photo credit: dizzy-eyed
Russell Martin–Los Angeles Dodgers catcher–has pulled his groin and the estimates are that he will be out for 4-6 weeks. I beg to differ and I have to change my thinking about the NL West.
Yes, the MLB season is VERY long. So, anything can happen, but if your catcher is sitting out with a pulled groin he’s going to be out for more than 4-6 weeks–in my humble opinion.
No, I’m not a medical expert, but I have pulled my groin and you literally cannot function when that happens. Plus, this guy is a professional athlete so he can’t just walk without pain…he’s got to squat for 9 innings without pain game-after-game-after-game.
Then he’s going to have to swing a big bat AND be able to think all at the same time.
I bet he’s gone closer to 8 or 10 weeks and in the interim Joe Torre says a rookie is going to get the bulk of the playing time. If they have to play a Rookie at Catcher for any extended period of time there’s going to be serious diminishing returns on the defensive side of the ball.
Actually, the only way this can work for the Dodgers is if the rookie they use turns out to be better than Martin. Then they will have found their next golden child. I don’t think that’s going to happen, but this is their only hope.
I already thought the NL West was going to be a little closer than last year, but I think it will get tight at the beginning of the season and stay that way for alot longer. This could affect how the Dodgers play the back half of the season and how the enter the playoffs–or how they exit them too.
I’m not pressing the panic button…I’m just beign cautious with the Dodgers.
