5 replies to this topic

[Gene Conleys Plane Ticket]

Is this the most injury-riddled team in Red Sox history? Is this the most injury-riddled contending team in recent memory? Everything about the injuries, their quantity, their timing, their seriousness, and to what players, says that it must be getting pretty close to this kind of historic level. The 2012 Boston Red Sox should be called the Boston Red Cross Sox.

It feels like it's been this way at least since 2009, maybe even 2008. The team has just been star-crossed with injuries year after year.

I am starting to think that the next frontier of "moneyball," is injury prevention. The Red Sox already practice some of this with their pitchers' shoulder program. If they could instite similar programs for hamstrings (for example) that would be a big step. Also, identifying the characteristics of a durable player and actively prioritizing players who display those characteristics. It would be cutting edge stuff and probably require some investment. But it would be worth it. If the Red Sox had been able to keep players on the field -- and at or near 100 percent when they are on the field -- they might have three or four World Championships in the past decade.

[Sprowl]

Breaking out from the latest Broken Bailey thread...

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It feels like it's been this way at least since 2009, maybe even 2008. The team has just been star-crossed with injuries year after year.

I am starting to think that the next frontier of "moneyball," is injury prevention. The Red Sox already practice some of this with their pitchers' shoulder program. If they could instite similar programs for hamstrings (for example) that would be a big step. Also, identifying the characteristics of a durable player and actively prioritizing players who display those characteristics. It would be cutting edge stuff and probably require some investment. But it would be worth it. If the Red Sox had been able to keep players on the field -- and at or near 100 percent when they are on the field -- they might have three or four World Championships in the past decade.

Do they? They did weekly shoulder strength monitoring when John Farrell was the pitching coach, but what they did with Curt Young we never really heard. What are the pitchers doing with Bob McClure?

[TheoShmeo]

Gene's line about injury prevention being the next money ball fronteir makes me laugh bitterly. But not at him.

I was part of a group of about 30 fans who had dinner with Theo at Spring Training in March of 2005. He spoke to the group after dinner and fielded questions. One of the things that stood out the most was his assertion that the Sox would enjoy a competitive edge going forward because of Boston's superior medical and training resources and that injury prevention would be the next "money ball-like" advantage. Has there been a more injured team in MLB since March, 2005?

[Kull]

It feels like it's been this way at least since 2009, maybe even 2008. The team has just been star-crossed with injuries year after year.

I am starting to think that the next frontier of "moneyball," is injury prevention.

I'd settle for "keeping injuries from getting worse". Here's how that works in today's game:

"Bobby: Pedey, how's that thumb?
Dustin: No prob coach. Don't even THINK about sitting me.
Bobby: OK man, no sweat, you're my guy."

And from the sound of things, the Lackey issue last season was basically the same thing. A player everybody on the team knew was injured, but he kept playing because the value of cojones apparently outweighs medical science. Is there some kind of conditioning magic which can keep injuries at bay? Maybe, maybe not. But there certainly is an opportunity to intervene and keep things from getting worse or at least to cut bait and focus on getting 100% of the player back on the field sooner. Instead we seem to be relegated to the medical equivalent of a bunch of scouts sitting in a room talking about "five tools" and "good bodies". Wake the fuck up.

[Philip Jeff Frye]

Gene's line about injury prevention being the next money ball fronteir makes me laugh bitterly. But not at him.

I was part of a group of about 30 fans who had dinner with Theo at Spring Training in March of 2005. He spoke to the group after dinner and fielded questions. One of the things that stood out the most was his assertion that the Sox would enjoy a competitive edge going forward because of Boston's superior medical and training resources and that injury prevention would be the next "money ball-like" advantage. Has there been a more injured team in MLB since March, 2005?

Weren't there stories in the offseason about the Sox hiring a new cutting edge medical and training staff that knew how to keep these guys healthy? Something about the guy who kept Larry Bird's back functioning all those years? I guess it didn't work out so well.

Edited by Philip Jeff Frye, 07 July 2012 - 06:58 AM.

[Toe Nash]

I'd settle for "keeping injuries from getting worse". Here's how that works in today's game:

"Bobby: Pedey, how's that thumb?
Dustin: No prob coach. Don't even THINK about sitting me.
Bobby: OK man, no sweat, you're my guy."

And from the sound of things, the Lackey issue last season was basically the same thing. A player everybody on the team knew was injured, but he kept playing because the value of cojones apparently outweighs medical science. Is there some kind of conditioning magic which can keep injuries at bay? Maybe, maybe not. But there certainly is an opportunity to intervene and keep things from getting worse or at least to cut bait and focus on getting 100% of the player back on the field sooner. Instead we seem to be relegated to the medical equivalent of a bunch of scouts sitting in a room talking about "five tools" and "good bodies". Wake the fuck up.

You're making a lot of assumptions. According to this his previous thumb injury completely healed the way they treated it:

"Dustin Pedroia hyperextended his right thumb on July 3, 2012. He was examined by the Red Sox medical staff and an MRI was performed. Dustin sustained an injury to the volar plate of his right thumb. Dustin will be treated conservatively with a brief period of immobilization. The previous injury to his right thumb adductor muscle has completely healed. This was confirmed by MRI."

Pedroia also said that his previous injury had healed and he was just getting his timing back, which is why he seemed especially frustrated.

Maybe if they had put him on the DL for the previous injury he would have hit better when he returned, but there's not much evidence that the new injury is related besides it being close to the same place.

Unless you have clubhouse access it sounds like you're just frustrated and making up crap. Or that you think the official reports are lying for some reason. The fact is that everyone is dealing with some kind of injury much of the year and it's asinine to assume the medical staff isn't making informed, reasonable decisions on this stuff. It's obviously not an exact science, and they have had bad luck as well. They can probably do better, but they're not just telling guys to run some dirt on it.

With Lackey it seems to me like they knew he was hurt (but not to the extent he was) but all of their backup options were hurt worse (hence signing BRUCE CHEN to pitch the 163rd game if they had gotten there) and Lackey could at least give them a chance at a good start. They did give him a cortisone shot in June I think, and he pitched well for a few starts after that.