Rolen finished with a career-low eight homers and hit just .265 in 2007. He sat out 50 games during the year because of the injury and played in pain virtually the entire campaign. After averaging 29.5 HR and 111.3 RBI from 2001-2005, the all-around third baseman has been limited to only 35 long balls over the past three seasons – he hit 34 in 2004 alone. On September 11th, he underwent surgery to clean out scar tissue out of his left shoulder and is expected to be ready for spring training. At this point in his career, the 32-year-old is a shell of his former self and should righteously be considered an injury risk from here on out.
Early in his career, Baldelli drew comparisons to Joe DiMaggio because of his sweet left-handed stroke and five-tool talent. The past three years have been a nightmare for the DRays outfielder. After missing all of 2005 because of a knee injury, the Golden Child had his 2006 season also cut short via injury and was limited to only 35 games played this season because of hamstring issues. He finished with a disappointing stat line of .204/5 HR/12 RBI and didn’t appear in a game after May 15th. There’s no doubting his potential, but he can’t be counted on from a fantasy standpoint in 2008 because of all his injury problems. He’ll be a prototypical high-risk, reward fantasy option for next year.
6. Eric Chavez (back, shoulder) - .240, 15 HR, 46 RBI (341 at-bats)
7. Mike Piazza (shoulder) - .284, 7 HR, 43 RBI (292 at-bats)
8. Joe Crede (back) - .216, 4 HR, 22 RBI (167 at-bats)
9. Ryan Freel (knee) - .245, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 15 SB (277 at-bats)
10. Mark Kotsay (back) - .214, 1 HR, 20 RBI (206 at-bats)
The Athletics had a day their franchise would love to forget in late August when Kotsay, Chavez and rookie Travis Buck (elbow) all were shut down for the final month of the season. The tumultuous bad news basically conceded Oakland’s chances for one of their prototypical late-season playoff runs. To go along with Mike Piazza, who has only appeared in 79 games because of injuries and old age, the Athletics truly were victimized by the injury bug. They had at least three players on the shelf all season, and a minimum of five since April 23. They used the DL 22 times in 2007, matching a team record set in 1992. For Chavez, the .240 average, 43 runs and 46 RBI all marked career-lows, while the 15 long balls were his lowest total since his rookie campaign eight years ago. Kotsay missed the first three months of the season due to the back ailment, attempted a possibly-rushed comeback and was then forced into sitting the remainder of the season out. He was held to just one HR and one SB in his 206-at bat season. Both players hope to be ready for spring training.
Speaking of back injuries, it was a lost season for Crede in Chi-town. He increased his home runs in each of the previous five seasons, capped off by a career-best 30 dingers in ’06. However, his season was cut short in early June so rookie Josh Fields took over the hot corner. Crede is still expected to be the everyday third baseman next year, while Fields will compete for at-bats in left field.
11. Jason Giambi (foot) - .236, 14 HR, 36 RBI (236 at-bats)
12. David Dellucci (hamstring) - .234, 4 HR, 20 RBI (175 at-bats)
13. Ramon Hernandez (groin) - .251, 8 HR, 56 RBI (346 at-bats)
14. Chad Tracy (knee) - .264, 7 HR, 35 RBI (227 at-bats)
15. Cliff Floyd (back, personal, neck, shoulder, leg) - .283, 9 HR, 45 RBI (276 at-bats)
Floyd has a long rap sheet of lingering injuries throughout his career, but this has been the most emotionally taxing campaign by far. In fact, after the difficult period surrounding his father’s passing, the veteran has admitted that he’s considering retiring after this season – especially if the Cubbies can shock the baseball world with a championship. On Monday, the team said they would be willing to invite the veteran back if he’d be willing to accept a reduced role (and paycheck). However, Matt Murton has been groomed to take over everyday at-bats in right field so Floyd will probably be predominantly a pinch-hitter. It sure looks like his days as a fantasy performer are in the rear view mirror now.
In 2005, Dellucci landed on the fantasy map with a 29-home run season then followed it by hitting a respectable .291 last year. After tearing a hamstring in late-June, the outfielder has yet to appear in a game. At 33, he has two more years on his contract with the Indians and is optimistic he’ll be able to be back at full strength for 2008. … The previous four seasons, Hernandez quietly averaged 19 HR and 73 RBI, while hitting close to .280. Those numbers were very impressive for the thin catcher position. In ’06, he finished with 91 RBI, just two behind Jorge Posada, Brian McCann and Victor Martinez who led all catchers with 93. This season he failed to finish in the top-10. Don’t sleep on the veteran backstop though – a winter of rest should help the 31-year-old return to his former dominance. Consider him a lower-tier No. 1 fantasy catcher on Draft Day once again.
16. Jim Edmonds (groin, leg, back, foot, shoulder) - .249, 12 HR, 48 RBI (361 at-bats)
17. Bobby Crosby (hand) - .226, 8 HR, 31 RBI (349 at-bats)
18. Mike Sweeney (groin) - .263, 7 HR, 38 RBI (247 at-bats)
19. Juan Encarnacion (eye, wrist) - .283, 9 HR, 47 RBI (283 at-bats)
20. Reggie Sanders (hamstring) - .315, 2 HR, 11 RBI (73 at-bats)
From 2000 – 2006, Edmonds was known as one of the most dynamic, all-around center fielders in the game. His blue collar, non-stop hustle earned him the reputation as being one of the best defensive center fielders, while his sweet left-handed power stroke made him known to be one of the top hitters at his position as well. He averaged 32.7 homers in that seven year span with the Cards and was considered one of the elite players in fantasy because of it. However, after crashing into numerous walls and constantly playing hurt with a plethora of injuries, his 37-year-old body is starting to show his age. The aches and pains genuinely took their toll, as he trudged through his worst statistical season in recent memory. With current numbers of .249/12/48/39, it’s safe to say Edmonds’ career is dwindling down. He needs 38 long balls to reach 400 in his career, so he could stick around for a couple more seasons to reach some nice milestones, but he’s no longer a bona fide fantasy threat and is more of a headache than anything because of all the time he misses with injuries.
Teammate Juan Encarnacion fractured his eye socket and might have lost his vision permanently. Dr. George Paletta said that the injury could very likely be career-threatening. "It's the worst trauma I've seen. Absolutely. You hope the best for Juan, but he suffered a severe injury with a very guarded prognosis. It's way too early to say whether he will or he won't, and if he doesn't ,what percentage of vision loss he may have." Very tough break for the 11-year veteran - it sounds like this could be the last time we’ll see the five-tool player on the ball field.
While there's no doubting this was a lost year for the aforementioned players, the only thing to feel good about is the potential of what is to come in 2008. Those that have the ability to keep playing this amazing game, will once again dedicate themselves by pounding the weight room, studying in the film room and putting in countless hours on the practice field. As difficult as things can get, it's always comforting to know the past does not equal the future. ... and this too shall pass.