Tiger Fans Scratching Their Heads Over Iglesias’ Injury
UPDATED: 3/17/14 : 12:58
Over the past couple of days, reports have surfaced that suggest that promising Detroit Tigers’ shortstop, Jose Iglesias, is going to spend a significant amount of time on the DL in 2014. Speculation is that he may not even play at all.
As reported by ESPN…
Detroit Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias has significant injuries to both shins that are expected to keep him out at least until the All-Star break and could force him to miss most or all of the 2014 season, a baseball source confirmed to ESPN.com on Saturday.” -Via Jerry Crasnick | ESPN.com
Iglesias will miss most of 2014 with shin injury according to another player that is close to him. Speculation that Tigers will pursue Drew
— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) March 15, 2014
This poses a huge, no gaping hole in the Detroit infield, which was already thin at the shortstop position. Dombrowski isn’t commenting much, other than to say that he won’t have any news for a “few days”. Either he’s saying that because Iglesias is still undergoing testing, and he’s withholding comment pending the outcome…or he has a deal in the works. I think it is a combination of the two. The “baseball source” is said to be a player who is close to Iglesias. Jose is slated to visit specialist Dr. Thomas Clanton at the Steadman Clinic in Colorado on Tuesday. Just the fact that Dr. Clanton is an Orthopaedic Surgeon, specializing in foot and ankle surgery, makes the report appear more substantiated, as well as disappointing. Dombrowski noted that Iglesias will begin the 2014 season on the DL. Just last week, he told XM’s MLB radio that Iglesias would be ready for opening day. Obviously, Iggy’s condition was being downplayed.
What Exactly is Wrong With Iglesias?
Iglesias has battled what was termed “shin splints” for years. When we hear shin splints, we think it’s no big deal…at least that’s what we used to think. The medical term is Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS), which encompasses several conditions that manifest themselves as pain along the tibial bone aka shin. I had severe shin splints once, and although the pain would eventually subside while I was running, it felt like my leg may snap when making sudden stops and turns, not really conducive to playing shortstop. Once I would finish a run, I could barely walk up stairs. Here is a very in-depth article about MTSS, which covers causes and treatments. It also notes that MTSS is caused when “…repetitive loads cause abnormal strain and bending of the tibia”. Bending of the tibia, OUCH! The bad news is that most treatment options are the same as 20+ years ago, and one option for severe cases is a surgery known as a fasciotomy. There was a study of 32 athletes who underwent this procedure, and 13 of them were performing at a very high level, and 19 at lower levels following recovery from the procedure. The followups were conducted approximately 16 months after the procedure, and 23 of the 32 were classified as improved, 7 remained the same, and 2 noted as poor. This appears to be the only surgical option, but I’m not a doctor, just a Tiger fan with access to Google.
UPDATE: Jose Iglesias has confirmed that he has been diagnosed with stress fractures in both legs. Typical recovery time can be 6 weeks, but we won’t know until more detailed information is released. Some serious cases may involve a surgery which involves placing screws into the bone. Obviously, a favorable prognosis would make an internal candidate much more viable. I imagine we’ll know which way this thing is heading on Wednesday.
Iglesias confirmed he has been diagnosed with stress fractures in both legs.
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) March 17, 2014
All of the medical information is provided to give you some insight into the complex injury that ‘shin splints’ can become. I found myself wondering what the real issues could be, while reading superficial reports of the Iglesias situation, and it prompted me to do some digging.
What’s the Next Move For Detroit?
We know that Iglesias will spend some unexpected time on the DL, and now we need to think about what options the Tigers have. As it stands now, Steve Lombardozzi, Eugenio Suarez, Hernan Perez, and Danny Worth are the internal candidate to replace Iglesias. This isn’t a viable, long-term option, unless Dombrowski and Ilitch are willing to throw in the towel on the 2014 season before we even see opening day, or one of these players is possessed by the spirit of Honus Wagner. Lombardozzi (wRC+ 67 : Washington 2013) has played a total of 20 professional games at short. Worth (wRC+ 74 : Toledo 2013) possesses the defensive skill to play the position, but he will be a detriment to the club on the offensive side. Suarez has average hitting skills in AA, where he belongs, but can field the position. Perez may be the most promising internal candidate. He has performed fairly well for Toledo in 2013, but had a disastrous 34 games with the Tigers in 2013, recording a 14 wRC+, which is a measure of a players total offensive contribution where 100 is average. While the Detroit leadership continues to spit these names out, you have to believe they are just biding their time while trying to pull off some sort of deal, while also waiting for the decisive news about Iglesias. This leads us to the second option, filling the hole with a player from outside of the organization.
Who Can Fill Iggy’s Shoes?
Defensively, there is no player that the Tigers could sign or deal for that will compare to the defensive abilities of Iglesias. There are a few viable options out there that could remove the current liability that any internal players will bring. Now come the candidates…
I would not bet against rumor sending Stephen Drew to Tigers
— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) March 15, 2014
Stephen Drew:
There is much chatter and speculation from several outlets that the Tigers will pursue ex-Red Sox SS Stephen Drew. Drew turned down a $14.1 million dollar qualifying offer from Boston. In doing so, he tested the free agent waters, but any team wanting to sign Drew would have to forfeit their highest pick in the upcoming amateur draft in June. So far, no team has been willing to pay that price for anything less than a superstar player…and Drew doesn’t fit that definition. For Detroit, that would mean the 23rd overall pick. Drew’s agent is Scott Boras, and you know he’s gunning for a multi-year, overpaid deal (Prince Fielder landed his $214M, 9 year deal in much the same situation). The bottom line is that Drew would be a decent choice to fill the gap in the Tigers’ infield, but it would be too costly for the player that Drew is. The Tigers can ill afford to give away a top draft pick, especially since their minors system is rated near the basement. Drew’s only other option is to wait until after the draft, which is when the draft pick compensation is lifted. Perhaps Detroit will use the internal option until June, then make a play for Drew if things aren’t working out, but there may be more clubs interested at that point. It has been rumored that Drew has expressed regret about not taking the qualifying offer from the Red Sox. Too little, too late.
2013 Stats for Stephen Drew
Jimmy Rollins:
Another long-shot, but possible course of action, would be to manufacture a deal with Philadelphia for veteran SS Jimmy Rollins. Recently, Rollins was benched for 3 consecutive spring training games (he missed only 2 regular season games in 2013), apparently due to comments he made to reporters about his lack of spring production (USA Today). Rollins isn’t known for his quiet disposition, and he made a comment about nobody caring in June, about what you did in spring training. The comment was in response to a question about his spring stats. First year manager, Ryan Sandberg, apparently took exception with Rollins’ comments and he “coincidentally” didn’t play for the next three days. If a deal could be worked out that wouldn’t cost a currently rostered player, Dombrowski just may bite. In order for a deal for Rollins to go down, Philadelphia would have to agree to eat a sizable portion of his remaining contract, which could be as much as $33M through 2016. Detroit is not interested in carrying him that long, nor committing that much salary to the 35 year-old. You also have to wonder if having Rollins on the team would upset the chemistry. Rollins was benched multiple times for ‘lack of hustle’ by the previous bench boss.
2013 Stats for Jimmy Rollins
Didi Gregorius:
This one is interesting, although hasn’t been mentioned by any source that I’ve noticed. The Arizona Diamondbacks are thick in the shortstop department. Gregorius and Owings were said to be battling for the starting role, which Owings is looking to have the upper hand in. In addition to two potential starters, they are also carrying Cliff Pennington, who can warm a bench with the best of them. Gregorius has the defensive skill to play shortstop in the major leagues, but his bat is a question mark. Highly touted by the Dbacks’ scouts, Gregorius burst onto the MLB scene last season with .407 average in the first month of the season. He looked to be putting his critics to shame, but each month of the season saw his line plummet. After June, Didi never hit for at least .240 for the rest of the year, and hit just .182 for the final month. While his wRC+ was 91 for the entire season, the decline as the season wore on does show cause for concern. Unfortunately, he also has the tendency to commit needless errors. His 13 errors (8 FE, 5 TE) for the Diamondbacks in 2013 are actually an improvement from his previous two seasons in the minors. In 2012, he committed 18, and 21 the season before, despite only playing in 81 games. On the other hand, he has a full season of playing major league SS under his belt. Gregorius possesses great range, and an above average arm. His overall production in his first MLB season was serviceable, and exceeds the projections of internal candidates. Another positive with Gregorius is that he would add a left handed bat to the lineup. Even if he were to platoon at the position, it could add an additional boost, as his splits against righties are very promising (wRC+ 114). For the classic statistic people, that means he walks twice as much, strikes out half as often, hits for .275/.359/.429 instead of .200/.267/.245. A late February rumor on Bleacherreport, who ranked Gregorius as the 18th best SS in MLB, had the Yankees interested in either Owings or Gregorius. In that article, it was said that the Dbacks were looking for a young, backup catcher in return. This would likely mean that Detroit surrenders Bryan Holaday in a potential deal. Ausmus had already commented earlier in the spring, that he intended to have Victor Martinez catch on a weekly basis. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t have to be in this situation, but this is reality. There is also the option of adding James McCann to the opening day roster, and hope that Avila doesn’t blow up. Gregorius isn’t eligible for arbitration until 2016, making him affordable.
2013 Stats for Didi Gregorius
Conclusion
It’s likely that a 2014 division title will be much more difficult to attain, if the Tigers hold to their pledge to fill the shortstop vacancy with internal options. While utility players can patch a hole for a short amount of time, there needs to be a long term solution to this issue. What it will be remains to be seen.
What do you think the Tigers should do to fill the shortstop position?
What do you think they WILL do?
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