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It has not been a good spring for the San Diego Padres. First Trevor Hoffman was sidelined for at least half a season with shoulder surgery, and now comes news that Phil Nevin will miss the entire year after separating his shoulder making a diving catch in a spring game. If you believe bad things come in threes, you might want to avoid Ryan Klesko in your roto drafts later this month.

I should feel sorry for the Padres organization, but I'm having difficulty, because I don't see why Nevin was out in left field in the first place. Nevin was a perfectly fine third baseman when the organization decided that Sean Burroughs, who'd never played a game in the major leagues, was important enough to bump Nevin over to first. Burroughs flamed out last season, but he's back for another try, and this time Nevin was moved to the outfield, where he hadn't played since a 12-game sojourn in 1999. I wouldn't blame him if he unleashed some serious venom on the organization in the next few days.

Kevin Towers gained a lot of respect, particularly in sabrmetric circles, for his deft assembly of a promising young team on a shoestring; some of that shine is now fading. You can't blame the GM for injuries, but you can question his shifting of established stars to make room for overhyped rookies; maybe this is a little karmic payback in action.
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_R Billie - Monday, March 10 2003 @ 03:34 PM EST (#94145) #
Well karmic payback may be a bit strong but I agree that established players are sometimes shifted around without good reason. Sometimes it's warranted (Nomar Garciaparra) and sometimes it isn't (Nevin, Pujols). Burroughs had done well at each level considering his age but with every player you have to look past batting average and see what he has done...and Burroughs had not shown any particular penchant for walks or power. Perhaps in a year or two after he had filled out a bit, he would be a better candidate to hit the ground running at the major league level.
Coach - Monday, March 10 2003 @ 04:06 PM EST (#94146) #
It's a blow to my TRHL team; Nevin at $11 was a bargain. I thought they were better with Klesko in LF and Nevin at 1B, but not because I predicted the injury like Will Carroll:

Simply stated, Phil Nevin is reaching a point where injuries and an exceptionally odd career path have taken some sort of toll. Last year, Nevin suffered through two arm injuries that may or may not be connected. Nevin was initially out with a strained elbow and returned, only to break his humerus near the shoulder. The injury was initially believed to be a bruised muscle, but an MRI broke the bad news. Nevin's had a history of shoulder problems and even after his return, Nevin was clearly not at full strength. Reports coming from San Diego have Nevin still not at full strength. Add in a positional change to left field, a push past the prime years, and a history of injury, and suddenly Nevin becomes not a feared hitter, but a risky player that you don't want to build a team around. I'll either look like a genius or moron with this, but I expect Nevin to have some sort of season-ending injury in the early stages of the season.
Gitz - Monday, March 10 2003 @ 06:22 PM EST (#94147) #
I wasn't as prescient as Carroll, but upon learning that one of the five readers of my A's column had recently included Eric Chavez in a deal involving Randy Johnson and Phil Nevin, I commented that Nevin might only play in 80 games.

On the other hand, is it that difficult to play left field? Look, if Ben Grieve or George Bell could do it ...
_R Billie - Tuesday, March 11 2003 @ 12:25 AM EST (#94148) #
I think it might be debatable whether Grieve actually can do it.
Coach - Tuesday, March 11 2003 @ 08:26 AM EST (#94149) #
The Padres' loss could be the Yankees' gain, according to this item in that icon of credibility, the NY Post.

It makes sense; if the Friars get some insurance money, they can afford RonDL or Raul. A bit of unsolicited advice to Kevin Towers -- you don't want Mondesi that close to Tijuana.
_Cristian - Tuesday, March 11 2003 @ 09:28 AM EST (#94150) #
The Yankees article mentions White and Mondesi but you have to think that Kevin Towers was attempting to pry a a major league ready Juan Rivera from the Yankees.

If Towers picks up a Mondesi he'll fall from the ranks of the so-called "enlightened GMs."
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