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Injuries Articles


Following are the one hundred most recent articles for the category Injuries .

02/10/2012: Recapping a swap-filled winter

by Jeff Moore

02/10/2012: A baseball card mystery: Ontiveros and Schmidt

by Bruce Markusen

02/10/2012: A dynasty ranking follow-up

by Josh Shepardson

02/09/2012: Forecasting Prince

by Myron Logan

02/09/2012: The Homestead exemption act of 1992

by Frank Jackson

02/09/2012: Fun with numbers

by Nick Fleder

02/08/2012: Making the leap up

by Derek Ambrosino

02/08/2012: Against replay in baseball

by David Wade

02/08/2012: BOB: Oakland dealt setback in pursuit to keep Athletics

by Brian Borawski

02/08/2012: The virtual 1958-68 Giants, Reds, and Cardinals (Part 10: 1966-67)

by Steve Treder

02/08/2012: 20,000 days since Herb Score’s injury

by Chris Jaffe

02/07/2012: A baseball card mystery: Bill Sudakis and the strange light

by Bruce Markusen

02/07/2012: 20,000 days since Hank Aaron’s worst game

by Chris Jaffe

02/07/2012: Did you know we had a mock draft?

by Brad Johnson

02/07/2012: State of the system - Arizona Diamondbacks

by Jeff Moore

02/07/2012: Rockies building a troubling rotation

by Troy Patterson

02/07/2012: Money and wins

by Dave Studeman

02/06/2012: Super at the right time

by Joe Distelheim

02/06/2012: Let there be news - Volume 7

by Brad Johnson

02/06/2012: 10 things I didn’t know about one-hitters

by Chris Jaffe

02/06/2012: This week in (fantasy) baseball: 1/30-2/5

by Karl de Vries

02/06/2012: Would the Nationals consider holding back Strasburg?

by Brad Johnson

02/03/2012: Card Corner: 1972 Topps—Bob Veale

by Bruce Markusen

02/03/2012: Supplementing the dynasty rankings (Part 2)

by Jeffrey Gross

02/03/2012: 10,000 days: 500th homer for Mr. October

by Chris Jaffe

02/02/2012: Edwin Jackson finally signs

by Matt Filippi

02/02/2012: THT Forecasts - 2012 fantasy price guides

by Greg Tamer

02/02/2012: The all-month team: February

by Richard Barbieri

02/02/2012: We will, we will (mock) you

by Nick Fleder

02/02/2012: How are wins, attendance and payroll all related?

by Dan Lependorf

02/01/2012: Are you mocking me?

by Derek Ambrosino

02/01/2012: Why Oliver Loves Yu

by Brian Cartwright

02/01/2012: Reflections after a long offseason

by Chris Lund

02/01/2012: The virtual 1958-68 Giants, Reds, and Cardinals (Part 9: 1965-66)

by Steve Treder

01/31/2012: A baseball card mystery: Ken Holtzman’s 1974 Topps card

by Bruce Markusen

01/31/2012: The new golden age of catching

by Troy Patterson

01/31/2012: 10,000 days since Carlton becomes Phillies win leader

by Chris Jaffe

01/31/2012: The Verdict: Hardball Times mock draft analysis

by Michael Stein

01/30/2012: Let there be news - Volume 6

by Brad Johnson

01/30/2012: Juan Pierre, Domonic Brown, and plans

by Brad Johnson

01/30/2012: Dave Duncan, the 1982 Mariners and lost glory

by Paul Francis Sullivan

01/30/2012: This week in (fantasy) baseball

by Karl de Vries

01/30/2012: What was I thinking?

by Ben Pritchett

01/28/2012: THT mock draft 2012

by Ben Pritchett

01/27/2012: Outfield assist of another kind

by Bojan Koprivica

01/27/2012: In the old days, the game was more exciting

by Max Marchi

01/27/2012: Supplementing the dynasty rankings (Part 1)

by Jeffrey Gross

01/27/2012: 30th anniversary: The Ryne Sandberg trade

by Chris Jaffe

01/27/2012: Cooperstown Confidential: thinking about Al Smith

by Bruce Markusen

01/26/2012: Closer watch

by Paul Singman

01/26/2012: Jack Morris: the winningest pitcher of the 1980s

by Bobby Mueller

01/26/2012: Marshall McDougall’s greatest game

by Frank Jackson

01/26/2012: Players I’ll avoid this year

by Dave Shovein

01/25/2012: It’s THT Dispatch

by Dave Studeman

01/25/2012: THT Forecasts - 2012 Oliver projected-WAR starting lineup

by Greg Tamer

01/25/2012: Another Fielder for Detroit

by THT Staff

01/25/2012: AL West: offseason check-in

by David Wade

01/25/2012: Ask Oliver

by Derek Ambrosino

01/25/2012: BOB: Astros ponder new look

by Brian Borawski

01/25/2012: 40th anniversary: Dave Winfield and the NCAA basket-brawl

by Chris Jaffe

01/24/2012: Fast goes Astro

by Dave Studeman

01/24/2012: The greatest eye in baseball

by Troy Patterson

01/24/2012: A baseball card mystery: Bob Didier and Cleon Jones

by Bruce Markusen

01/24/2012: 20,000 days since the Phillies integrate

by Chris Jaffe

01/24/2012: The virtual 1958-68 Giants, Reds, and Cardinals (Part 8: 1964-65)

by Steve Treder

01/23/2012: Carmona points out an MLB inequity

by Mat Kovach

01/23/2012: Career highlights: Orlando Cabrera

by Chris Jaffe

01/23/2012: Players I like more than you do

by Ben Pritchett

01/23/2012: Let there be news - Volume 5

by Brad Johnson

01/23/2012: Ten least-likely guys to break up a no-hitter

by Chris Jaffe

01/22/2012: Craig Counsell career highlights

by Chris Jaffe

01/20/2012: Thinking big in Big D in 1950

by Frank Jackson

01/20/2012: Card Corner: 1972 Topps: George Hendrick

by Bruce Markusen

01/20/2012: The extra 2 percent: A fantasy market inefficency

by Josh Shepardson

01/19/2012: Evaluating a strange offseason in San Diego

by Myron Logan

01/19/2012: On Edgar Martinez

by Richard Barbieri

01/19/2012: Searching for sleepers

by Nick Fleder

01/18/2012: SABR Analytics Conference

by Dave Studeman

01/18/2012: BOB: Mets owner scores another win in court

by Brian Borawski

01/18/2012: Is Jorge Posada toast as a righty hitter?

by George Szabo

01/18/2012: Can you really play it safe?

by Derek Ambrosino

01/18/2012: A baseball card mystery: Thurman Munson and who?

by Bruce Markusen

01/18/2012: 10th anniversary: Randy Winn’s greatest shot

by Chris Jaffe

01/17/2012: 10,000 days since Buddy Bell walk-off slam

by Chris Jaffe

01/17/2012: The virtual 1958-68 Giants, Reds, and Cardinals (Part 7: 1963-64)

by Steve Treder

01/17/2012: Some thoughts on Moscoso

by Lucas Apostoleris

01/17/2012: The Toronto Blue Jays quirkiest pitching staff since 1994

by Chris Lund

01/17/2012: The Verdict: snake versus auction draft

by Michael Stein

01/16/2012: PED injustice and the Hall

by Mat Kovach

01/16/2012: THT Forecasts: Players’ comments…rollout!

by Greg Tamer

01/16/2012: Ye believe in me, believe also in Mike Stanton

by Ben Pritchett

01/16/2012: Let there be news - Volume 4

by Brad Johnson

01/16/2012: The possible upcoming Cooperstown ballot apocalypse

by Chris Jaffe

01/16/2012: 10th anniversary: Rangers sign Chan Ho Park

by Chris Jaffe

01/14/2012: Is there an asterisk in Brandon’s future?

by Steve Treder

01/13/2012: The Yankees’ finest hour

by Nick Fleder

01/13/2012: Fantasy Chat - 1/15/12

by Nick Fleder

01/13/2012: Cooperstown Confidential: Why Bob Howsam isn’t in the Hall of Fame

by Bruce Markusen

01/12/2012: On Ryan Madson: Parsing Boras’ comments

by Greg Simons

01/12/2012: Dynasty rankings 2012 follow-up

by Nick Fleder

<< Click here to return to the category list.



June 27, 2011

Quiz results: Mauer’s health

Last week I asked all of you to take a SWAG at how many of the remaining years in Joe Mauer's eight-year, $184 million pact would be healthy ones, and here is what you said:
Healthy Mauer seasons     Percentage
Zero                            2.7%
1-2                            17.8%
3-4                            39.7%
5-6                            34.2%
Seven                           5.5%
The absolute pessimists were small in number, with under three percent of you saying Mauer's healthy days are done, though over 20 percent total said he's have no more than two injury-free seasons in the next seven.

The plurality went with the middle-of-the-road choices of 3-4 years, which seems about right for an oft-injured catcher heading into his 30s.

It's good to see some optimism expressed by the roughly 40 percent of voters who foresee five or more healthy campaigns from one of Minnesota's favorite sons. (Or maybe Aaron Gleeman stuffed the ballot box.) I'd like to think just about any baseball fan, regardless of team affiliation, would hope to see as many healthy years as possible from such a talented player, but hoping and SWAGging are two different things.

Finally, sorry for not posting these results last Friday as promised. Sometimes life gets in the way of baseball.
Posted by: Greg Simons


June 21, 2011

What happens with Pujols and the Cardinals now?

Albert Pujols has proven to be a dependable star, playing in 140-plus games every year since 2001. In addition to showing up nearly every game, he has proven very resistant to slumps.

This year, Albert started the year stuck in a prolonged, for him, slump, finally breaking out in June. They he suffering the first major injury of his career, reported as a non-displaced forearm fracture that will keep him off the field of four to six weeks.

This is not the first time Pujols has hit the disabled listed or had a lingering injury.

He did have offseason surgery on his right elbow in October, 2009, with stints on the disabled list in 2006 and 2008 for muscle strains. Pujols has, at times, missed a game because of various minor aliments. He also has suffered with chronic plantar fasciitis in his left heel.

So, while not always in perfect health, he has played through his injuries and been one of the best players in the league during that time.

What does this mean for Pujols?

After his collision with Wilson Betemit, there was quite a bit that took place. You could see Pujols’ wrist, arm and shoulder get bent back. While reacting to the pain, Pujols grabbed his wrist and at one point pointed towards his shoulder. He also was holding his wrist, making it appear there was some instability in the wrist.

After imaging, it was reported Pujols had a non-displaced fracture of the radius, near the wrist. Non-displaced means, basically, it cracked, but the bones are still aligned. Surgery is not needed. I’m still doubtful this is the whole story. Based on the type of injury, receiving enough trauma to break a bone near the wrist and not cause an injury to the remaining complex parts of the wrist seems unlikely.

If this truly is the case, then Pujols should be able to come back fairly quickly with little impact. The wrist takes a good part of the torque generated in a baseball swing. If there is additional damage to the wrist, Pujols’ returned could be delayed, and he could have a drop in his power numbers until the wrist completely heals.

Pujols may come back within the reported time frame, but you’ll want to watch his power numbers. He was hitting like the old Albert in June, but he also had grounded into 17 double plays. An Albert with a drop in his power may hit fewer line drives and more ground balls.

How Pujols comes back is also going to affect his pending free agency. While he has proven to be resilient with injuries, you now have a 31-year-old player who has finally missed significant time to an injury. If you look at Baseball References Similarity Score, number one right now is Albert Belle. This can be a scary comparison* if you want to sign him to a long-term contract.

* It also reminds you how good Belle was at one time. But a lot of those Indians during that period get forgotten, probably because the team never won a World Series. In fact, if you look at Kenny Lofton, he simply doesn’t get the credit he deserves.

Where does this leaves the Cardinals?

The Cardinals are not in that bad a situation. As a right fielder, Lance Berkman makes a heck of a first baseman. Jon Jay can cover for Berkman in right field. While Berkman is not quite as skilled defensively at first base as Pujols, it is not a large drop-off, and Jay is an improvement in right over Berkman.

The Cardinals will not have a huge defensive dropoff and may, in fact, have a slightly better overall defense.

Offensively, you can’t replace Pujols long term, The Cardinals may need to replace only about 180 at-bats (about 35 percent of the season). Jay has produced a WAR* or 0.9 over 179 AB this year, Pujols 2.3 over 318 AB, which means Pujols, this season, was about one win better than Jay.

** WAR numbers taken from Fangraphs

The Cardinals will miss about two wins during this short period of time.

Two wins isn’t bad, but with the Brewers and Reds within three games of the Cardinals, this injury will tighten up the division race.

Losing Pujols is going to put pressure on players to step up, and Tony LaRussa is going to have a juggle the lineup a bit. St. Louis should be able to keep pace in a tight NL Central race. The larger issue is whether the full extend of the injury is being made public. If not, the forecast gets a worse for the Redbirds.

I would watch if the Cardinals look to make a move. If they try to bring in somebody to add some offensive support, it could indicate that more is wrong that just a fractured forearm.

Posted by: Mat Kovach


June 20, 2011

Pop quiz: Mauer’s health

Signing any player to a long-term deal is a roll of the dice.

Signing a catcher to an eight-year, $184 million contract is playing Russian roulette.

Doing so in a market that isn't among the nation's largest is akin to playing the lottery and counting on winning to fund your lavish indulgences.

The mid-market Minnesota Twins inked Joe Mauer to that mega-deal mentioned above in March, 2010, with the contract terms kicking in this season. While Mauer had appeared in over 130 games in five of the last six seasons (and 109 in the sixth), won an MVP award the season before signing his huge contract and has been widely considered the best catcher in the game the last several years, the Twins still took on a significant amount of risk.

Mauer has had knee injuries and other bumps and bruises throughout his career. And the fact that he's a catcher comes with inherently-greater injury risks, as Buster Posey can attest.

The Twins are on the hook for the full $184 million, that's indisputable. But the question is, how much of that investment will the team recoup via Mauer's performance? Will he justify the deal, as so rarely happens with stratospheric free agent contracts? Or will he be yet another data point that these long-term pacts often hamstring teams, saddling them with injured and/or underperforming players in the later years?

Given we're talking about performance through 2018, let's examine the subject in a broad-based manner by asking:

{exp:freeform:form form_name="Mauer_healthy_seasons"prevent_duplicate_on="ip_address" return="http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/forms/thanks/"}

How many healthy seasons will Joe Mauer have in his eight-year deal?

Zero: Life is pain. Anyone who says differently is selling something.
1 - 2: Healthy? You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
3 - 4: It just so happens that your friend here is only mostly dead.
5 - 6: If you haven't got your health, then you haven't got anything.
Seven: Think it'll work? It would take a miracle.

{/exp:freeform:form}

I'll be back with the results Friday. Until then, have fun storming the castle!

Posted by: Greg Simons


June 08, 2011

Busterless in San Francisco

Sometimes, when a star player goes down with an injury, a rookie or otherwise obscure substitute steps in and saves the day. Wally Pipp's headache provided Lou Gehrig's opportunity. When one door closes, so they say, another opens.

Sometimes. But not always. And apparently not, at least so far, in San Francisco as the 2011 Giants deal with replacing the production of injured catcher Buster Posey.
Click for more...

Posted by: Steve Treder


May 05, 2011

Broxton’s dip

Ken Gurnick of MLB.com tweeted an rather unsurprising update on the condition of Jonathan Broxton's right elbow this week:
Jonathon Broxton has been shut down with elbow pain, Don Mattingly said.

Gurnick's tweet was about as rich and informative as the eggatar he uses on twitter.

I guess anyone paying attention saw this coming. Check out Broxton's velocity, going back to 2007. These values are not cleaned-up for weather or park effects, but the alignment with reality alleviates that problem.

image

Place your friendly bets on what the MRI results will show.
Posted by: Harry Pavlidis


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