Help Needed: Hitters Who Played Through a 2022 Injury
So it is time for the annual article examing how hitters performed who didn’t let an injury heal and played through the pain. Whether these hitters cause permanent damage to their bodies or pick up bad habits, they continue to underperform their projections. Besides tallying the results, I have started collecting next year’s player list.
I first determined the decline in an article covering 2017 to 2019 and have continued collecting names and results (2020 and 2021).
So here is how the hitters who played through a 2021 injury performed compared to their 2022 projection.
| Name (injury) | Steamer Proj | Actual | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Bregman (lower body) | .865 | .820 | -.045 |
| Alex Kirilloff (wrist) | .800 | .651 | -.149 |
| Alex Verdugo (leg) | .802 | .733 | -.069 |
| Anthony Rendon (hip) | .840 | .706 | -.134 |
| Anthony Santander (knee) | .763 | .773 | .010 |
| Bryce Harper (wrist) | .934 | .878 | -.056 |
| Byron Buxton (patellar tendinitis/hand) | .838 | .832 | -.006 |
| Cavan Biggio (hand & back) | .744 | .668 | -.076 |
| Chris Taylor (neck) | .751 | .677 | -.074 |
| Christian Yelich (back) | .833 | .738 | -.095 |
| Cody Bellinger (shoulder) | .811 | .654 | -.157 |
| Curt Casali (wrist) | .666 | .649 | -.017 |
| Daz Cameron (toe) | .711 | .630 | -.081 |
| DJ LeMahieu (hernia) | .773 | .734 | -.039 |
| Dominic Smith (shoulder) | .752 | .560 | -.192 |
| George Springer (knee) | .845 | .814 | -.031 |
| Gio Urshela (knee) | .729 | .767 | .038 |
| Hunter Dozier (hand) | .722 | .679 | -.043 |
| J.D. Davis (hand) | .762 | .758 | -.004 |
| J.T. Realmuto (shoulder) | .766 | .820 | .054 |
| Jake Cronenworth (finger) | .783 | .727 | -.056 |
| Jonathan India (shoulder) | .804 | .705 | -.099 |
| Jorge Mateo (back) | .661 | .646 | -.015 |
| Josh Donaldson (calf) | .844 | .682 | -.162 |
| Ke’Bryan Hayes (wrist) | .760 | .659 | -.101 |
| Kolten Wong (oblique) | .747 | .769 | .022 |
| Kyle Farmer (abdominal) | .712 | .701 | -.011 |
| Luis Robert (hip) | .850 | .745 | -.105 |
| Luke Voit (knee) | .803 | .710 | -.093 |
| Manny Machado (shoulder) | .858 | .897 | .039 |
| Mike Moustakas (plantar fasciitis) | .776 | .640 | -.136 |
| Mike Yastrzemski (hand) | .772 | .697 | -.075 |
| Mookie Betts (shoulder/back & hip) | .866 | .873 | .007 |
| Nick Senzel (knee) | .770 | .602 | -.168 |
| Rhys Hoskins (back) | .847 | .794 | -.053 |
| Stephen Piscotty (wrist) | .690 | .593 | -.097 |
| Tom Murphy (shoulder) | .687 | .894 | .207 |
| Tommy Pham (stabbing) | .799 | .686 | -.113 |
| Trevor Larnach (shoulder) | .714 | .712 | -.002 |
| Trevor Story (shoulder) | .786 | .737 | -.049 |
| Ty France (wrist) | .803 | .777 | -.026 |
| Wil Myers (knee) | .742 | .713 | -.029 |
| Willy Adames (quadricep) | .776 | .756 | -.020 |
| Xander Bogaerts (wrist) | .830 | .833 | .003 |
| Yadier Molina (foot) | .683 | .535 | -.148 |
| Average | -.054 | ||
| Median | -.053 | ||
| Adjusted to run environment | Average | -.021 | |
| Median | -.020 |
In one of the above studies, the hitters underperformed by 17 OPS points and 23 points in the other. These guys split the historical difference down the middle and missed their projections by 20 points. Again, playing through an injury is not a reason to ignore a player since some are stars, but more of a slight downgrade when comparing to similar hitters.
I’ve started collecting players who were known (reference link included) to play through an injury.
| Name | Injury |
|---|---|
| Amed Rosario | wrist |
| Austin Hays | wrist |
| Avisaíl García | hand, knee |
| Brandon Belt | knee |
| Brandon Crawford | knee |
| Brandon Lowe | back |
| Bryan Reynolds | oblique |
| Bryce Harper | elbow |
| Byron Buxton | knee |
| Charlie Blackmon | knee |
| David Fletcher | hand |
| Didi Gregorius | knee |
| DJ LeMahieu | wrist and toe |
| Eduardo Escobar | oblique |
| Francisco Lindor | finger |
| George Springer | elbow |
| Gleyber Torres | wrist |
| Isiah Kiner-Falefa | finger |
| Jared Walsh | shoulder |
| Jazz Chisholm | knee |
| Joey Votto | hand |
| Jonathan India | knee |
| Jose Ramirez | thumb |
| Ke’Bryan Hayes | back |
| Kevin Kiermaier | hip |
| Kris Bryant | foot |
| Luis Arraez | hamstring |
| Luis Robert | wrist |
| Luke Voit | bicep |
| Max Muncy | UCL |
| Miguel Cabrera | knee |
| Miguel Rojas | wrist |
| Mitch Garver | forearm |
| Nolan Arenado | back |
| Rafael Devers | hamstring |
| Ronald Acuna Jr. | knee |
| Salvador Perez | thumb, eye |
| Taylor Ward | shoulder |
| Teoscar Hernandez | foot/ankle |
| Trevor Story | elbow |
| Trey Mancini | hand |
| Wil Myers | thumb |
| Wilson Contreras | ankle |
| Xander Bogaerts | wrist, shoulder |
| Yordan Alvarez | hand |
- Andres Gimenez (finger)
- Andrew Vaughn (leg)
- Anthony Rizzo (back)
- Brad Miller (neck)
- Cal Raleigh (thumb)
- Eddie Rosario (eyes)
- Gavin Lux (neck)
- Jake Crone (hip)
- Jesse Winker (knee, neck)
- Ji-Man Choi (elbow)
- Jose Ramirez (hand)
- Julio Rodriguez (finger)
- Kolten Wong (lower body)
- Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (wrist)
- Ketel Marte (hamstring)
- Martín Maldonado (hand)
- Nelson Cruz (eyes)
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (wrist)
- Trevor Larnach (hand)
- Zach Mckinstry (groin): Late add
- Ty France (elbow): Late add
| Name | Injury |
|---|---|
| back | |
| Chris Taylor | neck |
| Eric Hosmer | back |
| Gavin Lux | neck |
| J.D. Martinez | back |
| Jose Altuve | shoulder |
| Josh Naylor | ankle/back |
| Manny Machado | ankle |
| Max Kepler | UNK |
| Nick Castellanos | foot |
| Starling Marte | Groin |
| Tommy La Stella | Achilles |
| calf or elbow | |
| Wander Franco | hamate |
Thanks for the help and I will add more players once they are verified.
Jeff, one of the authors of the fantasy baseball guide,The Process, writes for RotoGraphs, The Hardball Times, Rotowire, Baseball America, and BaseballHQ. He has been nominated for two SABR Analytics Research Award for Contemporary Analysis and won it in 2013 in tandem with Bill Petti. He has won four FSWA Awards including on for his Mining the News series. He's won Tout Wars three times, LABR twice, and got his first NFBC Main Event win in 2021. Follow him on Twitter @jeffwzimmerman.
Ketel Marte: https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/mlb/diamondbacks/2022/10/04/gm-hazen-d-backs-looking-more-ketel-marte-2023/8182442001/
“General Manager Mike Hazen said he appreciated the fact that Marte “grinded” to stay in the lineup despite injuries, including a pair of stretches in which he served as the designated hitter while a tender hamstring recovered.”
Thanks