Show Me Shohei O(h)tani

[smg58]

Eh, we'd shrug our shoulders just like with every other injury.

I don't envy the Angels' manager and GM, though. Even when fully healthy, handling Ohtani presents a unique set of challenges. And the challenges are that much greater now. I still think he has more long-term upside as a pitcher, but if you do what probably needs to be done with the UCL you'll lose him as a hitter for a year, too. You could restrict him to hitting for a while and hope that the UCL heals on it's own, but that's a gamble. And of course, you know who gets blamed if things don't go perfectly.

[Edgy MD]

smg58 wrote: Eh, we'd shrug our shoulders just like with every other injury.

I don't think the culture around the Mets encourages shrugging, but rather looking to link any and all injuries to malpractice and misuse by the organization.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I agree. Some would shrug, but many more would express angst.

[Centerfield]

If Ohtani had gone to the Mets, he wouldn't have needed something as mundane Tommy John.

He would have contracted Valley Fever, or Thoracic Outlet, or Spinal Stenosis, or some other injury that nobody has ever heard of that leaves you a shell of your former self.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

It is interesting to see that the spate of injuries has continued even without Ray Ramirez causing them.

[Edgy MD]

While I found Ray to mostly be an unfortunate scapegoat, I found it real weird that they just promoted his assistant to replace him.

If you really believe the injury rate can be traced to him, wouldn't you want to make a clean break, let go of his underlings too, and hire an all-new staff with an all-new philosophy?

[smg58]

Oh I've done plenty of scapegoating and questioning my deity's team loyalties. And it's not like the Mets have had better luck in that regard this year (both catchers getting hurt the same day, they can't get Cespedes back on the field, every right-handed hitter out at the same time, they bring in Vargas and he gets hurt in the spring, they bring in Swarzak and he gets hurt the first week of the season, etc.) This can't go on indefinitely, right?

[Centerfield]

I don't think anyone realistically believed that Ray Ramirez actually caused injuries, but one of the big complaints was how they were handled once injured. Playing hurt, coming back too early, or, conversely, taking forever to get back on the field. We have no way of knowing if Ray Ramirez was a contributing factor, but we also don't know that he wasn't. The Mets are perfectly within their rights to go a different direction.

But yes, your point is dead on. If you have an issue with the philosophy, it doesn't make sense to promote his first in command.

Or maybe they did just scapegoat him. Who knows.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Centerfield wrote: But yes, your point is dead on. If you have an issue with the philosophy, it doesn't make sense to promote his first in command.

Well, the assistant may not have agreed with his boss' approach.

[Centerfield]

I guess that's true!

"He went splint there? No way, I would have definitely gone ace bandage."