MLB’s inclement weather policy proving to be off base
Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo has watched two of his players writhe in pain beyond first base after injuring themselves lunging for the bag this year. In April, Adam Eaton tore his anterior cruciate ligament and was lost for the season after trying to leg out a ground ball. On Saturday, Rizzo and Nationals fans held their collective breath as Bryce Harper clutched his knee after his foot slid across the damp first base bag.
While Harper, who suff ered a significant bone bruise, dodged a seasonending injury, the incident has led many to suggest MLB explore ways to somehow reduce base-related injuries.
“We’re going to have to do something,” Rizzo said Wednesday during his weekly appearance with Washington radio station 106.7 The Fan. “I think MLB has recognized that this isn’t the first nor the last injury of this sort. We’ve had two horrific ones this year with Eaton and Harper. You know, Harper, ( Mike) Trout, all these guys sliding into these hard bases head first. Most guys are going head first. You see it all the time that guys are throwing thumbs out, that are keeping the stars of our game out for a long time.
“I think it’s a fairly reasonable fix, I think it’s a fairly easy fix to come up with. These intelligent people at MLB and the players’ association, we’ve got to put our heads together and come up with something a little bit better than this and I think we will.”
Rizzo’s comments came on the heels of Harper’s agent Scott Boras calling for similar changes to improve player safety in the wake of his star client’s injury.
“You start thinking about all the other things that could have happened to prevent these type of things,” Boras said Tuesday on 106.7 The Fan. “I think in sport, sometimes elite athletes and the potentials that come to them through their performance give us a greater indication of what we must do to make the game better. The positive is maybe that we get a better approach to inclement weather and player safety in this area.”
Boras suggested using a different base in inclement weather and taking measures to ensure bases remain dry.
“Obviously, it’s very clear from Bryce’s situation that that is a very slick surface,” he said. “When you have an elite athlete touching in the very middle of the bag and just sliding across, it’s like ice on cement. It’s really something that we need more clarification and standards and study to ensure player safety.”
Players injuring themselves stepping on or sliding into a base isn’t a new phenomenon and Nationals fans were already familiar with the damage 15- inch rubber squares can inflict. In 2014, Ryan Zimmerman broke his right thumb diving back into second base on a pickoff attempt and Harper sprained his left thumb sliding head first into third base on a triple within 12 days.