Fantasy Baseball Warning: Albert Pujols Injury Risk
January 26, 2008
Albert Pujols is still angry about having his name linked to steroids via an erroneous story on the Mitchell Report. When a TV crew from a St. Louis Fox affiliate, which broadcast the erroneous report, which was put out by a New York TV station (the media feeding the media incorrect information--talk about a vicious cycle!) showed up to a news conference where Pujols was speaking, he made them leave the room. The cameraman and the reporter instead sat in the corner, with the camera turned off, like a couple of dunces.
While this was interesting news, this wasn't the real news, at least not for fantasy baseball owners. Buried at the bottom of these stories on the Pujols scolding was what Pujols actually said at the news conference, and the news was not good.
Pujols elaborated on this health last season, when he suffered several nagging injuries. The severity, it seems, was much worse than most observers thought.
"I was in pain. I was in pain," said Pujols, whose 32 home runs in 158 games was the lowest total in his seven-year career. "After May, I just felt it was hurting and it was hurting pretty bad. . . . If that same problem is happening this year, I don't think I'm going to play the whole year the same way. I sacrificed my body. That's how I put it. . . . I'm telling myself that I ain't going through the same pain that I went through last year."
Holy moly. That's not good news for fantasy owners, nor is it good for Cardinals fans. Pujols said he's still unable to straighten his right arm. He decided against surgery to his right elbow, which has bothered him for several years, because he would have had to miss most of the 2008 season. Pujols also dealt with a hamstring injury and calf soreness late in the season that he said should be cured with rest.
Pujols has every right to forego the surgery, but fans also have the right to wonder if he's not in denial over the severity of his right elbow problems.
Pujols could probably hit 20 homers swinging the bat one-handed. But that's not what makes him a top-round pick. His ability to get back into 40-homer range should be seriously questioned. He might still be one of baseball's most watchable stars and entertaining figures, but this year, fantasy baseball owners should take an early-round pass.
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