Yovani Gallardo won’t be making his next spring training start thanks to groin tightness according to a report from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. While this issue is not expected to linger, it may impact his participation in the World Baseball Classic depending on its severity. Doubtlessly, the Brewers are more concerned that their ace is fully recovered before opening day than they are about him pitching in the WBC.
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Gallardo, 27, is coming off another very solid season atop the Brewers rotation, having finished 2012 with a 16-9 record and a 3.66 ERA in 204 innings of work. The right-hander struck out exactly a batter an inning for the second straight season, although his walk rate did spike back to career norms from what appears to be an abnormally low 2.6 per nine mark in 2011.
All told, Gallardo was still worth 2.7 WAR per FanGraphs, a mark he hasn’t failed to reach or best every season since 2008 when he made only four starts. The Mexican native is a big part of the Milwaukee rotation and will be counted on heavily this season; if he further complicates this injury trying to pitch in the WBC, the organization will feel the effects heavily.
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