A's injuries

by gmhyman on Sep 9, 2007 7:54 AM PDT

For several years now, the A's have had more then their share of injuries - bad luck or bad practices?

We keep hearing (and believing) that the A's massive amount of injuries this year, and to a lesser degree the injuries in the previous years, are just "bad luck".

Well, it sure looks to me like something else is wrong. Rich Harden has never been right. It turns out Eric Chavez has had a bad shoulder for 10 years! Bobby Crosby never seems to get better. Clearly some things work - Shannon Stewart and Frank Thomas had reps as "brittle" players, but, in fact, were clearly healthier here than in their previous stops.

But it's time to think about A's medical practices - just who are the team doctors, who does their conditioning planing, how the training staff works with the team, etc. For me, the revelation that the home grown "big hope" - Chavez - hasn't really been right in 10 years was the last straw. Note that his surgery was done by the Angels' team doctor, not the A's.

Billy Beane may be a genius at the "value proposition" - finding the undervalued player/skills, but he doesn't seem to value medical side. Maybe the best place to spend more money would not be a right handed power hitter, which the A's obviously need, but better conditioning, injury diagnosis and treatment.

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and continuing to sign players

with a history of health issues, is also likely a factor in the A's injury story

by OaklandSi on Sep 9, 2007 8:28 AM PDT reply actions

And drafting them.

The Chavez Shift: 6 infielders and 2 catchers.

by Ozzz on Sep 9, 2007 10:30 PM PDT up reply actions

The Angels Team Doctor

Thats not really an issue though, because it turns out that this specific doctor, Lewis Youkem or something, just so happens to treat pretty much everyone in the Majors when they get their surgery.

by Zonis on Sep 9, 2007 9:38 AM PDT reply actions

Shoulder surgeries ...

Lewis Youkem is the premier shoulder surgeon for baseball related injuries.

"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback

by devo on Sep 9, 2007 12:42 PM PDT up reply actions

The problem here

is that, short of an independent standards review by a medical organization (something which is likely to be incredibly expensive and probably inconclusive), there's simply no way to evaluate the performance of the team's medical staff. Beane isn't a doctor; neither are you or I.

I suppose he could fire everyone and create a new staff on the general theory that things couldn't be worse, but...

by PaulThomas on Sep 9, 2007 12:07 PM PDT reply actions

That's what Steinbrenner would do, dammit!

"The more self-centered and egotistical a guy is, the better ballplayer he's going to be."- Bill "The Spaceman" Lee

by The Pilots Dared Me To Die on Sep 10, 2007 7:24 AM PDT up reply actions

As far as Crosby, Harden and Chavvy go

Crosby keeps breaking bones. There's not much of anything a doctor can do to prevent that.

One of the reasons that guys like Huddy and Harden drop into the double digit rounds of the draft is because of their slight frames, no one believes their bodies can withstand the rigors of an MLB season.

Conservative medicine is a good thing. Surgery is not a panacea, especially when it comes to back issues and there's no surgery to fix sore hamstrings and forearms. Perhaps he should have had the shoulder surgery sooner but it has no guarantees of success and carries with it significant risk. Clear rest and rehab hasn't healed him -- but it has kept him on the field, performing at a good (though below his potential) level. Perhaps surgery could have worked out better. But it also could have worked out much worse.

"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback

by devo on Sep 9, 2007 12:57 PM PDT reply actions

The A's are MLB's "Injury Culture"

The A's purposely sign players which are coming off scarey histories of injuries because they are undervalued. (OK, ...cheap!)

The A's expand role players into full time use to again get more value. Gaudin & Dinardo were relievers and now are starters. This can tax stamina and create health issues. Duke's "Rubber arm" wasn't so rubber after all, Some starts, some middle relief, some closing, some set up, ...some tendinitus.

Beane & the A's coaches push thier luck when it is not necessary. Geren makes a statement at the beginning of the year about how he won't use Calero or Street in back to back games, and 3-4 outs per outing. We know how long Geren's plan lasted, he ignored his own words and had both pitchers and Duke ailing in May! Why do this when both pitchers lose ball movement along with effectiveness by becoming very average and hittable?

Bad managing. With the A's relief options this was/is just lazy thoughtless player management taking the easy route for the moment instead of the season. You know, going to the World Series happens to teams that plan and play for it to happen. Playing for today won't get you there.

Swisher in CF?

Dinardo and Gaudin pitching more than 5 innings per start at the end of a meaningless season when they are used to much lighter workloads as relievers just last year?

At least they aren't starting Meyer. (Yet).

"A's Injury Culture" Roll Call; Buck, Chavez, Crosby, Frank, Harden, Witasick, Bradley, Kotsay, Duke, Ellis, Denorfia, Saarloos, Snelling, Meyer, Swisher, Bradley, Loaiza, Piazza, Kielty, Street, Stewart, Casilla, JayPay, Halsey, Kennedy, Braden, Perez, Windsor, Putnam, Closser, Barton, Calero, Robnett, Ginter, ...and that is just the names that come to mind! Who am I leaving out AN? Hudson, Mulder, ....

...and, the A's will probably add a few more players to the injury culture roll call this off season. The injury plagued seem to be moneyball's latest undervalued group. ...if a player isn't playing how can that be savings? ..not much value there. VOIP instead of VORP? (Value Of Injured Player)

by A s Eh on Sep 10, 2007 12:17 AM PDT up reply actions

Tejada

Tejada Tejada, Tejada.

Tejada!

by MobiusKlein on Sep 10, 2007 4:20 PM PDT up reply actions

Duke was only used on back to back nights

3 times and only pitched more than 1 inning once. On two of those 3 back to back appearances, he only pitched 2/3 of an inning.

Calero pitched in back to back games 10 times -- but only in one of them did he pitch a full inning in both games. He only pitched more than 1 inning 6 times and both guys averaged fewer than 1 inning per appearance.

It's simply not true that these guys were overused.

As far as points 1,2 -- you're right. The A's cannot win without getting better than market value for their dollars. If you don't want BB to take risks, you're going to be rooting for a sub-.500 team in perpetuity. Enjoy!

Gaudin and DiNardo have stayed healthy and been very productive in their new roles. Seems like a smart move so far.

Swisher has had to play CF because of injuries to the Plan A, B, C and D options. You can only expect the team to have so many attractive contingency plans.

"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback

by devo on Sep 10, 2007 4:48 PM PDT up reply actions

The team needs to stretch more...

and goof off less before games. They should split off into small groups and seriously spend way more time working deep tissue and tendons. I'll admit the problem is many sided-- but this would have an impact, in my opinion.

by Carlos1118 on Sep 9, 2007 8:50 PM PDT reply actions

Ziro WAS never injured. mabey all the players

should do what he does. im sure there are about 10/20 guys in this league that are super healthy year after year. they all probably do something different from the norm like zito to stay healthy. incorperate those things into a stretch/preventative regiment and FORCE the players into doing it.

"Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do". - Asimov

by Anarch on Sep 10, 2007 12:05 AM PDT reply actions