Injuries Hurt; Under Performance Kills

[DOUGHBOYS]

I have Avisail Garcia on each of my big teams. I knew that when Garcia went in to his little chubby guy dive to catch a ball in the outfield and crushed his shoulder that he'd be out a long time. The White Sox came back with 'negative results', which I find means little after a ball game. Why clubs release incomplete reports, giving fans hope is something I'll never understand.

This is not a 'Wah! I lost Avisail Garcia post. He's lost now. BFD. I'll deal with it.
I am one of the few NFBC players that think injuries are over rated.
I know, I know, I am going to get pummeled now with 'I've lost five players' or 'I lost my first round pick' posts.
Blah, Blah, Blah.
Injuries happen to just about everybody. We draft as if players will never get hurt. And when they do, we act surprised. Then, we say there are more injuries this year than last year.
We forget that drafting is not most of our season for big leagues. In-season management becomes as important, and in some cases, more important than the draft itself.

In actuality, I feel Garcia did me a little bit of a favor. He is out for the year. A foregone conclusion now. His ass is dropped.
Josh Hamilton owners have to decide if carrying him for half a season and taking up a bench spot is worth it.
It may seem easy, but if rostering other injured players, the decision becomes much more difficult.
Why are there so many complaints about injuries?
I feel it is because it is something out of our control.
For every Garcia or Janssen or Uehara or Hamilton posts, there are no posts about what is truly killing teams.
Hardly ever do we see 'Jim Johnson is KILLING ME!!!
Or Jose Veras SUCKS! posts.
This is because it is OUR fault. We drafted the sombitches. We had the control. We were just stupid in our selection of these players.
But, it's easier to blame injury more than under performance.
This is part of the reason I don't really put much credence in ADP. In ADP, Jim Johnson is taken as a middle of the road Closer. He's had success in the past. Last year, he became an unreliable Closer.
Unreliable Closers lose their job. Jim Johnson without the Closer job is to fantasy baseball as Ron Jeremy with two inches, is to porn.

The worst scenario is under performance followed by injury. We hold onto players or keep playing players during under performance times in hopes that a player will eventually turn it around. Or, if being Numerish, he can play back to his mean.
Until then, that player is just plain mean.
Some players don't play up to their standards because of hidden injury. These are the worst.
Brett Lawrie is hitting .100
If he is hiding injury and eventually goes on the disabled list because of it, then not only has he gypped his fantasy owners, he has gypped his own teammates and fans.

Under performance cannot be replaced. It is part of our numbers forever. Fantasy players that have played Lawrie or Moustakas, forever have their .100 batting average. Like said, they can hope they're not hiding injury or 'play to the mean'.
Injury, at worse gives us zeroes for a couple of days, then a replacement player.
Sure, if we replace Avisail Garcia with Chris Denorfia, we'll feel the hit.
Our lineup doesn't look near as sexy without Garcia.
But again, Garcia has done me the favor of being out for the year. I don't have to look at Denorfia as a permanent fix.
He's replaceable.
It frees me to shop each faab period. And if I'm lucky, through piecing five or six outfielders, maybe I can come close to possibly replicating Garcia's probable numbers.
Or, at least I can tell myself that.

[Outlaw]

Dough- What do you think about MLB giving serious consideration to the idea of changing games to 7 innings because of all the injuries. They are also considering dropping games, but I suspect that would be a distant second choice. There is a belief among the owners and PTB's that the players today just cannot and will not be able to stay healthy and its getting worse and costing them Big money.

I would imagine the traditionalists would go nuts over these concepts. My feeling is in another 10 years or so all the die hard traditionalists will be dead. MLB knows that a lot of the current Fandom could care less about tradition, and we should not confuse the current fan base with those of us who play fantasy and those here who would scream and Yell. It's all about the money and moving in different directions, Tradition be dammed.

[DOUGHBOYS]

I would think that an action like that would be furthering the wussification of America.
I don't know how shortening a baseball game would prevent injuries. These guys aren't running a marathon. It is mostly three hours of sitting and standing, interrupted by action moments.
Making the game seven innings sounds more like a money saving issue than injury saving issue.

You're right about traditionalists.
Most records could be thrown out for new and future players.
With fewer at bats, any records that were held during nine inning games would stand.
It would also bring specialization to the forefront. A team could throw seven one-inning pitchers most days, instead of Starters and Closers as we know the game.
If that happens, I'm happy I will not be here to see it.

American business wants to cut everything, except for money.
Football keeps the clock rolling now, when before it was stopped.
Except for commercial time.
That is deemed more important than what happens on the field.
Keeping the clock rolling has not resulted in shorter football games. Just more commercial time.
Baseball would be the same way with seven innings. The time between innings would be extended one minute for more commercials.
And I am shocked that I haven't heard, "This instant replay is brought to you by Minolta. At Minolta, we just want things right."

If baseball games go from nine to seven innings, don't blame injury. Blame money.
In sports, money is especially the root of all evil.

[DOUGHBOYS]

I just want to add one more thing here.
I just went through Roto World blurbs and rolled my eyes each time reading that a player was being 'rested'.
It is APRIL!
Thinking back to my younger days, one of the largest controversies that happened during a San Francisco Giants season was when Herman Franks tried to rest Willie Mays. Mays immediately went into the Manager's office and wanted an explanation. Not satisfied with the explanation, he crowed to anybody that would listen that he should be in that lineup.
Mays, did indeed win out and was inserted into the lineup.

Most players were like Mays then. Most did not have the clout that Mays had, but everybody wanted to see their name in the lineup each day.
What has changed?
Baseball.
In previous generations, players had a commitment to team and teammates. There was no free agency and few trades.
Loyalty to teammates became a must. These players would be sharing the same dugout, the same clubhouse with these players for years.
They shared in the commitment that playing together and winning games would lead them to the World Series.
The World Series would be the pinnacle of their season and put more money in their pockets.
Money that was important to each and every one of them because it was a high percentage of what some players earned for the season.
That commitment is gone.

Money is the commitment now. And I don't mean World Series money.
Now, World Series money is incidental. Just a few more bills in a large pool of money.
Now, it's ok to take days off. Heck, players even look forward to it.
Managers know this.
The smart Managers will schedule a day of rest against a tough pitcher or, at the least, a pitcher that hitter has not had much luck against in the past.
Anyway, these 'days of rest' can be put under the injury prevention group. But, it really is not.
Baseball has changed, that's all.

Edit- In re-reading this post, it seems like I'm crying for the 'good old days'. I'm not.
Instead, it was a poor attempt to illustrate that things are done under the guise of preventing injury.
Desmond Jennings may be rested today to 'give him a blow'. His Manager has no idea whether Jennings would have hit two homers or hurt himself. He'll just pick a day and go with it.
In my mind, telling Josh Hamilton that head long slides are forbidden would go along ways in preventing an injury than resting him a day.
Sorry, going on and on....thanks for the listen.

[blazer68]

just curious in your honest and straightforward opinion why do you feel that there seems to be so many more injuries the last couple of years

[jdryan]

NO STEROIDS !!! THE PLAYERS NEED THEM

[DOUGHBOYS]

Over training and year round training.
Baseball is unlike other sports. Most of the actions in baseball are sitting and standing.
Athletes are training 12 months for seconds in the batters box or diving for a ball.
The height of training is not required to play baseball.
The only requirement is to be in good athletic shape.
Not, an Adonis.

Dr. James Andrews once said that old-time players may have accidentally gotten baseball right. That playing six months, then taking six months off, rested the ligaments and kept muscles from getting overly tight.
Baseball is different than other sports, besides the pitcher and catcher, athleticism is reduced to swinging in the batters box, running the bases, and playing your position. In some games, players minimally use these actions.

Pitchers may have had it right in the old days too. Those ligaments, muscles, arms really do need the rest that the off season presents.
Now, pitchers are sent home after the season with throwing programs or playing winter ball!
How many needless pitches are thrown during the off season now?

I know so little about PED's and steroids that I have no idea how much effect they've had.

[headhunters]

and- why is it such a problem. from the scores of these games about 100 more pitchers need to get hurt before these hitters can actual start hitting. so what if the games are 8-7- that is what they were in the roid era. now you get a pitcher hurt and you go pick up chris young or aaron harang and get a shut out. buerle throws MAYBE 83 mph- in toronto no less- and his era is probably the lowest of his career. plus- some if these guys just don't want to play- carl crawford and tulo- it doesn't take a pull or a strain- all it takes is "tightness" and they miss 5 games.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Today's athletes get hurt. A lot. As fantasy players, there is nothing that can really be done about it.
We turn to rule changes within leagues, in hopes of making the experience better.
Extend the bench.
Have a DL List.
Have five to 10 DL moves.
One pitcher moves on Friday.
One catcher and eight bench spots.
Eight bench spots, restricted to four hitters, four pitchers.

The truth is, there is not one of us who really wants to change current rules for one of the above in the name of injury.
It would be better for everyone if players would stay healthy.
But, they don't.
We consider these changes because we feel SOMETHING has to be done. And the simple truth is, that things will get worse before they get better.

Here is my take-

Players just want to play baseball. Fantasy players just want to play fantasy baseball.
And we're both interfered with.
For real baseball players, trainers, doctors, agents, and organizations are constantly in their ear. They tell these players what THEY think is best for them. These folks seemingly have the players best interests at heart. Constantly repeating about training and working year-round is best and will make them better ball players and make more money.
Most of these advisers have never played the game. But still, they know best.

Fantasy players just want to play fantasy baseball. Like players, they each strive to be the best. In their own minds developing a strategy and drafting players to meet those goals. But something happens when the season starts.
On Sundays, real life kicks us in the nuts. Our kids pick this time to 'need' us more. Our wives wondering why we aren't paying more attention to them. They'll tell us fantasy is silly. That real life is best for us.
And once real life is put on hold, the kids in bed, the wife watching tv, the fantasy player has technology to conquer.
IT folks are a lot like agents and doctors are for real players. They never played the game, but think they know what is best for us.
And like the real player, the fantasy player has little choice but to follow.
In many ways, we're a lot alike. All of us just wanting to play a game. Distracted by those who have never played.