It is arguably one of the best times of the year, when pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training, followed soon after by position players. The slate is wiped clean, and a new year is upon all 30 MLB teams, giving each one the same chance to win a World Series as the next. However, once the excitement of baseball making its triumphant return subsides and teams start preparing for the upcoming year, injuries have a way of putting a damper on an organization’s excitement. Like every spring, there are a handful of minor and major injuries that happen in camp, but there are three in particular that could have the biggest effect on their respective teams.
The Pirates made what they felt was a good gamble in acquiring troubled pitcher A.J. Burnett in a trade from the New York Yankees. With two years and $33 million left on his current contract, Pittsburgh was able to negotiate their way to only being responsible for paying Burnett $13 million. Even though his time with the Yankees was rocky at best, it is no secret that he has great stuff and has the ability to take over any game that he starts in. Getting a change of scenery and being put into a smaller market were all things that the Pirates thought would be helpful in getting Burnett back to where he was in 2008 with the Blue Jays, when he had his best year (18-10 record, 4.07 ERA). After fouling a pitch off of his face in batting practice and fracturing his right orbital bone, Burnett will have rehab for about 2-3 months before he can take the mound in his first game for Pittsburgh.
This is a big blow for Clint Hurdle and the Pittsburgh organization because they are attempting to break their streak of consecutive losing seasons. While they haven’t enjoyed a record over .500 since 1992, they did have their best season since 2004 and were excited to have Burnett around to act as a veteran presence with postseason experience to help keep the team afloat through the dog days of August. He’ll be back by then, but not having him around to help set the tone through Pirates camp and to get himself acclimated to his new team is a crucial absence that could have a negative effect on the Pirates and their young core players in 2012.
Minutes before the Brewers were scheduled to take the field in their Spring Training opener over the weekend, outfielder Corey Hart was scratched from the line up due to some swelling in his right knee. Unfortunately, an MRI later showed that there was a tear in that knee, which would require arthroscopic surgery to heal. Even though Hart is only anticipated to miss 3-4 weeks of action, I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t return to the Milwaukee lineup until at least mid-April. This is a significant injury for the Brewers to handle because of all the off-field stories that have surrounded the team during the winter. Ryan Braun will not be facing a 50-game suspension, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the reigning NL MVP has a rough start because of the fan reaction to him winning his appeal. Also, losing Prince Fielder to free agency puts more pressure on the rest of the offense to try and “make up” for that loss.
There is no doubt that Milwaukee will be a different team in 2012 without the power of Prince, and they may transform into a team that will depend on putting the ball in play and stealing bases instead of hitting home runs, but Hart is a critical part of that lineup because he and newly acquired third baseman, Aramis Ramirez, have the task of protecting Braun every day and making their offense dynamic. The 2011 NL Central champs have some stiff divisional competition in both the Reds and Cardinals, so a slow start would not be ideal for Ron Roenicke’s squad.
After being acquired from Detroit in a 2011 trade, third baseman Scott Sizemore hit .249, slugged 11 home runs, and drove in 52 runs in 93 games for the Oakland Athletics. Manager Bob Melvin was looking for the 27-year-old to have a breakout season in 2012, but a torn ACL will prevent Sizemore from seeing any playing action until next year. When he went down with the injury in the team’s first full squad workout of the Spring, so did the anticipated protection that he was going to give Cuban import Yoenis Cespedes once he is ready for MLB action. This was a huge blow for the Athletics because they are already not expected to accomplish much this year, and losing Sizemore is just one more punch to the gut that they weren’t looking for. Josh Donaldson, who was acquired in the trade that sent Rich Harden out of Oakland, is currently the front-runner to fill the void that has been left at the hot corner.
Now that Sizemore will be sidelined for all of 2012 and with Manny Ramirez still needing to serve a 50-game suspension before he can return to action, there isn’t a proven power threat left in the Oakland line up, which could put them further into the basement of the American League West division, especially with the Rangers and Angels making big leaps with their off season acquisitions. It looked like it was going to be another tough year in Oakland, but this latest injury has quite possibly sealed their fate.
One minor injury that I thought was humorous and had to be mentioned was the one that new Red Sox closer Andrew Bailey suffered during his physical; Bailey has had issues staying healthy since his breakout campaign in 2009, and even though that was concerning, GM Ben Cherington felt that it was worth the risk. Well, Bailey strained a lat muscle while performing a vertical leap in his physical…no, that’s not a joke. If I had my say in a segment for “Come on, man” or “Got heeeeeem,” I would definitely give Bailey a shout out.
Which Spring Training injury, in your eyes, is the most significant?
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