Comments on Mastersball: Todd's Picks and Pans

The 'injury prone' label being affixed to Josh Ham...

2009-02-15T07:29:00.000-08:00

The 'injury prone' label being affixed to Josh Hamilton in particular is interesting. The reality appears to be that he perhaps isn't 'injury prone' per se, but rather an 'injury risk' given that he is now (again) a professional athlete. Certainly the sample size is small enough and the anicdotal evidence is overwhelming that he misses games every season. However, similarly to a younger (in age) player breaking into the bigs, Hamilton may simply have needed a season or two to adjust.
When sports 'journalists' write items like "Hamilton started in center the majority of 2008, but there’s also the possibility of his moving to right field to lessen the wear and tear on his body." (http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/story/1204083.html) there is a public perception that Hamilton is fragile, frail, injury prone, whathave you. It appears from what information is available that a number of his prior DL stints were drug/rehab related and not because he, for example, continually reaggravated a groin strain. I certainly am not discounting that he may suffer an injury again this season - and I heartily agree that there are 'safer' alternatives - however I would also argue that with Hamilton it is a matter of 'if' he gets injured as opposed to 'when'.

Hamilton had his comeback season in 2006 cut short...

2009-01-25T21:36:00.000-08:00

Hamilton had his comeback season in 2006 cut short with arthroscopic new surgery, then had a variety of assorted injuries in 2007, playing in only 101 games between Triple-A and Cincinnati. Coming into 2008, expectations were tempered as he had suffered injuries for two straight seasons. Obviously, he managed to stay healthy for all of the campaign. It usually takes a player a couple of healthy years before he loses the injury-risk stigma, but because Hamilton is such a great story, he is being given a pass. All I am saying is some are putting him in their top-10 and for me, he carries a bit too much risk to be drafted that high with only one complete season under his belt following two injury riddled years and battling his demons the years before that. 922 AB in 246 games is all well and good, but 156 of those games were 2008, he missed over 50 games in 2007.

If this opinion destroys my credibility in your mind, well, I'm sorry.

I approve of the majority of your thoughts here on...

2009-01-25T18:25:00.000-08:00

I approve of the majority of your thoughts here on the players, but one stands out. HAMILTON. Injury prone? How can you label a guy an injury risk after a FOUR YEAR LAYOFF, only a SEASON AND A HALF ABOVE SINGLE A BALL, and in which he managed 922 Ab's in 246 games.

Seriously, if anyone thinks that this Beast Monkey is not going to improve by having a whole season under his belt, then they must be smokin monkey dust.

This is my first day on this sight, and after reading the misjudgement on Hamilton, I will seriously consider only scanning this site for idea's not to buy into.