New York media already 'sweating' Ellsbury's nagging injuries !

JACOBY ELLSBURY ~ 'Nagging' Injuries

RED SOX : SPRING TRAINING 2014
March 24,2014.






c/o Ben Shapiro
      masslive.com

When Jacoby Ellsbury agreed to a seven-year, $153 million contract with the New York Yankees, the reaction from Red Sox fans was one of disapproval, but it wasn't laced with nearly as much hatred as when Johnny Damon left town for the Bronx back in January of 2006.

First of all, Ellsbury's departure had been seen as somewhat inevitable. Negotiations between the Red Sox and Ellsbury had been all but non-existent. His agent, Scott Boras, had been outspoken in declaring his client's interest in testing the free-agent waters. Those were big signals in mentally preparing most Red Sox fans for his eventual departure.

There were other factors as well.

Ellsbury is one of the best leadoff men in all of baseball; he's a fantastic base runner who not only accumulates tons of stolen bases but does so without being thrown-out very often.

Ellsbury hits for average, has shown an ability to hit for power and finished second in the 2011 American League Most Valuable Player award voting.

There are plenty of good reasons for Red Sox fans to be upset about Ellsbury's departure; not having him on the team does represent an almost inevitable downgrade, at least in the short term.

There were also a number of reasons for Red Sox fans to not be too upset about Ellsbury's decision to leave town.

Red Sox fans know what it is like to have a roster full of players who make a lot of guaranteed money for a long time. That's what Ellsbury was looking to become and that's what the Yankees gave him. It is hard to blame Ellsbury for wanting the riches and long-term financial security that come with a seven-year, $153 million contract. Few people reading this can honestly say they'd have turned down a contract like that.

It isn't hard to see why Red Sox fans weren't keen on their team matching or exceeding that deal in an effort to keep Ellsbury in Boston.

Not only was the team coming off a World Series title won with a roster full of players on largely short-term contracts, but the franchise was also just over a year removed from a last place finish which was accompanied by a dysfunctional clubhouse filled with several players who sported massive long-term contracts.

There was one other key factor that had Red Sox fans extremely hesitant to see their team offer Ellsbury a longterm contract.

Injuries.

The simple fact of the matter is that as good as Ellsbury was while a member of the Red Sox, he had a habit of missing large chunks of time to injury.

In April of 2010 he collided with third baseman Adrian Beltre, and the resulting rib injury ended up keeping Ellsbury out of the lineup for nearly the entire season.

Fast forward to April 13, 2012: Ellsbury injures his shoulder sliding into second base on a stolen-base attempt. He misses two months of action, and when he returns he is a mere shadow of the player he was in 2011. His final numbers reflect career-worst totals in many statistical categories.

With Ellsbury entering his 30's coupled with his injury history, and slow recoveries from those injuries, most Red Sox fans appropriately felt that signing him to a long-term contract would represent a massive risk for the team.

Let the Yankees spend their money, and then let them endure the frustrations when he gets hurt.

It isn't even opening day yet, but frustrations are already simmering in the Big Apple.

Ellsbury sat out a few spring training games this week. A nagging calf injury was to blame. Thursday afternoon, a concerned Yankees medical staff had Ellsbury undergo a precautionary MRI. The MRI came back negative, and Ellsbury is expected to be fully healthy in time for opening day.

That wasn't enough good news to prevent Ken Davidoff of the New York Post from sounding the alarm for the Yankees and their fans.

Davidoff's Thursday night column centered around Ellsbury, his massive contract, his injury history and how the Yankees had signed up for the type of random injuries and extra precautionary tactics that have surrounded Ellsbury all week.

The ironic thing about the column, and about the Yankees' kid's-gloves handling of Ellsbury's calf injury, is that in reality Ellsbury has only had two really serious injuries. Even the broken toe he suffered last September only sidelined him for a few weeks, and when he returned he played as if the injury had never happened.

That doesn't make the Yankees wrong for treating his injury as if it could have been more serious. It does make one question the wisdom of signing him to that seven-year, $153 million contract in the first place.

If you throw out his 32-home-run 2011 season, Ellsbury has never hit more than nine home runs in a single season. His greatest attribute, what sets him apart from almost every other outfielder in the majors, is his speed and base-stealing ability.

Speed is a tough thing to maintain into one's 30's. It is one of the first athletic attributes that is impacted by age, and if you add-in something like a sore calf muscle, then not only will Ellsbury likely be less inclined to steal bases, but the Yankees may very well be less inclined to give him the green light to do so.

The Yankees did sign up for this. The biggest problem might not even be Ellsbury's potential injuries. If Ellsbury's speed declines, and he isn't able to increase his power output playing in Yankee Stadium, then the Yankees will be spending over $20 million a year on a very good, but not exceptional, aging center fielder.

For the Yankees, the biggest issue is this coming season. It is unlikely that the Yankees signed Ellsbury under the assumption that they'd be getting any sort of value out of him in the final years of his contract.

The Yankees are looking to really get a return on their investment in the next few seasons. Players such as Derek Jeter, CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and Hiroki Kuroda won't be around for the final years of Ellsbury's deal. New York would love for Ellsbury to be great all the way through the duration of his deal, but they need him to be great this coming season.

The first game of the 2014 season has yet to be played, but already the New York media is sounding the alarm about Ellsbury and his health. Davidoff's column might be one of the first, but the potential for many, many more just like it feels all but certain.