Under The Knife 6/17/24
Count To Infinity
On Wednesday, I was at the US Sports Performance conference - absolutely amazing, one of the best I’ve ever been to, and learned so much. During one of the breakout sessions following a great presentation from the (female) GMs of two expansion franchises (Golden State Valkyries and Bay FC), there was a breakout session where I said something stupid.
The question was asked by someone from New Zealand “why is there no female baseball league?” After some discussion about softball, I said that I didn’t think females could or should play at the MLB level.
Shut up, Carroll.
While this statement is inherently sexist and stupid, it’s also not inherently wrong. Most humans, male or female, can’t play baseball at the MLB level. I should have learned from my huge mistake scouting Jose Altuve that height is necessary, or David Eckstein’s career that strength is necessary. There are players playing in Division 1 NCAA ball that are female, and there are some in pro ball.
A female MLB player is not impossible, but it’s not likely in the foreseeable future. Again, this *is* a sexism problem, and not. Women aren’t given the early opportunities that could lead to the development of a good enough player to break the barrier. The push to softball (and I’m a big fan of the high level softball game) is strong. Could a Jocelyn Alo or Jennie Finch, to go back a generation, have succeeded? I don’t know, but they weren’t really given a chance either.
We’ve seen some attempts in the NBA, in the NFL, though usually niche kicker attempts, and hockey. None have stuck. Given that a 3 pointer is a 3 pointer, you’d think Caitlyn Clark could be Steph Curry, but it hasn’t happened yet. Ann Meyers Drysdale got close and yes, Lusia Harris existed, but in the modern sense, it would be a huge breakthrough.
The more that I think about it, I get intrigued by the possibility of how it could be done. The simple answer would be gimmicky, such as using a sprinter in a Herb Washington role. A softball player should have skills to translate over, but the field size and game differences are an obstacle. For those of you out there in sports science, I’m curious how you’d build those skills for females. You have my email if you have ideas.
MLB’s inclusiveness is bad (though better) and even if I don’t think someone could succeed doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be given the chance. I’d love to see the first female MLB player and the last pink hat, so after the lessons I learned here and a couple minutes spent tasting my Jordan 3’s, I realize that I need to be a better advocate for more girls getting that chance. You should consider it as well.
Now, let’s get to the injuries:
MOOKIE BETTS, SS LAD (fractured hand)
#paddedglove
Ok, welcome back. I get a nasty big-name late injury, but for Mookie Betts, there’s not much to this. Dan Altavilla had a 98 mph pitch ride in and as you can see on the slow motion replays, Betts took it off the top of his hand. He was not wearing padding, nor anything like what teammate Shohei Ohtani had been wearing all year. It was clear he was in pain, likely that it was fractured, and X-rays quickly confirmed it.
While I’m not slamming Betts for getting injured, this is preventable. I’m beginning to think this might be one of those situations like the last player to not wear a helmet in the NFL or the last goalie to not wear a mask.* If Betts had the pad like Ohtani, he wouldn’t be out the next six weeks. You can look at it in a number of ways - in wins, Betts is at almost 4 already, so let’s call it 2 wins for the six weeks he’s likely to miss. In salary terms, that’s $7.5 million they’ll lose to the IL. Neither measure gets to Betts’ true value to this team.
Like most fractures, this will take about six weeks to heal. There shouldn’t be any complications for this, though the exact bone fractured isn’t known publicly at the point I hit send. It’s possible they’ll put in a pin to make sure it heals properly, but that won’t speed the healing. A clamp doesn’t make the glue dry any faster when you’re building something, but you’ll see a lot of them in woodworking.
At the end, I hope that Betts starts wearing some sort of padded glove and that more young players take his lead. I sure would like not writing about this and the hashtag could go away and I wouldn’t miss it at all.
*Dick Plasman in 1942 and Andy Brown in 1974, though he continued to play in the WHA for several more pro seasons. Oddly, neither had much in the way of consequences for their decision.
JUSTIN VERLANDER, SP HOU (inflamed neck)
Justin Verlander was a very late scratch, which for a decimated Astros rotation is pretty significant. The team was able to scramble and drop in Spencer Arrighetti without throwing off the whole rotation too much, but it’s still significant. Arrighetti got torched, but the “neck discomfort” doesn’t seem to be trending towards an IL stint and even bigger questions. Questions about exactly why and, importantly, exactly where remain unknown.
Verlander was back on the field ahead of Sunday’s game and threw in what was described as his typical schedule of light throwing, as if he had thrown yesterday. This might be just to keep him on schedule or to keep the option open. There’s some mention that he could go on Tuesday, a great matchup, but it doesn’t feel like the decision has been made by anyone just yet and may not be until Monday or even pre-game. If they stay on the new schedule, he’d go Thursday. The Astros said that the team will figure out the rotation on the flight, which reminds you just how little outside help Joe Espada is getting now. (Late word is that it could be later in the week.)
If this is more than just a sore neck - and there’s no indication of that - there’s almost nothing in the way of depth, even for a short stint. The Astros are maxed out on the 40-man and there’s nothing good that’s also ready available. There’s always guys bouncing around, but that’s hardly going to help the team. They desperately need pitching, but don’t have much to deal for it either, meaning they might have to look at someone expensive to take off someone’s books. If you just thought Patrick Corbin, you’re on the right track.
YOSHINOBU YAMAMOTO, SP LAD (strained triceps)
The difference between what Yoshinobu Yamamoto thought about his triceps tightness — not too serious, per his interpreter — and what the Dodgers think — a quick IL move — doesn’t necessarily tell us much about the injury. Beyond the initial reports and him being pulled, there’s not actually much known. It’s not new; the injury is why his start was pushed back to Saturday. Even the IL move is as much about Bobby Miller being ready to rejoin the rotation as it is about Yamamoto.
The IL move, stated as precautionary and “smart”, shouldn’t shut Yamamoto down, but allow him to dial back slightly to make sure that if this is a simple small strain, it heals well. Pulling back innings shouldn’t be a major concern. Yamamoto has gone no less than 170 innings since 2020 and over 190 twice. He’s only at 70 innings now, being used conservatively and pitching efficiently throughout most of his starts. Before his short start this time, he’d gone over 100 four straight times and I’m curious if we’ll see that again. (106 tops is hardly PAP-worthy.)
Though the Dodgers sent Yamamoto for imaging on Sunday, it’s more for a baseline check than anything diagnostic. It would be a surprise to see significant damage and my guess is they’ve already done most of that, but with a pitcher of this talent and value, it’s best not to skip too many of the expected steps if only to protect themselves from the fanbase when something does go wrong down the line.
Functionally, Miller will swap in for Yamamoto and they’ll have an extra couple weeks to figure out what to do with the rotation, especially if Walker Buehler continues to underperform. With Clayton Kershaw back sometime soon - his rehab assignment will start Wednesday - the Dodgers will have some depth, but not a lot. No one seems to think a winning team would deal, even from strength, and there’s enough uncertainty in the rotation to figure it out another way.
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