Month: July 2014

The David Price dilemma

~ Joe Setyon ~ Leave a comment

As Major League Baseball nears its trading deadline, there are many players who have been mentioned about as potential candidates to be moved. Perhaps the most talked about of these is the starting pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays, David Price.

At one point not too long ago, many of the experts were almost sure that Price was on the cusp of being moved. Since then, many things have changed. Now it may no longer a possibility that Price is going to be traded before the end of tomorrow. Instead, it looks increasingly more like he is going to stay with the Rays, at least for the remainder of 2014.

Price’s background

Since being the first overall pick of the 2007 MLB Draft, the 28 year old Price has lived up to his billing. It didn’t take long for him to become the ace of the Rays’ pitching staff. In 2010, just his second full season, he started the All-Star Game for the American League, and went on to finish second in Cy Young voting. That year, he pitched to a 2.72 ERA, while striking out 188 batters.

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The pendulum-like nature of the Boston Red Sox

~ Dan Johnson ~ Leave a comment

The Boston Red Sox have been a pendulum of late. Twice now in years following a World Series victory, Boston has followed with a less-than-stellar season.

Not that Boston fans are complaining (or at least, they shouldn’t be). After all, it was 86 years between World Series victories before 2004, followed by only a three year gap with a title in 2007. Then Boston won again in 2013, immediately following a year in the cellar of the AL East.

Though the 2007 title-winning team included players who were still in or just past their primes, it also incorporated young talent who would be the backbone of the 2013 run. It would seem the Red Sox are able to rebuild, or at least retool, fairly quickly. They are not, however, the first team to see such sporadic success.

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Grass and the ATP

~ Andrew Eissen ~ Leave a comment

For the average recreational tennis player, a tennis court and a hard court are one and the same. The ubiquitous red and green paint, the fading white lines, and the rough, concrete-like playing surface are all characteristics of the court that dominates both the ATP World Tour and the vast majority of recreational and club tennis courts the world over.

Of the 65 professional events on the ATP World Tour, including Grand Slams, the ATP World Tour Finals, Masters 1000 events, ATP 500 events and ATP 250 events, 37 of these are held on some variation of hard court, made of either acrylic or synthetic material. Comparatively, only 22 events are held on clay, and a mere six are held on grass. Since 2009, no professional events have been held on carpet courts.

Over the years, some players have complained of the seemingly unequal distribution of tournaments and surface types. Some have bemoaned the fact that many injuries on the Tour occur because of the damage that hard courts often cause on players’ knees. Others have stated that the Tour panders to those players who perform best on the medium speed surface.

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The sensibility of the Pierzynski signing

~ Dan Johnson ~ Leave a comment

A.J. Pierzynski has seen his share of the league, playing for six clubs across a 17-year career. While he only stayed in two cities for longer than a year, he’s also had a measure of success behind the plate. For that reason, among others, his recent change of scenery should reap benefits.

Shipping out of Boston

When Boston released the catcher on July 16, it was fairly clear the 37 year-old would get a shot to help out another team down the stretch. Some in the media have attributed his release in part to clubhouse issues, though that may not be the whole story.

It remains the Red Sox aren’t going anywhere this year, and they decided to part ways with Pierzynski. The man who takes his place, Christian Vazquez, is 23. It seems to make sense for the Sox to figure out what he can do in an everyday role while David Ross, also 37, spells him as the veteran backup. Pierzynski didn’t fit into the Red Sox’ plans, so they let him go, which turned out to be a good move for everyone involved.

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Elbow issues: Entering the majors too early

~ Dan Johnson ~ Leave a comment

Major League Baseball may have a serious problem on its hands.

Teams that sign young pitchers to big bonuses often accelerate the process to the major leagues so they get an earlier return on their investment. That may actually be hurting the players they’ve drafted and increasing risk for an already common injury.

But let’s start with the news on elbow injuries in general.

Scanning the stats

A recent study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit encompassed 168 major leaguers who had undergone UCL reconstructive surgery (more commonly known as Tommy John surgery). The lead-up to the injury was indicated by a “statistically significant decline” in performance in the season before the surgery.

We’ve heard very little of this, and it’s somewhat alarming, partially because it hasn’t been noticed before. But the good news is this means it may be possible for trainers to use statistics as a red flag. When a UCL is undergoing stress that may lead to a fracture, a corresponding drop in statistics could be a good warning that prompts proper rest.

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