Wednesday, February 17, 2010

As if you didn't already know about the Verducci Effect

SI's Tom Verducci has red-flagged ten pitchers who risk injury. And of course, thanks to the increase in 2009 innings, Bud Norris is on this list.

The Crawfish Boxes have done some excellent work on this, so it's worth noting Verducci's explanation for Norris:

I hate to see guys with non-contenders getting pushed, as Kansas City and Pittsburgh used to do, but these guys have a common denominator: their previous workloads were depressed by injuries in minor league seasons. Carillo had Tommy John surgery, Norris suffered from an elbow strain (the Astros sent him to the AFL in 2008 and he still made the at-risk list) and Latos was bothered by oblique, ankle and shoulder injuries. The size of those increases remains significant.