Sandoval Shaping Up

Can a slimmed-down Sandoval save his career? (Boston CBS Local)

Pablo Sandoval was probably pretty disappointed when he found out he was going to need season-ending shoulder surgery last May. Nobody wants to be told they’re done for the year when it’s only just begun, especially when your only memorable highlight was busting your belt. If there’s a silver lining from Sandoval's lost season, however, it’s that surgery might yet save his career.

Because let’s face it; even if he'd stayed healthy, Sandoval wasn't going to offer much last year. Coming off the worst season of his career, he arrived at spring training overweight (again), failed to bat said weight and wound up losing his starting job to a player making $17 million less than him. Sandoval rode the pine in April, appearing in just three games as Travis Shaw and the Red Sox got off to torrid starts.

Sandoval was stuck. His team had little use for him while his contract and recent performance made him untradeable. So he wasted away on the bench, watching Shaw’s success systematically destroy whatever shot he had at redemption in 2016.

Now, with Shaw out of the picture, Sandoval has another opportunity to get back in Boston’s good graces. He wisely used his time off to get in "the best shape of his life" and prove he’s serious about his conditioning. Hopefully he also used that time to fix his swing and work on his defense, but both should improve if he maintains his svelte physique.

A year off could do Sandoval wonders. It certainly did for John Lackey, another West Coast star who initially struggled upon signing a big contract with the Red Sox. After pitching at a historically awful level in 2011, Lackey missed all of ’12 recovering from Tommy John surgery. It was a turning point in his career, as a slimmed-down Lackey returned to form in 2013 and is still going strong into his late 30s.

After last year, Sandoval has nowhere to go but up. It’s not hard to imagine him having a similar renaissance in 2017, given that he’ll only be 30. He’ll also be extra motivated to prove himself after everything that's happened since he landed in Boston.

On the other hand, going under the knife may only hasten Sandoval’s decline. Adrian Gonzalez fell off significantly as a hitter following the same procedure, which doesn’t bode well for Sandoval -- a much lesser hitter to start with. He may also find that taking a whole year off severely disrupts his timing, which could prevent him from having the kind of start he needs to secure regular playing time again (Shaw may be gone, but Brock Holt and Rafael Devers are looming).

How the rest of Sandoval’s career plays out will likely be decided by what he does over the next calendar year. If he keeps the weight off and recovers the skills he showed in San Francisco, he'll return from the abyss. But if his body balloons and his struggles persist, he may lose his job for good.

Choo's Injury Caps Disappointing Season

Shin-Soo Choo's season is over. The Texas Rangers outfielder has a bone spur in his left elbow and will need to go under the knife in the next two weeks to remove it.

Under normal circumstances this would be a devastating blow for the Rangers, losing a player of Choo's ability a week before September, but their season has been anything but ordinary. A slew of injuries has turned a talented team that many thought would contend for first place in the AL West to the worst team in baseball.

Choo was one of the few Rangers to avoid serious injury, having played 123 of the club's 129 games to date. Unfortunately for the 32 year-old his good health did not translate into good production, as he scuffled through the worst season of his career since he began playing regularly in 2008.

Signed by the Rangers to a seven-year, $130 million prior to the season, Choo came to Texas with the reputation of a durable, 20/20 outfielder who got on base a ton. Installed as the team's leadoff hitter, he was expected to bolster the lineup as an elite table-setter for Adrian Beltre, Prince Fielder and Alex Rios. Instead, he showed none of the tools that made him an All-Star caliber player and turned out to be an enormous bust in the first year of his new deal--bad news for a player on the wrong side of 30.

Even before his injury, pretty much everything that could go wrong for Choo did go wrong. His .242 batting average and .340 OBP were his lowest marks since 2005, his rookie season, and his .374 SLG., .714 OPS and 100 OPS+ were his worst since 2007.  Compared to last year his walk rate plummeted, his strikeout rate soared, and his BABiP tumbled 30 points even though his batted ball distribution was virtually identical to what it was in his monster 2013 campaign.

Choo, always a poor hitter against southpaws, struggled mightily against righthanders as well, batting just .244/.348/.384 against them (down from .317/.457/.554 against righties a year ago). Versus righties he had trouble hitting pitches down the middle--something that should never be an issue for a hitter of Choo's caliber--and did noticeably worse on inside pitches as well. This development would seem to suggest diminished bat speed as a cause for his struggles and, based on his difficulties with fastballs this year, that's probably the case.

Decline is to be expected given Choo's age, but it was very surprising to see him become a nonfactor on the bases virtually overnight. Formerly a lock to steal 20 bags per year, he nabbed just three in seven attempts after swiping 96 over his previous five seasons. Throw in his shoddy defense in left field and frequent turns at DH, and he was a replacement level player at best.

Mercifully for Choo, his disastrous season is over. He can look forward to getting his swing right and returning to health in 2015, when hopefully for Texas he'll be able to start living up to his massive contract. Because if this is what Choo is going forward--a league average bat with middling power and limited speed who profiles as a corner outfielder/DH type--they're going to be stuck with his albatross of a contract for the rest of the decade.

Of course, Choo is still young enough that a bounce back isn't out of the question, especially if this injury was nagging him for awhile and caused his production to suffer. His proven track record is too distinguished and Texas is too good a hitter's park to write him off after one bad year. But the Rangers have to be prepared for the probability that they're not going to get back the impact player they thought they were getting last winter, and that what they saw from him this year might be as good as it gets.

Baseball's All-DL Team

Hamilton is one of many stars currently on the DL (ESPN)

Is your fantasy team already ruined by injuries? You're not alone. We're barely a month into the season, and star players have been dropping like flies. Here are some of the best players at each position currently waylaid.

C Wilin Rosario
Colorado's backstop went down over the weekend with...a viral infection. His DL stint should include plenty of bed rest and orange juice.

Honorable Mention: Wilson Ramos

1B Chris Davis
The reigning major league home run and RBI champ is recovering from a strained oblique and hopes to be back on Sunday. Last year's AL MVP runner-up will give Baltimore's sagging lineup a big boost when he returns.

Honorable Mention: Logan Morrison

2B Jason Kipnis
Less than four weeks after signing a new contract extension with Cleveland, the All-Star second baseman went down with a strained oblique. He will need to spend additional time on the DL--possibly the whole month of May--which is not good news for the sputtering Indians, currently in last place.

Honorable Mention: Jurickson Profar

3B Ryan Zimmerman
The Nationals third baseman made his annual trip to the Disabled List on April 13th with a fractured right thumb. Expected to miss 4-6 weeks, he has yet to pass the X-ray test that will clear him for hand strengthening exercises.

Honorable Mention: Chase Headley

SS Jose Iglesias
I had to scrounge the position to find this one, since the usual suspects of Jose Reyes, Jed Lowrie and Troy Tulowitzki have remained healthy thus far. Last year's AL Rookie of the Year runner-up will miss the entire season after suffering stress fractures in both shins during spring training. Detroit would have been wise to replace him with Stephen Drew but decided to give Miguel Cabrera an absurd amount of money instead.

Honorable Mention: Rafael Furcal

OF Bryce Harper
In typical Bryce Harper fashion, he tore a thumb ligament diving head-first into third base while legging out a triple on April 25th. Unfortunately, it will cost him at least two months of his season, as he underwent surgery and is not due back until early July.

OF Ryan Braun
Braun was back to form before a possibly-karma-related oblique strain derailed what was shaping up to be a strong April for him. It goes without saying that the red-hot Brewers will sorely miss his bat in the middle of their order.

OF Josh Hamilton
Hamilton has never been able to stay healthy for long, so after playing 299 games over the past two seasons it shouldn't have been surprising to see him crash early in 2014. He was on fire before tearing a ligament in his thumb diving head-first into first base (probably the dumbest thing a player can do) and was lost only eight games into the Angels' season. LA is hopeful he will re-join Albert Pujols and Mike Trout in the Halos lineup at the end of May/beginning of June.

OF Michael Cuddyer
Last year's NL batting champion was off to a fast start before a strained hamstring felled him. He was placed on the DL on April 21st, retroactive to April 18th, and Rockies manager Walt Weiss says there's still no timetable for his return.

OF Mark Trumbo
Trumbo was raking in his Diamondbacks debut with seven home runs and 19 RBI through his first 21 games until a stress fracture in his foot sent him to the Disabled List on April 24th. The bad news for Arizona: he may not return until early July. That leaves Paul Goldschmidt to carry the lineup in his absence.

OF Jay Bruce
Went under the knife to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee yesterday and could miss a month. A big loss for the Reds, who don't have much offense outside of Joey Votto.

Honorable Mentions: Adam Eaton, Carlos Quentin, Kyle Calhoun

DH Adam Lind
The Blue Jays have had better luck with injuries this year, but that luck eluded Lind, who's been sidelined since mid-April with back tightness. He began his minor league rehab assignment Sunday and should be back by the end of the week.

Honorable Mention: Josh Willingham

SP Clayton Kershaw
The defending NL Cy Young winner made only one start (in Australia) before a back injury knocked him out of commission. Luckily for the Dodgers, he's due back today and they have more than enough pitching (Zack Greinke, Dan Haren, Josh Beckett) to hold down the fort while he was gone.

SP Chris Sale
A left forearm strain sent the White Sox ace to the DL in mid-April after only four starts. The southpaw threw a 40-pitch bullpen session yesterday and should be able to begin a rehab assignment in two weeks. Chicago's short on starting pitching with him, so they really need a healthy Sale to return to form in order to stay afloat.

SP Mat Latos
Latos has yet to make his 2014 debut because of a strained right flexor mass tendon, which is probably the most complicated-sounding injury on this list. The Reds need their ace back if they want to turn their season around.

SP Anibal Sanchez
Last year's AL ERA champion is currently dealing with a laceration on his finger but should return sometime next week. Luckily for the Tigers, they have more than enough starting pitching with Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello and Drew Smyly to get by without him.

SP  Matt Cain
Cain was struggling even before a cut on his right index finger landed him on the DL Sunday, but since it was retroactive to April 24th he'll be able to start against the Dodgers on Saturday. Not a huge deal for the Giants, who are well-stocked with starters Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, Tim Hudson, and Ryan Vogelsong.

Honorable Mentions: Doug Fister, Alex Cobb, Hyun-Jin Ryu (not including guys out for the season like Matt Moore, Matt Harvey, Kris Medlen, etc.)

CL Aroldis Chapman
The Cuban Missile opened the season on the DL after taking a line drive to the face off the bat of Salvador Perez during spring training. He needed facial fracture surgery but his recovery is nearly complete; he got promoted to Triple-A today and should be back in the Show shortly. In the meantime, Jonathan Broxton has done a fine job as Cincinnati's closer.

CL Jason Grilli
Out since April 21st with an oblique injury, the Pirates closer played catch yesterday but has no set date for his return. Mark Melancon will close in the interim.

Honorable Mention: Casey Janssen

Best Seasons Derailed By Injury

While writing a recent post about Hanley Ramirez, I started thinking about players who had really good seasons that were severely impacted by injury. There were several that came to mind, and I'm sure there are many more I'm forgetting. In the wake of Manny Machado's recent knee issue, this post feels particularly relevant.

The only rule is that a player must have appeared in fewer than 100 games because of injury. They are presented in chronological order, and strike-shortened seasons do not count.

Joe DiMaggio 1949 (76 games)
Plagued by a painful heel injury, DiMag didn't take the field until June 28th. It wasn't a moment too soon for the Yankees, who swept the Red Sox in a three game series at Fenway Park behind Joltin' Joe's four home runs and nine RBI. The Yankee Clipper continued to produce at an MVP-level throughout the rest of the summer, providing four and a half WAR in half a season's worth of games. He closed out the year hitting .346/.459/.596. If DiMaggio doesn't make it back that year, there's no way the Yankees overtake the Red Sox on the season's final day.

Projected: 116 R, 188 H, 28 2B, 12 3B, 28 HR, 134 RBI, 110 BB, 324 TB, 8.8 bWAR

Ted Williams 1950 (89 games)
The reigning AL MVP was well on his way to winning the award again. Teddy Ballgame pulled into the All-Star break batting .321/.466/.690. In just 70 games, he'd already accumulated 82 RBI, 75 runs, and 73 walks to go along with his 25 home runs and 22 doubles. Unfortunately, Williams suffered a broken elbow during the All-Star Game when he crashed into the scoreboard after hauling in a long drive off the bat of Ralph Kiner. While Williams remained in the game and later smacked a go-ahead single, he would miss nearly two full months of meaningful baseball. Losing the Splendid Splinter struck a devastating blow to Boston, who finished four games out of first and may very well have won the pennant had Williams remained healthy.

Projected: 150 R, 172 H, 44 2B, 50 HR, 164 RBI, 146 BB, 370 TB, 7.5 bWAR

Mickey Mantle 1963 (65 games)
While many of Mantle's seasons were curtailed by injury in some form or fashion, he missed the most time in 1963. The Mick got off to a rip-roaring start that year and seemed poised to run away with the league's most valuable player award. He was batting .310/.441/.647 when he got his foot caught in the chain-link fence at Memorial Stadium on June 5th. Mantle missed two months but returned in time to help New York capture its fourth consecutive pennant.

Projected: 104 R, 120 H, 20 2B, 40 HR, 100 RBI, 104 BB, 260 TB, 9 bWAR

Tony Conigliaro 1967 (95 games)
Tony C. had already missed 22 games before an errant Jack Hamilton fastball crashed into his eye. He was slumping at the time, but with a strong finish could've cleared 30 home runs and 100 RBI.  More importantly, he may have delivered some key hits in the Fall Classic that could have propelled the Impossible Dream Red Sox to a World Series victory over Bob Gibson and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Projected: 90 R, 150 H, 30 HR, 100 RBI, 271 TB, 5.5 bWAR

Dick Allen 1973 (72 games)
The 1972 AL MVP was at it again in '73, batting .316/.394/.612. He suffered a fractured fibula on June 28th and appeared in just three more games that year.

Projected: 78 R, 158 H, 40 2B, 32 HR, 82 RBI, 14 SB, 66 BB, 306 TB, 6 bWAR

Mark McGwire 2000 (89 games)
Nagging injuries took their toll on the 36 yer-old slugger, limiting him to just 89 games. His performance was still on par with his ridiculous 1998-99 levels, for he crushed 32 long balls, drove in 73 runs, worked 76 walks, and batted .305/.483/.746. He homered once every 7.38 at-bats that year.

Projected: 120 R, 144 H, 64 HR, 146 RBI, 152 BB, 352 TB, 8.4 bWAR

Ivan Rodriguez 2000 (91 games)
Pudge was putting together an otherworldly encore to his MVP campaign before fracturing his thumb while trying to gun down a would-be basestealer on July 24th. The injury required season-ending surgery, but the 91 games he did play were truly remarkable. He had already swatted 27 home runs, 27 doubles, and knocked in 83 runs. He was hitting .347/.375/.667, on his way to one of the finest all-around seasons any catcher has ever had.

Projected: 100 R, 190 H, 40 2B, 40 HR, 125 RBI, 363 TB, 9 bWAR

Josh Hamilton 2007 (90 games)
Hamilton has always had trouble staying on the field, and it began in his rookie season. He spent time on the DL with gastroenteritis in late May/early June, then missed five weeks in the middle of the summer with a sprained wrist. He finished the year batting .292/.368/.554 but received no Rookie of the Year votes.

Projected: 78 R, 131 H, 26 2B, 29 HR, 71 RBI, 248 TB, 3.8 bWAR

Justin Morneau 2010 (81 games)
Morneau enjoyed a phenomenal first half (.345/.437/.618), putting himself on track to win his second MVP award. He suffered a concussion on July 7th and miss the rest of the season. He hasn't been the same since.

Projected: 106 R, 204 H, 50 2B, 36 HR, 112 RBI, 100 BB, 366 TB, 9.2 bWAR

David Ortiz 2012 (90 games)
Big Papi was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise bleak season for the Boston Red Sox. The team's lone All-Star representative batted .318/.415/.611 with 23 home runs and more walks than strikeouts. On July 16th, Ortiz injured his Achilles while rounding the bases on an Adrian Gonzalez home run. He appeared in just one more game before being shut down.

Projected: 118 R, 186 H, 47 2B, 42 HR, 108 RBI, 101 BB, 359 TB, 6 bWAR

Evan Longoria 2012 (74 games)
After a huge April (.994 OPS) Longo missed all of May, June, July, and the first week in August with a partially torn hamstring. In his absence the Rays went 41-44, ultimately missing the playoffs because they were unable to survive the loss of their top position player.

Projected: 78 R, 158 H, 28 2B, 34 HR, 110 RBI, 66 BB, 288 TB, 5 bWAR