Between a careful analysis of what data is available, the creative use of proxy variables in estimating injuries throughout time, and the application of some principles of sports medicine, we are at least in a position to make some educated guesses about the nature of pitcher injuries. Our particular focus in this article will be the progression of pitcher injury rates by age.
Pitching is an unnatural act that invites injury. The stress it places on the
bones of the shoulder, arm, and back is immense. The strain it places on the 36
muscles that attach to the humerus, clavicle, and scapula is remarkable. It is
widely accepted by sports medicine practitioners that every pitch causes at
least some amount of damage to the system.
Of the million things Cubs fans can blame when they look back on why 2003 wasn’t
the year they finally won the World Series, health won’t be one of them. In
fact, for at least the last decade, trainer Dave Tumbas has kept Cubs’ health
concerns out of the picture more than most teams in baseball. The one major
injury during that time was Kerry Wood’s arm
trouble; but as much as people look to Wood’s usage during his rookie
season, the more likely culprit was his usage during high school. As far as the
rest of the team, the injuries suffered have been setbacks they could expect and
plan for. It’s fine to have someone like Moises Alou or Rondell White on the
roster if there’s an adequate backup plan. The difference between the Cubs with
Alou and the Brewers with Jeffrey Hammonds is that not only do the Cubs plan on
Alou playing only 120 games, they paid him according to this plan.
While we wait breathlessly for word from Cooperstown about the results of the
new Veterans Committee balloting, the STATLG-L Internet Hall of Fame voters have
spoken their collective mind here on BP.
Mark Shapiro enters his second season as General Manager of the Cleveland Indians, and 12th with the organization, in full rebuilding mode.
While we wait breathlessly for word from Cooperstown about the results of the new Veterans Committee balloting, the STATLG-L Internet Hall of Fame voters have spoken their collective mind here on BP. Well, sort of. The voting patterns on the two ballots (Players and Composite) were rather similar in some respects. On both ballots, only…
Mark Shapiro enters his second season as General Manager of the Cleveland Indians, and 12th with the organization, in full rebuilding mode. Since winning six NL Central division titles in seven years, the Indians have said goodbye to stars Roberto Alomar, Jim Thome and Bartolo Colon and rebuilt the farm system through drafting, development and a series of opportune trades. He recently chatted with BP about the dangers of multi-year contracts, breaking prospects into the lineup, and the pressure of meeting fans’ expectations.
Of the million things Cubs fans can blame when they look back on why
2003 wasn’t the year they finally won the World Series, health won’t be
one of them. In fact, for at least the last decade, trainer Dave Tumbas
has kept Cubs’ health concerns out of the picture more than most teams in baseball. The one major injury during that time was Kerry Wood’s
arm trouble; but as much as people look to Wood’s usage during his
rookie season, the more likely culprit was his usage during high school.
As far as the rest of the team, the injuries suffered have been setbacks they could expect and plan for. It’s fine to have someone like Moises Alou or Rondell White on the roster if there’s an adequate backup plan. The difference between the Cubs with Alou and the Brewers with Jeffrey Hammonds is that not only do the Cubs plan on Alou playing only 120 games, they paid him according to this plan.
In Portland, Oregon (where Jeff Bower and I will be for a BP Pizza Feed in March), there are some developments that have suddenly made Portland the front-runner in convincing baseball to move another team to the West Coast.
Team Health Report: Pittsburgh Pirates February 2003
Last week I talked a little about possible homes for the Expos, profiling a number of cities often included in discussions about relocation. Well, according to reports, the big three contenders–Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, and Portland, Oregon–are slated to make presentations to Major League Baseball on March 20th and 21st. MLB’s major priority in selecting a place to move the team is not long-term viability, or strength of ownership, or anything like that. No, as you’d expect, it’s the funding, location, and construction of a new ballpark.
(Sigh.)
Team Health Report: Kansas City Royals February 2003
Transaction analysis, February 10-18, 2003.
There is enough evidence to perform at least an exploratory empirical analysis of what types of skills are best accentuated by Coors Field.
The PCL is famous for its pinball scores but there are other, better reasons to pay attention to it this year.
Where do the Expos go after this year, or next yea