Thursday, January 17, 2008
Rick Wilton's 2007 Injury Report: Last Year's Epidemic
Injury Epidemic Strikes Baseball
Rick Wilton, Baseball Injury Report
Last season, 404 players were placed on the disabled list. This is the first time more than 400 players landed on the DL this century and most likely in the history of the DL.
From 2002-2006, an average of 355 players per season landed on the DL. Last season’s 404 is a 12.8 percent jump over the prior five year average. It doesn’t stop there. The five year average of DLDs (days on the DL) was 23,551 per season. In 2007, it skyrocketed to 28,524, a 19.5 percent increase over the five-year average. Injuries definitely took their toll on baseball in 2007.
Why the huge increase? There are most likely several reasons. First, PEDs (performance enhancing drugs) must be a factor though it is impossible to gauge how much of an impact they have had on injuries. Two years ago, major league baseball installed a tougher testing policy, yet the DL numbers did not move dramatically in either direction the first year out. Speculation in baseball circles is that HGH (human growth hormone), for which there is no ML test right now, has replaced steroids as the PED of choice. The bottom line regarding PEDs is that we're seeing more injuries now than a decade ago. It stands to reason that PEDs are at least part of the blame, but unfortunately it is impossible to determine how much.
The second reason is broader. Players are working harder to increase their strength, even by legal means. Stretching and flexibility has not kept pace with the increase in overall player strength. A great example can be seen with an injury like a strained oblique. From 2002 to 2007, while the number of oblique injuries remained fairly small, the quantity doubled in that time frame. One strength coach who works with major league players in the offseason told me last summer that today’s players are not as dedicated as they should be to maintaining the correct level of flexibility. The result is more pulls, strains and tendon injuries.
Lastly, teams have huge investments in players and they are more likely to protect their investments by placing a player, especially a pitcher, on the DL even though he might be able to work his way through the ailment. The thinking is, "let us invest a couple of weeks in DL time to get him healthy rather than risk a much more serious injury."
What can we expect in 2008? If the 12.8 percent increase in the number of players landing on the DL last season was a statistical aberration, a blip, we are likely to see a return to the prior level of DL trips and days spent on the DL. If the number of players again passes the 400 level and the DLDs are near 28,000, then we can conclude a higher rate of injuries is likely here, at least for a while.
Rick Wilton, Baseball Injury Report
Last season, 404 players were placed on the disabled list. This is the first time more than 400 players landed on the DL this century and most likely in the history of the DL.
From 2002-2006, an average of 355 players per season landed on the DL. Last season’s 404 is a 12.8 percent jump over the prior five year average. It doesn’t stop there. The five year average of DLDs (days on the DL) was 23,551 per season. In 2007, it skyrocketed to 28,524, a 19.5 percent increase over the five-year average. Injuries definitely took their toll on baseball in 2007.
Why the huge increase? There are most likely several reasons. First, PEDs (performance enhancing drugs) must be a factor though it is impossible to gauge how much of an impact they have had on injuries. Two years ago, major league baseball installed a tougher testing policy, yet the DL numbers did not move dramatically in either direction the first year out. Speculation in baseball circles is that HGH (human growth hormone), for which there is no ML test right now, has replaced steroids as the PED of choice. The bottom line regarding PEDs is that we're seeing more injuries now than a decade ago. It stands to reason that PEDs are at least part of the blame, but unfortunately it is impossible to determine how much.
The second reason is broader. Players are working harder to increase their strength, even by legal means. Stretching and flexibility has not kept pace with the increase in overall player strength. A great example can be seen with an injury like a strained oblique. From 2002 to 2007, while the number of oblique injuries remained fairly small, the quantity doubled in that time frame. One strength coach who works with major league players in the offseason told me last summer that today’s players are not as dedicated as they should be to maintaining the correct level of flexibility. The result is more pulls, strains and tendon injuries.
Lastly, teams have huge investments in players and they are more likely to protect their investments by placing a player, especially a pitcher, on the DL even though he might be able to work his way through the ailment. The thinking is, "let us invest a couple of weeks in DL time to get him healthy rather than risk a much more serious injury."
What can we expect in 2008? If the 12.8 percent increase in the number of players landing on the DL last season was a statistical aberration, a blip, we are likely to see a return to the prior level of DL trips and days spent on the DL. If the number of players again passes the 400 level and the DLDs are near 28,000, then we can conclude a higher rate of injuries is likely here, at least for a while.
Labels: 2007, DL, Injuries, obliques, PEDs, Rick Wilton
