The WBC and The Shelf Life of Players
Yes, yes....you all know how much I despise the World Baseball Classic and all that it "stands for" in the eyes of MLB and the higher ups involved. But here's just yet another way to look at it; just to add another point to my usual WBC rant.
So we sat and watched the U.S. destroy South Africa in a game that launched us into the second round to face Japan. In that game, Ken Griffey, Jr. went 4-4 and crushed 2 HRs. Great right? Griffey showed the country and fantasy leaguers all over that he's still got it. But let me take you back to last year for a moment.
Last year saw a resurgent Griffey obliterate the doubt about his health and ability as he connected for 35 HRs 92 RBI and a .301 average. He had 17 of those dingers in the first half and hit .287 up to the All Star Break. After the break, he maintained his pace and, in August, caught fire. He had 10 Hrs and 19 RBI for the month as he hit a scorching .355. But then it happened...the old injury bug jumped up and bit poor Ken in the ass. He missed pretty much the entire month of September. Imagine what his numbers would have looked like had he played through the entire season.
All this tells me now, with the WBC in full swing, is that I have to be very careful about which participants to draft or not draft for my fantasy league. Griffey had 4 solid months of baseball last season. He played his heart out. Now, unfortunately, he's wasting one of those precious months on the WBC. Before the tournament, Griffey was definitely on my radar as a guy to draft in the later rounds. Now, I'm not so sure. He may start off hot this season, but deep down, I know that he might not even make it to July. My radar is now honed in on who? Tony Womack? Chris Denorfia? Jacob Cruz? Ick!!!!
It doesn't just end there. Look, I'm not going to tell you to not draft Johan Santana, because that would be stupid. But I would tell you to maybe trade him come the All Star Break. There's a reason the Twins are upset that he was allowed to throw 60+ pitches in his WBC debut for Venezuela. The whole pitch count in the WBC was to help avoid pitchers from ruining their arms on a meaningless tournament.
Now I'm sure you can make a case for a guy like Bernie Williams as he is looking real sharp for Puerto Rico. Maybe it allows him to build momentum, solidify his starting job and go into the beginning of the season hot. But you know what? As much as I have loved Bernie these past 10 years, he is at the tail end of his career. He could be a legitimate DH threat for the Yankees this year, but his energy needs to be spared. He is playing all out, as are most of the Latino ball players. To me, all that does is run the risk of losing out on a fat paycheck. As a DH, he could add another 3 years to his career. But who's paying for a guy who can only go out for 3 months because he blew his load playing in the WBC for Selig? Let's say you're a free agent or a guy pushing for a trade....you're just looking for a way to get hurt now and ruin your actual MLB value.
Listen....international play may be fun....the gold medal at the Olympics was something maybe to strive for. But who signs the checks? Who pays the bills? Should David Ortiz count on his native land to pay his bills once he blows out his shoulder and the Red Sox won't foot the bill anymore? I doubt it.
Ok...the rush is gone......but I think you get what I'm saying....if not, I'll say it 1000 more times if that big injury Steinbrenner is predicting actually happens.
So we sat and watched the U.S. destroy South Africa in a game that launched us into the second round to face Japan. In that game, Ken Griffey, Jr. went 4-4 and crushed 2 HRs. Great right? Griffey showed the country and fantasy leaguers all over that he's still got it. But let me take you back to last year for a moment.
Last year saw a resurgent Griffey obliterate the doubt about his health and ability as he connected for 35 HRs 92 RBI and a .301 average. He had 17 of those dingers in the first half and hit .287 up to the All Star Break. After the break, he maintained his pace and, in August, caught fire. He had 10 Hrs and 19 RBI for the month as he hit a scorching .355. But then it happened...the old injury bug jumped up and bit poor Ken in the ass. He missed pretty much the entire month of September. Imagine what his numbers would have looked like had he played through the entire season.
All this tells me now, with the WBC in full swing, is that I have to be very careful about which participants to draft or not draft for my fantasy league. Griffey had 4 solid months of baseball last season. He played his heart out. Now, unfortunately, he's wasting one of those precious months on the WBC. Before the tournament, Griffey was definitely on my radar as a guy to draft in the later rounds. Now, I'm not so sure. He may start off hot this season, but deep down, I know that he might not even make it to July. My radar is now honed in on who? Tony Womack? Chris Denorfia? Jacob Cruz? Ick!!!!
It doesn't just end there. Look, I'm not going to tell you to not draft Johan Santana, because that would be stupid. But I would tell you to maybe trade him come the All Star Break. There's a reason the Twins are upset that he was allowed to throw 60+ pitches in his WBC debut for Venezuela. The whole pitch count in the WBC was to help avoid pitchers from ruining their arms on a meaningless tournament.
Now I'm sure you can make a case for a guy like Bernie Williams as he is looking real sharp for Puerto Rico. Maybe it allows him to build momentum, solidify his starting job and go into the beginning of the season hot. But you know what? As much as I have loved Bernie these past 10 years, he is at the tail end of his career. He could be a legitimate DH threat for the Yankees this year, but his energy needs to be spared. He is playing all out, as are most of the Latino ball players. To me, all that does is run the risk of losing out on a fat paycheck. As a DH, he could add another 3 years to his career. But who's paying for a guy who can only go out for 3 months because he blew his load playing in the WBC for Selig? Let's say you're a free agent or a guy pushing for a trade....you're just looking for a way to get hurt now and ruin your actual MLB value.
Listen....international play may be fun....the gold medal at the Olympics was something maybe to strive for. But who signs the checks? Who pays the bills? Should David Ortiz count on his native land to pay his bills once he blows out his shoulder and the Red Sox won't foot the bill anymore? I doubt it.
Ok...the rush is gone......but I think you get what I'm saying....if not, I'll say it 1000 more times if that big injury Steinbrenner is predicting actually happens.
posted by Howard Bender at
6:32 PM
