MLB Power Rankings: 10 Most Alarming Injuries This Spring Training
Injuries are a part of any sport, and baseball is no exception.
Injuries can change a team’s ideas and plans, alter division standings and cause managers infinite frustration.
The regular season has not started in baseball, but there have already been many significant injuries. Not all injuries are the same. Like anything else in this world, some are more important than others.
This list breaks down the 10 biggest injuries of the season and ranks them in the most accurate way based on factors such as length of injury, playoff potential of the team, how good the player is, etc.
These 10 injuries are probably the ones that will affect the standings the most in the early parts of the season, with some affecting the later parts as well.
Other Notable Injuries
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Obviously I won't say "honorable mention" because there is no pride to take in injuries, but these guys are just out of the top 10:
Carlos Beltran
Andrew McCutchen
Johnny Cueto
Brandon Webb
Stephen Strasburg
Rich Harden
Domonic Brown
Brad Lidge
Placido Polanco
10. Carlos Guillen, Tigers
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Last season, the Tigers finished third in the AL Central, mainly because of a lack of offensive production from just about everyone except Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera finished second in MVP voting last season, and he was the entire Detroit offense.
This season, the Tigers will need more production from everybody, especially Carlos Guillen. Guillen, however, is expected to start the regular season on the DL because of a knee injury.
If Guillen misses any more time than that or if he struggles at the plate or in the field, the Tigers could see the division slip out of their grasp once again.
9. Justin Morneau, Twins
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Morneau is an All-Star first baseman and vital to the Minnesota Twins’ success. The Twins performed well last season, led by a career year from Joe Mauer. However, they cannot expect another year like that from Mauer and must rely more on Morneau.
Morneau suffered a concussion at the end of last season, and he is still struggling. In his last game, Morneau struck out twice in his only two at-bats, and he looks like he is in a serious funk at the plate.
Morneau is questionable for the start of the regular season but if he can’t turn it around soon, he might not be worth having around.
8. Derrek Lee, Orioles
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The first baseman for the Orioles injured his thumb and wrist during the offseason and has not taken live batting practice yet. Lee is starting to come back, but he is questionable for the start of the regular season only two weeks away.
Lee is one of several big name moves for the O’s this offseason, and he is vital to their success. The Orioles have high expectations for 2011 and are trying to make a playoff push, but without Lee they will struggle mightily.
The Orioles have solidified their lineup and rotation during the offseason and are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since the early 2000s.
7. Chris Carpenter, Cardinals
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Carpenter suffered a hamstring injury during the offseason and has not started a game in spring training yet. The Cards’ pitching staff has already lost their ace in Adam Wainwright and if Carpenter goes down too, they could fall to the bottom half of the NL Central.
Carpenter is scheduled to make his first start this week, but he is not expected to throw more than 40-50 pitches. Carpenter has just started pitching off the mound, which could be huge for the Cards.
It has been proven that missing spring training and time to get adjusted hurts pitchers more than any other position. If Carpenter cannot get in enough time to prepare, his pitches (especially breaking ones) will suffer from a lack of preparedness.
While I am not going to say that Carpenter’s injury is going to haunt him throughout his career, it could lead to a slow start for the ace.
6. Matt Cain, Giants
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San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy said starting pitcher Matt Cain (elbow) had an MRI on March 2, which revealed elbow inflammation. Cain missed just one start.
While Cain is no longer on the Giants’ injury report, his injury was still quite alarming. The Giants are looking to repeat as World Series champions and if they do not have Cain, they probably will not be able to do so, nor would they have won it in the first place.
The question is, as with any injury, is this just a one-time thing or will it come back? Cain could be a question mark this season and if he does not perform well, the division could be left open for the Colorado Rockies.
5. Johan Santana, Mets
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The ace of the Mets underwent shoulder surgery during the offseason and is expected to be out until late June.
Santana is a great pitcher on a bad team. Santana is always good, but this season he will have missed all of spring training and will not start the season on the active roster. This could lead to a down year for the ace.
The Mets are not a playoff team even with a healthy Santana (which is why his injury is not higher on this list), but because Santana has such prowess in the league, his loss would be big even if he was on a Little League team.
4. Cliff Lee, Phillies
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Possibly the most publicized injury in the MLB so far, Cliff Lee suffered a side strain during spring training. The injury was hushed up so naturally when it was revealed, it spread like wildfire.
Lee was the most coveted gem on the market this offseason before joining the Phillies’ Phab Phour. When it was discovered that Lee had suffered another injury, it scared quite a few people.
While most are happy to believe that Lee’s injury was a one-time thing, the fact is that Lee has become injury-prone. If Lee continues to be hurt, he could become a mediocre pitcher, and sink the Phillies’ odds of a World Series championship in 2011 and beyond.
3. Chase Utley, Phillies
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Utley over Cliff Lee? Yeah, Chase Utley’s injury is much bigger than Lee’s.
Utley has injured his knee and had cortisone shots to try to recover, but he is still out of spring training and is questionable for the start of the regular season. Utley suffered an injury last season too, and it was when he was out that Philadelphia’s offense really struggled. If Utley misses extend time, or time in the postseason, the Phillies might not be as good as we expect.
2. Zack Greinke, Brewers
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The Brewers’ ace has suffered a fractured rib and will start the year on the disabled list.
Greinke is beginning to feel better. Manager Ron Roenicke said, "They're riding him on the bike and you heat up to the point of, where does he start to feel it? They're trying to monitor how hard and how far he can go with workouts before he starts feeling it at all, and it's kind of tricky. They were riding for four minutes and he started to feel it, so they had to back off."
Apparently a light game of catch is not far away, but throwing for real and pitching off the mound are.
Greinke was brought in to help out the Brewers’ pitching staff, and while they also have Shaun Marcum and Yovani Gallardo, Greinke is their main guy. If Greinke misses extended time or does not come back throwing well, the Brewers will have a tough time making the playoffs.
1. Adam Wainwright, Cardinals
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We have all heard about Wainwright’s injury. He underwent Tommy John surgery on February 28 that has a recovery time of 12-15 months.
Wainwright is done for the season, but he did begin rehab at the Cardinals’ spring training facility. While this looks like a good sign for 2012, there is no way he can come back in 2011.
Wainwright is a legitimate Cy Young candidate who has carried the Cards to many victories over the last several years. Wainwright is a huge loss, and his injury is by far the biggest of the year so far. There is almost no way anyone can top this one.
Wainwright was vital to the Cardinals’ return to success, but now they could finish out of the top two in the division.
