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Like most teams, they can ill afford injuries to their key personnel, most notably Carlos Delgado and Roy Halladay. While Delgado has had some minor knee problems in the past, he is not taxed often with much running and keeps himself at a very low yellow. Given more to write about, I might try to make more of a case for keeping him as a green. Playing first helps, though the inflexibility at DH works against him slightly. In a pinch, the Jays could DH Delgado, playing Phelps or Myers at first, but this is certainly not a problem they hope to face. The injury to Eric Hinske last year showed that the drop to replacement level is, at almost every position, probably enough to push the Jays from contention. With Halladay, we deal with a pitcher that is arguably the best in the game. (Way to go out on a limb for the reigning Cy Young winner, Will!) Among Halladay's plusses is his ability to work a high number of innings. This in turn is the result of his focus on pitch efficiency. He had only six outings of 110 pitches or more, his highest (122) coming in a complete game in his last outing. Having attended that game, I think it would have taken a team of mules to get him off the mound; seldom have I seen a pitcher willing himself a win to that extent, even going so far as to block the plate on the potential tying run.

April 8, 2004

Team Health Reports: Houston Astros

by Will Carroll

Most of the focus on this team will be on the staff. Led by the two former Yankees, Clemens and Pettitte will team with two potential aces and a quality starter in Tim Redding. This rotation is as deep as any in the league, including the Cubs and Red Sox--Dayn Perry's made a very good case that I should be including the Yankees in that discussion. Among these four, all are subject to depth questions...except the Astros. More than any other team, the Astros can handle even a season-ending injury to a starting pitcher. With names like Carlos Hernandez, Brandon Duckworth, and Jared Fernandez available, the Astros had so much depth that they dealt away Jeriome Robertson and could perhaps make a deadline deal if needed. Of the current pitchers, I am most worried about Wade Miller, who spent most of last season hiding an elbow injury. Once it was discovered, the Astros did their best to deflect reports of a frayed UCL, but given the information we have, that's the most likely diagnosis. Calling it "dead arm" just doesn't fit, since his velocity never tailed off significantly.

April 2, 2004

Team Health Reports: San Diego Padres

by Will Carroll

It wasn't long ago that a new stadium meant a new outlook. With Baltimore and Cleveland as the standard-bearers, almost every baseball team sought to use a new stadium as the road to riches. Of course, they'd gladly tell the taxpayers and signatories that the road to riches would lead to competitive, even championship teams, but it's seldom turned out that way. New stadiums mean something to medheads as well, but there's a very small sample size to work with, and it appears that there's a very small window as well. New parks mean more injuries. This is true in almost every park, but only for a short three-to-six month adjustment period. The effect is scattershot; one would expect it to involve people running into walls or something park specific, but that's not the case. Instead, it's just something to note as we get two new parks from which to collect.

March 31, 2004

Team Health Reports: Detroit Tigers

by Will Carroll

Some of the players that the Tigers brought in have some risk to them. Bobby Higginson may not have a light, but he does have a history. He's another of the Pilates and core performance proponents, but his problems have been in his legs. Dmitri Young has had minor problems, including his back and both Achilles tendons, but again, he'll be protected since he's one of few true threats in the lineup. Even Carlos Pena has had problems, but the mysterious sluggingfirstbasemanitis of the wrist hasn't affected him over the past few seasons. And that's just the green lights...

March 30, 2004

Team Health Reports: Colorado Rockies

by Will Carroll

The Rockies have become more like a puzzle than a baseball team. While the intellectual exercise is good, the fact is that the problem of winning at altitude has become a lot more interesting than the team itself. While baseball at a mile high should be among the most exciting spectacles in the game--tape measure home runs and plenty of hitting--this team just doesn't look like anything more than a bad team. The Rockies head into the 2004 campaign with most of the same questions they had last season. Their best players are slightly fragile and their supporting cast isn't enough to take up the slack when those players inevitably miss games. The pitching staff will be slightly healthier, but Denny Neagle has to be taken into account in the overall assessment of the medical staff.

March 29, 2004

Team Health Reports: St. Louis Cardinals

by Will Carroll

While the Cubs and Astros are the consensus picks, there are smart analysts out there picking the Cardinals. There are reasons to believe this, but in the immortal words of The Dude, "The Dude cannot abide." This lineup is not only bright Cardinal red, but a whole bunch of yellow. The second base situation is so bad that comparing it to an Ed Wood movie is an insult to Ed Wood, fuzzy sweater or not. Simply put, this team has the talent to win, but probably can't keep that talent between the lines long enough to really challenge the Astros and Cubs. As Walter Sobchak would say, "You're about to enter a world of pain." Every position player has a light on the Cardinals, something I didn't think had happened before. I checked and there's never been more than six lights for the position players, even for AL teams where the DH is included in my lineups. The Cardinals can abide almost any injury as long as it's not Albert Pujols. Pujols is gaining distance from his sprained elbow, but it remains a concern. His injury risk is reduced at first, but he remains yellow... and yet he's the least risky player on the field.

March 26, 2004

Team Health Reports: Arizona Diamondbacks

by Will Carroll

The Diamondbacks may not look deep, but they're one of few teams with solid upper level pitching prospects, they've got a deep bench, and they develop pitchers well, if slowly. As they unwind some of the financial machinations that brought them a ring, they're slowly becoming the type of team fans like to root for--homegrown, but recognizable. Is that good enough to win this season? They should be healthy enough to find out.

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