MLB Injury Recoveries More Crucial to Teams Than a Big Offseason Splash
While the baseball world is firmly focused on free-agent prizes and where they'll end up, key MLB stars are busy recovering from injuries that derailed their campaigns a season ago.
In those cases, the returns of those players are more important than any offseason acquisition ever could be. Over the next few slides, we'll take a look at a handful of players who hope to rebound from lost seasons in 2016.
Whether it's at the dish—in the cases of Michael Brantley and Giancarlo Stanton—or on the mound—like Yu Darvish and Sean Doolittle—various teams across MLB will receive a lift from the returns of banged-up stars.
The following players are each essential to their team's success in 2016. Each injury returnee does something special for his squad and provides traits that are difficult to replace on the offseason market.
Let us know what you think in the comments section below. What can we expect from the players on this list? What other returnees are vital to their team's success?
It's easy to forget about players who haven't suited up in a while. Here are a few who are poised to make significant impacts upon their return.
Michael Brantley
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No one in baseball is more underrated than Michael Brantley.
In 2015, the Cleveland Indians outfielder slashed .310/.379/.480, hit 15 homers and drove in 84 runs. Over the last two seasons, Brantley ranks first among outfielders in batting average, fifth in on-base percentage, sixth in wRC+ and eighth in FanGraphs' WAR.
Brantley underwent arthroscopic surgery on his non-throwing shoulder in early November. According to the Plan Dealer, the Indians are prepared for Brantley to miss the first month of the 2016 season.
"Our goal is to have Michael ready for the start of the season," Cleveland head trainer James Quinlan told Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer. "But we need to be prepared for this to carry on a little bit into April. That will depend on how his body responds. We don't know how each individual feels and responds and how they feel along the way."
Cleveland ranked 18th in MLB in runs scored last season. Without Brantley in the lineup, the Indians are left with significant holes in their outfield. Cleveland doesn't seem likely to make a significant move in free agency, so minor moves figure to be the course of action.
Cleveland's lackluster offense didn't support an elite starting rotation. Indians starters finished second in the AL in ERA and topped MLB in strikeouts per nine innings last season. Carlos Carrasco (fifth), Corey Kluber (sixth), Danny Salazar (12th) and Trevor Bauer (24th) all ranked in the top 25 in K/9.
Even with that rotation returning in 2016, a lineup without Brantley spells another slow start for the Cleveland offense. His ability to recover from his surgery and return to the diamond will determine the type of start the Indians get off to.
Yu Darvish
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The Texas Rangers won the AL West without their ace Yu Darvish this past season, and they should be even better upon his return in 2016.
Darvish underwent Tommy John surgery in spring training and missed all of 2015. It figured to be a brutal blow for the Rangers. The right-hander fanned over 11 hitters per nine innings en route to a 3.06 ERA in 2014. Throughout his career, Darvish has a 3.27 ERA.
According to the Rangers, he is on track to make a full return in 2016. Manager Jeff Banister said, per T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com:
"As far as his rehab, he's had no setbacks to this point. Yu has looked very good, he looks strong, the body looks extremely healthy. This is a special guy. It's not to say that other guys are not. They are. But we want to make sure that this guy is as healthy as he can be, go through the complete process, because we want this guy around for as long as we can have him.
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The landscape of the Rangers roster has a different look since Darvish last pitched for the club. Texas acquired Cole Hamels at the trade deadline to bolster a Darvish-less rotation in the second half. Behind Hamels' 3.66 ERA with his new team, the Rangers were able to storm to the top of the division in September.
The Rangers were eliminated in the National League Division Series but have to be considered favorites to win the AL West again with Hamels and a healthy Darvish leading the rotation. Texas won 88 games with a starting staff that ranked 21st in MLB in starters ERA, so improvement in that area will make the Rangers even tougher.
Even with multiple starters on the free-agent market, the Texas brass has shown it feels comfortable entering 2016 with the same cast of characters. If he can come back at full health, adding Darvish back to the mix will create more of an impact than any addition could.
Sean Doolittle
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The Oakland A's ranked 14th in the MLB in runs scored and finished ninth in starters ERA. On paper, those two ingredients usually combine to create a competitive ballclub.
One problem—it's hard to win with a leaky bullpen, and Oakland trotted out the third-worst unit in baseball this season. It's no coincidence that the A's finished the season with a league-worst 19-35 record in one-run games and ultimately the worst record in the American League.
Oakland's struggles in the later innings can be tied to a poor talent pool, but losing closer Sean Doolittle to injury left the bullpen in dire straits. After 22 saves and a 2.73 ERA in 2014, the left-hander appeared in only 12 games this season.
The A's figure to pursue multiple relievers this winter, but a healthy Doolittle will mean just as much to a team that is hoping to improve in the later innings.
"Most importantly, by far, the 2016 A's should have a healthy and effective Sean Doolittle, who missed most of last season due to injury," wrote FanGraphs' Jeff Sullivan (h/t Fox Sports). "He looked healthy again toward the end, and the last time Doolittle was a regularly healthy pitcher, he was a dominant pitcher, one of the top relievers in baseball."
With Doolittle and the recent addition of Liam Hendricks, Oakland's bullpen reclamation is already off to a positive start. General manager Billy Beane will be on the lookout for other cost-effective options, but his team's biggest addition is the return of its reliable closer.
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Giancarlo Stanton
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The Miami Marlins aren't in the market for a big-name bat, believing that Giancarlo Stanton's return to the lineup will act as the biggest acquisition of the winter.
Stanton played in only 74 games for the Fish this past season due to a hamate bone fracture in his left hand. The Marlins, who were supposed to flirt with contention in 2015, ended the season 20 games under .500 with the second-worst offense in MLB.
Stanton's injury was even tougher to swallow considering how well he was playing before he hit the disabled list. The 26-year-old mashed 27 homers and drove in 67 runs in less than half a season. Stanton's first few months were so prolific that he still managed to finish in the top 10 in the NL in homers.
In 2016, Stanton will adjust to a new manager in Don Mattingly. He'll also begin to work with a rookie hitting coach. You may have heard of him.
“I don’t need to tell Stanton much," Barry Bonds told Craig Davis of the Sun Sentinel. "He’s a great hitter. All I need to do is tweak a couple little things here and there and keep him motivated to keep moving. Some players I may have to work a little bit more, but that is my job.”
It's hard to imagine Stanton becoming more dangerous, but Bonds certainly has the knowledge to take Miami's slugger to the next level.
Regardless, Stanton's mere presence means more to Miami than any free-agent acquisition ever could. If he can remain healthy in 2016, Miami should look like the team many expected to see in 2015.
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