Injuries this year have been pretty insane as it seems like there are a few guys going on the disabled list daily. And not just back-ups and third tier types, either, big time impact everyday players and frontline pitchers. Is it the biggest rash of injuries we have seen? Who knows? Often it feels like the most current example of something is the worst it has ever been (see also: the weather).
“This is the *craziest* year for prospects!” – Probably not. We were saying the same thing last year & the 2010 rookie crop was being heralded as possibly the best ever.
“Pitching is dominating more than we have seen since 1969.” – Probably not. I find that hard to believe without legitimate research. It is just that we are coming off of such a heavy offensive environment that the drastic shift in the balance of power feels greater.
“Injuries have never been more prevalent, today’s players are wimps!” – Probably not… as described by Dave Schoenfield.
While league-wide injuries might not be at an all-time high, a team in my 11-team NL Only league might be dealing with the most injured fantasy baseball of all-time. Look at the rash of injuries he has battled through in the first 11 periods of the season:
Ryan Zimmerman, Shane Victorino, Dominic Brown, Brian Wilson, Matt Garza, Johnny Cueto, Brandon Belt, David Freese, Skip Schumaker, Adam LaRoche, Brad Lidge, Sam Demel, Donnie Murphy, Marcus Thames and Nick Punto.
Maybe the injured players felt his team was a welcoming sanctuary when this owner rostered Adam Wainwright, Kris Medlen and Jason Castro on the cheap at the auction. Waino was $4 while the other two were a dollar. This guy (some of you may know him: @andtinez on Twitter) took over the team late when one of the owners learned he wouldn’t be able to make the auction so he wasn’t against the notion of kinda playing around with 2011, but really setting things up for 2012.
As if his injury woes were enough, he’s also had six players get sent down to the minors: Belt, Brandon Allen, Mitchell Boggs, Todd Frazier, Blake Tekotte and Fernando Martinez.
The most amazing part of the entire ordeal? His team has a league-high 53 pitching points (highest by 15!) carrying his 11-point offense and leaving 14 points back of first in a cluster that includes teams 10, 11, 14 (me) and 16 points behind.
Let that be a lesson about giving up in the face of adversity. With a rotation of Tommy Hanson, Cole Hamels, Chris Carpenter, Anibal Sanchez, Matt Garza and Johnny Cueto, he can definitely start flipping arms for bats assuming he can realistically make up the offensive points by a couple of impact bats (plus the return of Zimmerman).
Not every team ravaged by injuries will have this kind of setup, but not every team ravaged by injuries has to throw in the towel, either, and that’s my main point. Make sure you thoroughly assess your chances when injuries strike before instantly assuming that the new players won’t be suitable bandaids and selling off your team is the way to go.
Baseball By Paul 