Healthy, Wealthy, And Wise

[DOUGHBOYS]

As fantasy players and baseball fans, we marvel at some of the skills that hitters possess. The quickness of Michael Bourn, the raw power of Mike Stanton.
But, there is one skill that is somewhat overlooked. The skill of staying healthy.
I know, I know, most think this is not a skill, but luck. I disagree. Although with some injuries luck does play a part, for most players it is a skill.

My poster boy is Ichiro Suzuki. Ichiro is the most skilled player at staying healthy. He seldom dives after balls. Never crashes into fences, preferring the vertical leap. Never 'overhustles' resulting in pulled hamstrings. Never over exerts himself on offense or defense. All the while giving a real baseball 100% on the field.

Some players crash into their bedroom door after waking in the morning. Aaron Rowand, Torii Hunter, and Josh Hamilton, are all 'crashers'. These players like the reputation of going after anything. Nice for ESPN highlights, not so nice for our lineups.
Some players cannot run correctly and can pull a hammy jogging to catch a cab. Jose Reyes and Nelson Cruz come to mind there.

The worst injuries are the injuries that hurt enough not to play, but not enough for the dl....and then they are enough for the dl. Chipper Jones invented this art. JD Drew perfected it. We draft these players for their physical skills and then they use that same body against us. Jason Heyward looks to be in the same mold here.

Some players think that working out more prevents injuries. Carl Crawford is a workoutaholic, so is Troy Tulowitzki. Some players get their bodies so tight with muscles that like a rubber band, something gives when being over exerted on the field.
Most players 'in the best shape of their lives' get hurt faster.

I am only talking hitters here.
Pitchers are a different breed. If a believer in the Verducci effect or some other theories, so be it, but pitchers can be here today, gone tomorrow. I prefer a 'smooth' delivering pitcher over somebody who doesn't look quite right. But, Tim Lincecum and KRod don't look quite right and have maintained good health.

First basemen are more successful at staying healthy because of their relative lack of physical over use. Hardly any quick movements are needed. Some injuries result in collisions with batters after a batted ball, but those are few. First base is also where an over-sized player can be hid. Although fat or over-sized players are ridiculed, they are among the safest bets for staying on the field. Prince Fielder, CC Sabathia, Miguel Cabrera, and Adam Dunn could all lose a few pounds, but for our purposes, I prefer they stay the way they are.
However, when counting on a 'big guy' to stay healthy, all bets are off past the age of 30. This is when some of their bodies start resisting the extra weight. Just ask Ryan Howard.


Until the last few years, third base was a solid position for health. As posted earlier. every fantasy full time third baseman hit the disabled list last year, except for Aramis Ramirez, who has had problems in the past. There is no one injury for these players. It could effect any part of their anatomy. Chipper Jones and Scott Rolen should have moved to first base long ago, but were always blocked by a younger hitter. Michael Young and Jose Bautista seemed to have found the magic formula by only playing the sack part time.

Catchers are like pitchers. So many bad things can happen to a catcher that 130 games is now considered a good year. Over drafting catchers is a dangerous business. The wear and tear on catchers takes a toll at different times of their career. Heck, it even takes a toll at different parts of the year.
Ask Victor Martinez.
Even in almost perfect health, a virtual impossibility for a catcher, that catcher will play 20-30 less games than the same player at a different position, and comes at a risk of over 300 % more than other players.
And yes, that percentage figure was pulled out of my ass, but you know what I mean.

In the end, we are looking for Lou Gehrig or Cal Ripken.
If only for a season.
A player who just comes to play.
A player who doesn't have the need to flex muscles.
A player who doesn't over exert himself or crash into fences.
Physiques that are seen in Wal-Mart, not Gold's Gym.

As fantasy players, a 5-3-3-4 box score trumps a two run saving catch into the wall and a 1-0-0-0 box score every time.

[OaktownSteve]

As an A's season ticket holder I can say I've spent more than my fair share of time watching Ichiro. One thing I've always noticed, he stretches during the game in the outfield. Smart, right? You're just standing there; why not stretch?

I also think there's a thing that's counterintuitive in that folks assume that younger players stay healthier because, well, they're young. But really all that running through walls stuff is a function of being young and stupid. I think players get older and they learn how to pace themselves all the way through a season. Last year I went all in on Ian Kinsler as his injuries seemed like hussle injuries rather than the chronic kind and figured at some point he was going to realize that he needed to stay on the field in order to be of value to his team. Maybe I was right, maybe I got lucky.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Good points.
There is a lot to be said for getting older and wiser. Also, Kinsler comes from the Pedroia School for Baseball Rats and that mentality is a good thing for injuries. Kinsler WANTS to be in the game. Some fellas like JD Drew, give the impression that they only want to be in the game if feeling 100 %. Sometimes the mental part of injuries play as big of part as the physical side.
I remember John Smoltz calling out Chipper Jones to the press saying that Chipper was good enough to play but was sitting on the bench instead of helping his team. Magically, two days later, Chipper played well and played well for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, it didn't work out well last year when Chipper himself, called out Jason Heyward for the same thing.
Again, good points.

[OaktownSteve]

not too mention the young guys tend to find stuff to occupy their nights after games on the road that might not still hold the same appeal for the older, perhaps married, players. Air miles, booze, late nights and junk food will take their toll, even on a 24 year old body. Of course there's a crossover point where you hit 35 or so where the bumps and the aches start to linger. They call that inbetween period "prime" for a reason.