Wells' injury tough blow for Jays
Monday, May 12, 2008 | 10:45 PM ET
As I was watching the Jays game against Cleveland the other day, my heart just sunk when I saw Vernon Wells grab his left wrist after making a spectacular catch to rob Franklin Gutierrez of a hit in shallow right centre-field.
I was hoping that maybe he just jammed it and would get up and shake it off, like I know many of you were. But when I saw the replay, I knew he was in trouble by the painful look on his face as he left the field.
Boy, did that bring back memories and I think my own left wrist - which is the injury that ended my career - felt a bit of a sympathy pain for Vernon.
The Jays are saying he could miss six to eight weeks, hopefully not more, but wrists can be tricky, trust me I know. The reason I am a little more concerned is because it is his pull-through hand when he swings the bat and it sustains a lot of torque. But medicine has come along way from when I had my injury so I hope everything works out for him and that he doesn't have any problems down the road.
Not only will this be tough on Wells, but the Jays are going to have a difficult time as well replacing his offence and his Gold Glove defence. Get healthy Vernon and we’ll see you back on the field soon.
Shortstop shortage
Also on the injury front, how about losing your starting and backup shortstop in the same game? Has that ever happened? David Eckstein is still bothered by a strained right hip flexor. Did you ever wonder what a hip flexor stain felt like? It's a stabbing pain that just doesn't go away easily. Any quick movement feels like someone is playing darts with your hip as the target. So, if you think these guys that go down with that type of injury are kinda soft, think again.
John McDonald sprained his ankle after catching a cleat on the turf making a play. Since he is still on crutches who knows how long he will be out. Man.
Rios in right spot
I simply love moving Alex Rios into the three-hole in the Blue Jay batting order because he is more suited for this spot. Let me explain.
A three-hole hitter is a run producer that doesn't have to take too many pitches like some leadoff hitters tend to do. Rios can be more aggressive in this spot of the lineup and drive in more runs, which the Jays could sure use to kick start their offence.
Majors suffering from A.O.S.
Speaking of offence, have you seen the latest statistics on major league hitters so far this season? It was shocking to me.
As of Saturday, the 14 American League teams are batting a combined .257 average. Can you believe that? The National League is batting a combined .259 average and that’s with the pitchers hitting instead of the DH! That is a bad offensive year so far. It's an epidemic throughout Major League Baseball that I will diagnose as A.O.S. - Anemic Offence Syndrome. (They don't call me the Hit Doctor for nothing!).
What caused this problem? Coming out of Spring Training, pitchers are usually ahead of hitters because a lot of the hitters are not up to speed yet. Why? Well, there are so many guys in camp that the starting players don't get enough game at bats to shake off the rust.
Batters will catch up
We had more game at bats in the old days especially close to the end of Spring Training. The pitchers get their work in no matter what, whether in live or simulated games. So they go into the season with more command early and the batter’s sharpness builds up over time. So the pitchers better enjoy their success now, because when it warms up, the bats usually heat up too.
Let's just not talk about the weather factor. Can anyone tell me why early in the year games are in open stadiums in the mid-west and east coast while the stadiums on the west coast and the covered stadiums are vacant? It just doesn't make sense. I think the schedule makers are related to pitchers in Major League Baseball. Let's call for an investigation! Ha!
Let's hope the Jays can get healthy. There’s a lot of season left to make a run for the top in the East.
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Inside Baseball with Jesse Barfield »
About the Author
Jesse Barfield returns to the booth with the Rogers Blue Jays Baseball
on CBC broadcast team for the 2008 season as an analyst, after making
his debut with the program in 2007.
Barfield, a favourite with Canadian baseball fans, was selected by the
Blue Jays in the ninth round of the 1977 amateur draft, debuted with the
club in 1981 and helped the franchise reach the playoffs for the first
time in 1985.
A two-time Gold Glove winner with a cannon for an arm, Barfield led American
League outfielders in assists for three straight seasons (1985
– 87). Barfield was selected to the American League All-Star Team in
1986, a season in which he blasted 40 home runs to lead the majors while
driving in 108 runs. He was traded to the New York Yankees in 1989,
where he completed his playing career.
In 1,428 career games, Barfield was a .256 hitter with 241 home runs and 716 RBIs.
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Comments
Kurt
Sudbury
Good article. I think it was a great move to pick up Scutaro and he'll do a fine job while both guys are out. As for Rios, I think it was a mistake to sign him to a long-term deal. Watching him this year compared to last year, it looks like he's just coasting. I also couldn't stand how he's always joking and laughing in the dugout while the Jays were getting destroyed by Cleveland. Maybe now that he doesn't have to earn playing time, he figures he can just go through the motions? He needs to get focused or it won't matter where they bat him.
Posted May 13, 2008 04:21 PM
Bill
nl
it mightn't have any thing to do with these injuries but i think if the jays wanna have a competitive team that isn't plagued with ijuries they need to get rid or the artificial turf
Posted May 13, 2008 04:02 PM
Vance Crozier
If only JP could have seen the future! He's certainly not a straight-up replacement for Wells, but parting ways with Reed Johnson is not looking so good now is it? I suppose all of those "what ifs" are a big part of baseball though. Crossing my fingers for a speedy recovery for Vernon, we all miss you buddy!
Posted May 13, 2008 01:07 PM