Injuries to a pitching staff: It occurs on a daily basis, and almost every day of the season, a pitcher is placed on the DL. It happens to almost every team in baseball....or does it? The fact is, that it does not happen to every team. Actually, it seems to happen to some teams more so than others. Is it coincidence? It could be. Is it just bad luck? It's possible. Or could it be that some trainers and (to a degree) pitching coaches are just not very good at keeping their pitchers healthy?

There are some teams that rarely experience a season-ending injury to one of their pitchers. The Boston Red Sox only have Curt Schilling on the DL, and that can be attributed to age. The White Sox and Pirates currently have no pitchers on the DL. The Dodgers have Jason Schmidt on the DL, but no other pitcher is injured. On the flip side, the Orioles have seven pitchers on the DL...all arm-related injuries. The Braves, Rangers, Marlins, Rangers, and Cardinals have six pitchers on the DL. So, what is the explanation? Are these pitchers being pushed too hard? Is there a problem with their training regimen? It could very well be that simple.

An alarming stat is that the Orioles have seven pitchers on the DL, and they're all relatively young pitchers. Baltimore is also the team that saw Kris Benson go down with a serious arm injury last season. The Braves are another team with alarming numbers. Smoltz, Moylan, Hampton, Soriano, Lerew, and Gonzales are all on the DL, and Glavine just returned from his first ever trip to the DL. It's easy to say that Mike Hampton is always on the DL for some sort of ailment, but the fact is that he was never an oft-injured pitcher until he joined the Braves. Prior to joing Atlanta, he averaged 32 starts a season. Is it coincidence? It could be, but the training staff has to be looked at as well.

The Yankees pitching staff resembles a M*A*S*H* unit, but like the Orioles, it's young pitchers that are finding their way onto the DL. Hughes, Bruney, Karstens, Henn, Sanchez, and Brackman have all joined Pavano on the DL this year. The Rangers have six pitchers on the DL, including prized prospect Thomas Diamond. Perhaps free agents are avoiding the Rangers, not because of their ball park, but because of their training/medical staff. The White Sox have had a relatively good track record of keeping pitchers healthy, but when they dealt Brandon McCarthy to the Rangers, he started breaking down. The Cardinals have had a history of pitchers on the DL, including pitchers Carpenter, Hudson, and Matt Morris (a few years back). The Padres are another team that has had their share of promising pitchers land on the disabled list.

Perhaps the organization most guilty of faulty training regiments is the Florida Marlins. Not only do they have Gardner, Mitre, Owens, Garcia, Johnson, and Sanchez on the DL, but they were also the team that employed Pavano when his injuries began. Is it a coincidence that Brad Penny, AJ Burnett, and Josh Beckett have remained healthier since leaving Florida for their current teams? And what about the regression of Dontrelle Willis? Granted his injury was due to slipping on the mound, but the longer he remained with Florida, the worse he pitched. There is still speculation that Willis is hiding an arm injury.

Kudos to the Royals, Blue Jays, Twins, Mariners, Red Sox, White Sox, Nationals, Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Dodgers for keeping their pitching staffs fairly healthy. Sure, it may be coincidence or just plain old good luck, but a training staff should take credit when pitchers remain healthy. On the flip side, the medical staff and/or pitching coach should be held accountable if a rash of injuries occur on a yearly basis. Trainers are often under-rated and under-appreciated, but a healthy pitching staff can make a trainer and his staff look awfully good...even if it does go unnoticed.

The importance of trainers and their staffs is not always unnoticed and/or ignored. If you'll recall a few years back, the Mets had a rash of injuries, including persistent hamstring issues that hampered Jose Reyes on numerous occasions. The medical staff actually taught Reyes to run with a pronounced limp to avoid hamstring pulls. The Mets quickly dissed the suggestion, and the medical staff was replaced that off-season.

So give trainers credit the next time your favorite team's rotation remains in tact for most of the season. But you can also look in their direction if a promising young pitcher, who has been healthy for his entire high school and college career, goes down with a serious arm injury. Teams are quick to fire a manager or pitching coach if the team is struggling...despite injuries to the rotation. Perhaps teams should look to replace their training staff if injuries persist. Managers and coaches are held accountable for their team's performance...so too should the trainers be held accountable for their player's performances.


Court Adjourned!