Under The Knife 3/31/23

Real Baseball

The 2023 Championship Season is underway. We’ve seen the new rules, some new people in new places, and a lot of strikeouts. There were no-look catches, stolen homers, and as the book is opened on the season, what books will we read?

A couple weeks back, Ron Kaplan was kind enough to note some of this season’s baseball books. There’s a batch every year, but I can’t remember the last great baseball novel … was it really The Art of Fielding? And how is that not a movie? Everything’s filmable now. White Noise is out and what’s left … Infinite Jest? Confederacy of Dunces? Kavalier & Clay? Anything from Pynchon?

But again, how is Art of Fielding not a movie yet? At The Bat could be one as well, though I’m not ready to call it great. The Cactus League was a big disappointment to me, as was The Fireballer. I remain convinced that MLB Network should do some of these, since they could play infinitely and movies on a Hallmark scale would be profitable. The hard part of any sports movie is shooting the sports and you’d think MLB would be able to figure that part out!

C’mon, who do you cast as Henry Skrimshander? Can Noah Schnapp play short?

On to the injuries:

JUSTIN VERLANDER, SP NYM (strained shoulder)

It’s nice that we’re getting more specific notes on injuries. News that Justin Verlander had a teres major strain drew immediate comparisons to the recent injury to Triston McKenzie. It’s the same muscle, but for Verlander, it’s a lower grade strain in a different location. “Lower grade” means there’s less damage; there are three grades (I, II, III in increasing severity.)

The location is a bit more complex, but functionally, the Mets don’t feel that there’s as much stress on this part of the muscle at lower intensities. That means that Verlander can keep throwing, making his ramp up a bit different and likely meaning he’ll be out around the minimum. Muscles that function as stabilizers and “brakes” like the teres major don’t come on like a switch, off or on. They come on slowly, recruiting more fibers and more muscles as more force is necessary.

It’s not good that Verlander is injured to start the season, but the Mets don’t think he’ll be out much past the minimum. He’ll likely be on a very short leash when he does return, but that’s likely to have been the case regardless. The Mets have some great sports scientists on staff with lots of focus on workload, so this isn’t going to be simple pitch count.

Speaking of pitch counts, there was a lot of discussion of them on Opening Day. MLB teams shouldn’t be using pitch counts as anything but a handy simple indicator of workload. There are far better measures and near-real time biomechanical data available from multiple formats. Between the sports med and sports science staffs, anyone using simple pitch counts is bordering on malpractice. I wish this were true at lower levels, where pitch counts are necessary because we don’t have all the staff and tools.

WILLSON CONTRERAS, C STL (bruised knee)

Take 103 off the knee and even shinguards aren’t going to completely take away the force, which is an issue, both for Willson Contreras and for catching in general. Contreras limped off and had an X-ray which showed no fracture, but he’s headed for an MRI, indicating the Cards medical staff is still a bit worried or that there was some response they didn’t like. A “bad spot to be hit”, indeed. Buck Martinez made some good points in this clip:

With no specifics yet, this could be anything from a missed day with a painful but transient bruise to something much more significant. The Cards have some depth at catcher, but Contreras was brought in to keep there from being a big drop-off from Yadier Molina. (Suggestions that Molina could be a fill-in if Contreras is out longer term filled talk radio, I’m told. Unlikely.) We’ll know more after today’s MRI.

Back to the equipment issue, this is more than a simple problem for Contreras. Pitchers like Jordan Hicks aren’t rare anymore. Virtually every bullpen is filled with guys throwing upper 90s and triple digits and there are starters doing it too. Injuries like this are going to happen, but the equipment really hasn’t upgraded since … again, when’s last thing. For catchers, Force3 masks are the last one I can think of. Better gloves, better padding, maybe lighter but stronger materials are all needed to keep this column from being filled with the casualties of

RYAN PEPIOT, SP LAD (strained oblique)

The Dodgers are still a very good team, but their year of not spending (as much) certainly tests the depth and whether the team is developing more players. There have always been a lot of home grown players, especially pitchers, so even with Tony Gonsolin down, Walker Buehler out for much of the season, and the perpetual wait for the next time Clayton Kershaw’s back acts up, no one seemed overly worried.

Losing Ryan Pepiot — the fourth pitcher I’ve mentioned here and all homegrown — to an oblique strain is problematic for the Dodgers and yet another data point in baseball’s spring struggles with oblique injuries. There’s no specifics on the grade of strain or location, so there’s no timeline yet for Pepiot’s return.

In the meantime, Michael Grove steps in to the five slot and it will be a race between Gonsolin’s ankle and Pepiot’s side to see who’s ready to step back into the rotation. Getting this team back to healthy is one thing, but it’s really more a question of keeping the top talent healthy and making the rest healthy enough at a time to not have to really dip down or drop down.

DANIEL BARD, RP COL (anxiety)

I don’t have a mental health category in my injury database, but you know what, I should. In 2023, some of the stigma has come off it in a major positive, so I doubt Daniel Bard will be the last to spend some time on the IL. This is one area I’d love to see MLB lead, because stress and anxiety in baseball is a very real thing, as we learned here in Indiana recently with the Badger suicide.

Bard famously fought the yips - another real thing - a decade ago, leaving the game for years before coming back and having a second act in Colorado. Bard played for Team USA this spring, but didn’t pitch well. He also was the one who hit Jose Altuve with the pitch that broke his thumb, which some have said has contributed to his anxiety, though none of the sources I spoke with cited that as an issue.

I don’t often praise the Rockies, but the team is supporting Bard, which deserves praise. There’s no timeline here, to be sure, which leaves the Rockies looking to Brad Hand and Dinelson Limet in the high-leverage and save situations. Bud Black can certainly handle a pen, so they’re equipped for even an extended absence.

MAX FRIED, SP ATL (strained hamstring)

Atlanta seems to have more issues with pitchers’ legs than anyone. It gets them results on the mound, but plays like Max Fried, a simple PFP covering first had him come up limping and grabbing at his hamstring. The Braves downplayed the injury, calling it “hamstring discomfort” - likely true - but this is a simple low-grade strain. Still, Brian Snitker seemed to indicate that Fried would go to the IL.

The 15-day pitcher IL means Fried will miss at least a couple starts, though he’ll be able to keep up his arm work while rehabbing the hamstring, so any ramp up should be minimal. In comments after the game, some players blamed the chilly weather for the injury, but that usually doesn’t bear out, though admittedly cold weather studies on baseball players aren’t available.

The team certainly has depth, but most of it was set to spend at least a couple turns over in Gwinnett rather than replacing someone for injury. Michael Soroka isn’t ready, nor is Kyle Wright, so Ian Anderson and Bryce Elder are the most likely call ups ahead of Fried’s next turn, which should come April 10th, absent Snitker juggling the rotation some.

RHYS HOSKINS, 1B PHI (sprained knee)

Rhys Hoskins had his ACL surgery Thursday and things went as planned. His ACL was reconstructed and he’ll begin rehab immediately. There’s not much here besides those standards, but there was a thread someone picked up - maybe on one of the broadcasts, I couldn’t find it - saying that Hoskins had his surgery in Fort Worth to be near the team, which starts its season in Arlington. I can confirm that’s mere coincidence. It’s not like Hoskins went from the surgical table to Globe Life to try the new barbecue stand. It’s a long process for the Phillies 1B and a player the Phillies could have used in the surprising slugfest on Thursday afternoon.

LIAM HENDRIKS, RP CWS (Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma)

The White Sox didn’t put Liam Hendriks on the 60-day IL, another positive sign about his fight with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. He’s been throwing during treatment though there’s still no details on exactly what treatment(s) Hendriks is undergoing. That’s obviously the priority, but there has to be a pretty clear idea about when that will or has ended, as well as how long it will take to get him back into pitching condition.

Reports on his throwing sessions have been positive but filled with caveats. The key has been that Hendriks hasn’t appeared to have lost much in the way of weight or strength during treatment. There have been suggestions that mid-May is the likely target, but I don’t have anything from a solid source that puts that date as anything more than a guess.

Quick Cuts:

Giovanny Gallegos was unavailable for Opening Day due to back spasms. The Cards pen wasn’t sharp, so Gallegos’ availability might be needed as soon as today … Luis Urias strained a hamstring on Thursday. He’s likely out Friday at least as the Brewers figure out how long he’ll be out. The IL is certainly possible here. If Brian Anderson has to shift back to third, Joey Weimer’s time in Nashville might be short. Sal Frelick and Jackson Chourio may not be far behind, so outfield depth in Milwaukee is not an issue … Garrett Whitlock starting on the IL isn’t that much of a surprise and really more of a roster move. He’ll be back at the minimum and slot back into the rotation. He could make a minor league start, though no word on that yet … Adrian Morejon is starting the season on the 60-day IL and the Padres just can’t seem to keep him healthy. There’s rumblings that they may recommend surgery to figure out the issue once and for all … Arte Moreno is back on the Angels stadium stuff again and like so many, it all comes down to a real estate deal. Get ready to hear him say he can’t keep Shohei Ohtani unless he gets it … Ready to feel old? Jon Weisman points out this box score, featuring, yes really:

Jon Weisman @jonweisman

Here comes Adrian Beltre, Jr.