MASH Report (4/4/16)
• I am still trying to fill in as much information into the disabled list spreadsheet at the end of ht article. I have checked twice and I have all the players added. Right now I am trying to find the information on some lesser known players. Also, I need to do some updates on players who haven’t really seen their status change. I am going to keep updating the sheet and it will hopefully be done in the next day or so.
• Go ahead and bookmark this spreadsheet for April. It will have all the pitcher velocity speed changes from 2015:
• A.J. Pollock rfractured his elbow this weekend and will be out for a while
On a night they collected a win on the field, the D-backs also suffered a big loss, as outfielder A.J. Pollock suffered a fractured right elbow on a third-inning play at the plate against the Royals.
D-backs manager Chip Hale said Pollock would have to undergo surgery, and that the team did not know yet what a timeline for his return would be.
Looking back, I found six instances of a hitter with a fractured elbow and the average return time was 56 days, median was 33 days.
• Andrew Miller will pitch with a fracture in his non-throwing hand.
Miller suffered a chip fracture in his right wrist when he was struck by a liner during a game against the Braves. On Friday, he visited a hand specialist, who cleared him to resume throwing.
Three batters was all manager Joe Girardi planned for Miller to face, and that was enough for him to gain confidence in playing with the injury.
….
Miller, who will close for the Yanks to start the season, said he has gotten permission to wear some form of a small brace during games, although he had no problems without it Saturday.“I felt fine catching the ball,” he said. “I think it’s just about pitching from here on out.”
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Pitchers don’t like any changes (like wearing a protective hat), so pitching with a broken non-throwing hand could affect him.
• Tommy Pham injured his oblique yesterday and was placed on the 15-day DL.
Pham, whose MRI exam revealed a tear in his left oblique, has been placed on the 15-day disabled list.
This sucks for Pham owners, but helps clarify the whole Cardinals OF-1B situation … kind of.
• Our own Brad Johnson goes over how to “Manage Injured Players“.
• Kyle Boddy (link) and Mike Reinold (link) both go into the mechanics and how they may cause (or prevent pitcher injuries).
Players on the 2016 DL
The Red players have had updates since the last report. Click on the “Date” for a link to go to the latest article on the player.
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.
Oblique tear for Pham, isn’t that the kind of injury that lingers, reducing a player’s capability even when they do return to the field?
I’m pretty sure that this was the injury suffered by Kipnis and Chris Davis in 2014
It can be bad, I am just catching up on the reports.
Some have come back in less than a month (Schumaker and Desmond). Seems to be all over the place.
Average return time of 56 days and median of 33 days really varies from the full year possibility though to be needed for this recovery. What’s the cause of this difference? Should we really be expecting Pollock back in maybe 2 months?
Sample size of six and also the returns times can be low as some players are injured before and after the season.
Good points, thanks for clarifying!
The Depth Charts have Pollock projected for 8 games now. Seems a little low.
The more I read, the more his timeline is all over the place. It could be a while (whole season) or not. Best article is here
http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/mlb/diamondbacks/2016/04/02/aj-pollock-hoping-injury-isnt-season-ending/82553888/
They are basing the timeline on last time when he had several hiccups and not happy with doc. Return is really up on the air.
Thanks for responding to this. I saw your response above about some of those injuries being before and after the season, so it makes sense that it’s hard to know what to expect from Pollock’s injury.
Jeff, since Grandal had off season shoulder surgery and now is reporting tight forearm, sending him to DL, what is your estimate as to whether this may be a lingering problem or precursor to something worse? They are now saying they hope he is back by Dodger home opener. And he says it is from too many batting practice swings after a late start this winter due to the surgery. I would think more likely from altered throwing mechanics after surgery, but just guessing.
Don’t see Greg Holland on this list?