5. Tyler Colvin gets impaled by a bat
In his rookie season in 2010, Tyler Colvin appeared as though he would be a viable part of the Chicago Cubs future. In his 111 games played, he produced a solid .254/.316/.500 batting line with 20 home runs, providing the Cubs offense a bit of power as a semi regular. However, his season was cut short by one of the more bizarre injuries to happen on the diamond.
Colvin had been standing in the on deck circle, awaiting his turn at the bat while Wellington Castillo was at the plate. The bat shattered as Castillo hit a double, with a piece impaling Colvin and severely damaging his lung. He was hospitalized and a tube was placed in his chest to prevent against a collapsed lung.
That injury would also lead to a debate about a ban on maple bats. Although the MLB had sanctioned the use of ash bats, some players, such as Castillo, preferred maple. Maple bats tended to shatter into splinters when broken, and baseball wanted to do away with them. The injury to Colvin was the first real evidence against such bats, a debate that continues to this day.
However, in the minors, certain types of maple bats have been banned since 2010, ironically the year that Colvin would be injured. With the focus on fan safety, and the expansion of the netting behind home plate, that debate has begun once again.
If maple bats are ever banned at the Major League level, Tyler Colvin will be a prime example as to what could happen on the field. It was certainly one of the more frightening injuries in this history of the game.
Next: Rickey being Rickey