10 MLB Phenoms Whose Stardom Has Been Derailed By Injuries
In Baseball—more so than any other sport in my opinion—players who have all the right pieces to become superstars often have their careers cut short , or interfered with, by the all-too-familiar injury bug.
But these aren’t the normal brand of injuries that we always hear about, rather, they are the type of physical issues that debilitate the player and have sometimes derailed an otherwise promising career.
There are so many players that could fall under this category, so it would be impossible to mention them all in a single slide, but I thought we would take a look at some of the biggest names that have fallen victim to this uninvited plight.
So let’s take a look at who I dug up.
10. Mark Prior – SP – Cubs
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The former 1st round (second overall) pick for the Cubs was a superstar in the making, and a dominate pitcher on the mound from day one.
In 2001, the guy fanned 147 batters in 116 2/3 innings. In 2003 he struck out 245 hitters in 200 innings pitched and was named a 2003 All-Star.
But that was about as far as he got.
Prior ran into wall after wall as he dealt with a bum Achilles, a poor elbow, and a bum shoulder and 2006 was pretty much exactly where the beginning of the end occurred for the pitching phenom.
There is only one guess as to where prior would’ve been today had he preserved his health, but it remains only an educated guess at best.
9. Kerry Wood – RP – Yankees
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Another horror story for the Cubs, and arguably the worst in at least a decade, Kerry Wood was proclaimed as the “next big thing” and boy howdy did the kid initially show it.
His biggest claim to fame, and support of his phenom prowess, can against the Astros in 1998 when he fanned 20 batters in a single game; this coming when he wasn’t a closer.
But Wood also pitched close to 167 innings that year, and it would be that type of workload that would act as a catalyst to his frequency on the DL.
From 2004 to 2007 Wood spent more time on the DL, than most ball boys do I the dugout waiting to pounce on that proverbial foul ball; especially in 2005 where he was out of commission three separate times all due to shoulder issues that relegated him to surgery in the end.
From that point on Wood was never really the same, although making a full time conversion to the closer position. Even today he is still back and forth between wound and health, and between the surgeries, and shot after shot on his confidence, it's a classic tail of another one bites the dust.
8. Noah Lowry – SP – Giants
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For those of you unfamiliar with Noah Lowry, he was first drafted out of Nordhoff high school, in Ojai California, by the Texas Rangers in the nineteenth round of the 1999 draft, but instead opted to attend Pepperdine University where he went went 14-2 with a 1.71 ERA as a junior.
But that was just college.
In 2004, his first partial rookie year with the Giants, Lowry went 6-0 with a 3.82 ERA in 14 starts. In 2005 he started the year 7-0—the second longest in Giants franchise history, next to Hooks Wiltse's 12-0 start in 1904—before accumulating an 8-4 record before the All-Star break.
Injuries pervaded his 2006 season. In his first start, Lowry was removed from the game in the second inning due to an oblique strain; and injury that forced him to miss the first month of the season. Lowry also suffered from an additional elbow injury in September.
In 2007, Lowry managed to finish the year 14-8 but his season was also cut short with a forearm injury, that would later be his undoing in 2008.
Without getting into medical specifics, Lowry continued to fall under the knife due to complications from surgery, and rehab, and would never again see the mound, making his story one of the worst in all of baseball.
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7. Steve Busby – SP – Royals
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The second round draft pick for the Royals out of USC in 1971, had one of the most promising careers ahead of him which is precisely why the Royals drafted him.
In his first three full seasons, Busby won 56 total games with his best season coming in 1974 in which he won an astonishing 22 games.
But in 1976, a torn rotator cuff literally derailed the locomotive he was becoming and ultimately ended his career faster than it had began.
Even after surgery, Busby still missed all of the 1977 and most of the 1978 season, and when he did return, he never truly regained the command he once had, and basically ended his career in 1981.
In his short time with the Royals, however, Busby compiled a 70-54 record with 659 strikeouts and a 3.72 ERA; a glimpse of what could have been.
6. Eric Chavez – 3B – Athletics
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I don’t even know where to start with Chavez, simply because his injury history is just as extensive as his history of achievements, which makes his case a little worse than most.
- A Golden Glover from 2001 to 2006
- An MVP candidate from 2002 to 2005
- A guy who AVERAGED 26 homeruns from 1999 to 2006
But as stellar as Chavez’s career was, a back injury would ultimately be the demise of the third baseman, and from 2006 to the present, Chavez has hit .237, with 40 homeruns in 1,056 ABs…a far cry from his first half stint in the majors.
This year, Chavez missed most of the season with bulging disks in his neck, and is now waiting to see “what his next move will be.” which could mean retirement.
5. Mark Mulder – SP – Athletics
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Well the A’s were just one team, but this is a more familiar story for most of you in the baseball annuals of injury victims.
Many remember the trio of destruction that Prior belonged to in Oakland with fellow pitchers Tim Hudson 9now with the braves) and Barry Zito (now with the Pirates).
In 2001, Mulder garnered 21 wins, was an All-Star, and finished second in the Cy Young voting to Roger Clemens.
But all good things always come to an end, and the three musketeers were disbanded to other teams, with Mulder having the worst fair of them all.
Mulder played in just 23 games from 2006-2008 due to not one, but two, shoulder surgeries that would inevitably be the cause for his retirement in June.
He finished his career with a 103-60 record and a 4.18 ERA, as well as, a lot of questions as to what could have been.
4. Rocco Baldelli – OF – Rays / RedSox
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Baldelli is a curious case at the very least, dealing with more injuries than a bed side medical chart in a hospital room.
The former 2000 first round pick for the Rays had about three quality years of stellar play, alongside a lot of talk about becoming the next great hitter in the majors before tearing his ACL which required surgery—ironically enough as he was playing baseball with his brother—which caused him to miss all of the 2005 and most of the 2006 season.
But it didn’t stop there, did it?
- Between 2006 and 2009 he played in only 54 games due to additional injuries
- In 2007, he missed the first half of the season with a hamstring injury
- In 2008 he was diagnosed with a Mitochondrial Abnormality that interfered with his energy and playing ability
- In 2009 he was sidelined as a Red Sox with a shoulder injury that has left him MIA ever since.
3. Grady Sizemore – OF – Indians
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Before you question why Sizemore is on this list, I thought it would be prudent to mention a rising star who is facing a potential downward turn in his otherwise brilliant career, due to his recent season ending micro-fracture surgery that could knock him out a year at the most.
We have read a bunch of horror stories thus far showing the effects of injuries requiring surgeries, and Sizemore has an enormous uphill battle ahead of him.
Prior to the injury, however, Sizemore was cruising along, and from 2005 to 2008, his highlight years, Sizemore hit .281 with an average of 27 homeruns and an average of 29 stolen bases in that time; two things that could significantly be impacted even if his rehab goes well.
In addition to that, fellow outfielder Michael Brantley has caught the eye of the coaching staff, and while his presence isn’t initially thought of as a threat to the superstar in the making (Sizemore) his presence and surprising ability is a lot of unexpected insurance for the young and developing Indians.
2. Justin Duchscherer – SP – Athletics
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“Duke” was considered by some to be nothing more than average, but the Athletics thought otherwise, after stealing him from the Boston Red Sox in 2002.
After suffering a lower back injury in that same year, Duchscherer bounced back the following year, going 14-2 with a 3.25 ERA for Triple-A Sacramento. Interestingly enough, Duchscherer was a member of the Rivercats at the same time as flame thrower Rich Harden, now with the Rangers
On September 9, 2003, he made a start for the A's in place of—ironically enough— ace Mark Mulder against the Angels in a tight division race. He pitched 7 scoreless innings to earn his first win and began carving a name for himself in the A’s organization.
The following year he was named a regular to the bullpen as a setup man for Huston Street, and had a breakout year making the American League All Star team.
But in 2007 he dealt with a hip injury that required season ending surgery, in 2008 he spent an additional 3 weeks on the DL with inflamed biceps, and in 2009 he dealt with various injuries to his back and shoulder, and a bout with depression (which could’ve been associated with the aforementioned).
Today, he is still an active member of the A’s but has never returned to that consistently dominate pitcher he as, and is quickly becoming another shadow in the long alley of potential superstars.
1. Carlos Beltran – OF – Mets
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What can be said about one of the most electrifying players in recent years, that was quickly heading for superstar status before the injury bug caught up with him?
- Five time All-Star
- Three time Golden Glover
- Two Time Silver Slugger
- A career .281 hitter who averaged 28 homeruns, 106 RBI and 29 stolen bases.
- ROY winner in 1999
But extensive injuries to his knees, including arthroscopic surgery to both of them not too long ago, has left the once great in a pool of mediocrity as highlighted by his .218 batting average since returning from the DL, and his obvious decline defensively which is also a by-product of the surgery, and a suspect rushed return.
Given his track record, and player progress, had his knees held up Beltran would’ve been on his way towards another notch in the pole of greatness, but now has to wonder if he can even be an effective, average player offensively and defensively in the future.
Beltran has put in 12 years, and at 33, some people could make an argument that he was on the decline anyway. Others, however, will tell you he was just starting to heat up.
I hope you guys enjoyed this piece, and feel free to check out some of my other work here.
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