Team Health Report: Los Angeles Dodgers February 2003
Team Health Report: Baltimore Orioles February 2003
The Cardinals and Padres will start the season without their closers. Here’s a look at the injuries.
Team Health Report: Philadelphia Phillies February 2003
Team Health Report: Milwaukee Brewers February 2003
Team Health Report: Florida Marlins February 2003
Team Health Report: Oakland Athletics February 2003
Team Health Report: Cleveland Indians February 2003
Team Health Report: Atlanta Braves February 2003
New DH David Ortiz has a history of nagging ailments and a need for a platoon partner. Johnny Damon’s knee doesn’t bother me after a full off-season of healing time. The Sox lack depth and minor league insurance for their star players, but they have enough pieces to get through everything but a catastrophic loss.
Do the Sox have enough to beat the Yankees? On paper, no, but injuries – or the lack thereof – could be a deciding factor. As the mainstream press watches Lucchino vs. Steinbrenner and Pedro vs. Clemens, I’ll be watching whether Jim Rowe or Gene Monahan can keep his team healthier.
Even healthy, the best thing this team can do is collapse completely and cause new managing partner Robert Basham (no relation to the Reds prospect) to send Chuck LaMar and Cam Bonifay packing and start over. The best prospects coming up haven’t been properly nurtured, and there aren’t even enough of those flawed few to offer hope.
The Reds, more than any other team in the last five years, have been defined by injuries. The most notable has been to Griffey, but by losing other players while Don Gullett rebuilds guys like Jimmy Haynes and Pete Harnisch, they’ve been able to stay under the insanely low budget constraints forced on them by ownership, while remaining competitive. More than any other team, a run of good health could make this team quite good and potentially a serious NL contender.
Team Health Report: Colorado Rockies January 2003
Team Health Report: Chicago White Sox January 2003
Team Health Report: Texas Rangers January 2003
Team Health Report: San Francisco Giants January 2003