The Philadelphia Phillies have not enjoyed a smooth spring training so far this season. You’ve got Chase Utley starting the season on the DL with a knee injury that no one seems to know much about. Brad Lidge has shoulder soreness and will start the year on the DL. Then you see Shane Victorino colliding in the outfield with Raul Ibanez and Roy Oswalt takes a comebacker off the back of his head/neck. It all adds up.
There was also the hyperextension of Placido Polanco’s surgically repaired elbow this spring. The Phillies – as always – have downplayed the injury and insist that he should be fine. But, ESPN‘s Buster Olney isn’t hearing the same thing from other scouts in MLB.
“By the way: Rival scouts trailing Phils convinced that Placido Polanco’s injury will be a major factor for him and affect his availability,” Olney tweets.
And Polanco himself admits that he’s not loving the way his elbow feels right now.
“It’s still a little sore,” he said, per Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. “I’m surprised. I’m disappointed. Talking to the trainers, it’s something manageable. It’s not hard to treat. We’ll keep an eye on it.”
“I feel great,” he said. “My legs feel great. My back feels great.”
The 35-year old then flexed his elbow.
“It’s just this …” he said.
Polanco, you will remember, had offseason surgery to fix a bone spur and some tendon damage. He tweaked it again back on the 15th while swinging the bat.
“They say after you have surgery there’s a thickness in the joint that pinches the nerve,” he said. “You have to keep stretching it.”
We’ll see. But the Phillies can’t take too many blows to their lineup, that much I know.
This is what happens when 1/2 your roster and regular position players are over 32 and have played lots of games over the years, their bodies start to break down and their recovery time is just not what it used to be back in their Primes..
Old man age has caught up to players like Utley,Rollins,Polanco, & Ibanez which is half the Phillies starting line-up.. It’s a long season for sure, but this Phillie team has gotten old and often injured quite a bit, real fast… 3 of the Fab 4 Starting Pitching Staff is also over 32 (Halladay,Lee & Oswalt), the Closer and Bullpen has some age too in Lidge,Contreras and Baes…
It appears lots of opportunities for younger players to step up and contribute right away from the start of the Season .. Manager Charlie will have to be very creative and utilize his entire Roster to keep sharp and focused until some of these regulars bounce back from injuries which in the long run could be a good thing…
Paul, by ‘this’ you mean what? A media guy poses a question a few weeks before opening day? What happened? Nothing yet this season in my book
By “this”I mean, you can’t expect a roster full of aging players, who many are past their primes and have had recent injuries, to stay healthy all season like they could,when they were 26-28-30 years old.. These players have played lots of games over the years between being starters, the playoffs, the World Cup Series thy have,etc,etc, and it’s all starting to catch up with the
Phils club this year.. look down the Roster
Infield
Polanco – 35 years old
Rollins – 32 years old
Utley – 32 years old
Howard – 31 years old
Valdez – 32 years old
Castillo – 35 years old
Outfielders
Ibanez – 38 years old
Victorino – 30 years old
Gload – 34 years old Catchers
Catchers
Ruiz – 32 years old
Schneider – 34 years old
Putchers
Halladay — 33 years old
Lee — 32 years old
Oswalt — 33 years old
Blanton – 30 years old
Baes — 33 years old
Contreras — 39 years old
Lidge — 34 years old
Madson — 30 years old
JC Romero – 34 years old
This is a total of 20 players out of the 25 Man Roster so the window is open wide right now but is closing rapidly.. I am not sure 1/2 the players on this roster I listed above will even be playing MLB in 2 years time..They need an influx of youth or this huge Payroll for the 2011 team and beyond will be a huge disappointment and remind many of those older,overpaid Yankee Teams of the mid 80’s- to early 90’s Clubs who spent a ton of $$ on players but never won anything..
Players can always adjust to their opponents, but players cannot adjust to “father time” and once a little slippage begins, it’s over at the MLB level..
By “this” I mean that it is a slow news day for eagles and so we are again left watching you 2 go back 4th about the word.. This time about the word “this”-The lock out is going to kill me.