Measuring the cost of injuries over the last five seasons
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Measuring the cost of injuries over the last five seasons
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
Hard to believe that I'll be flying down to Clearwater in a little over a week for this year's edition of spring training. I'm in the process of organizing my notes in an attempt to identify some of the plotlines that need to be explored early in camp.
Here's one:
Last year, nearly 1/5th of the money that the Phillies paid in player salaries went to somebody who was on the disabled list. Phillies players combined to log more than 1,400 days on the disabled list, at a combined cost of about $32.98 million. In other words, about 19.1 percent of the team's opening day payroll ended up as dead money. Ryan Howard spent 92 days on the disabled list while being paid about $109,000 per day in salary, for a total of about $10.1 million.
Teams can carry insurance on player contracts, but the practice is not as common as you might think because of the cost of the premiums that such policies usually require.
As you can see below, the percentage of payroll investment lost due to injury has increased in each of the last four seasons:
| Year | Total $ Lost | Opening Day Payroll | % Payroll Lost | Avg. Hitter Age | Avg. Pitcher Age |
| 2008 | $6.936 million | $95.200 million | 7.29 | 29.9 | 30.3 |
| 2009 | $10.938 million | $113.680 million | 9.62 | 31.2 | 31.0 |
| 2010 | $18.917 million | $135.398 million | 13.97 | 31.9 | 30.9 |
| 2011 | $31.573 million | $170.893 million | 18.48 | 31.6 | 29.4 |
| 2012 | $32.982 million | $172.535 million | 19.12 | 31.3 | 29.3 |
These numbers are based on the figures I have in my records. The average ages are from Baseball-Reference.com and are weighted for playing time. This year, the average age of the Phillies' eight projected regulars is 31, and the average age for the five projected starting pitchers is 31.
Rollins better have great range this year.
Young cannot move.— Ressler- DOCK THEIR PAY IF THEY ARE HURT.I LOSE PAY IF I CALL OFF.— bkflyers10
- I've got some math for you. Addition by subtraction. No Martinez, no Schneider and no Wiggington. That has to equate to more wins no matter who has replaced them.— LI PhilPhan
- Here's a thought....spend more money on the Athletic Training and Strength & Conditioning coaches.....as you cna see it pays off: http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/news/story?id=6217004— philly13
- Looking forward. Obviously that chart shows a disturbing trend. As the team spends more money on payroll the players spend more time on the DL. There will always be "freak" accidents. Surely every member of the organization is doing what they can to reverse the trend this year. Look at a guy like Placido Polanco. He wasn't the same player after he was hit on the elbow by a Tim Hudson pitch. A team cannot be competitive if 20% of its payroll goes to players who cannot perform. This is the way I look at 2013. Management has done their part to increase payroll. The fans have done their part to support this team. Since '09 the players have come up short. Some players will enjoy success. There's potential for more RH power than the team has seen in a long, long time. The best teams have a balance of power. Fifteen wins per month equals fun baseball. The Phillies have come a long way since the end of the 2000 season. It's silly to predict anything. The irony of the situation is that the other three sports teams have been so bad of late the Phillies are still relevant to the casual Philly sports fan. Thanks Murph for sharing that information!— PhilsfaninNebraska
- Better to be lucky than good— beefbre
- I'd like to see an analysis of comparing age versus injuries in the Phils systems.
Perhaps it would give Rube some idea of when NOT to sign older players to long term deals.— fmMD - The only way the Phillies are going to win anything in the near future is with an infusion of young talent. Howard and Utley, even if healthy all year, will still only put up numbers which are substantially lower than when at their respective peaks. Same for Rollins. This Phillies team peaked in 2008 and has been going downhill ever since. It could be many years before we witness another Broad Street parade.
— SteveS11 - Just heard from my FBook friend Chris Coste who advised that Comcast will NOT be bringing him back. Bad move in my opinion. Much better analysst than Ben Davis.— NewMick314
- You Phonies are getting old. Thats why you get hurt all the time. Start to get younger. You won't go anywhere this year! You Phonies fans will be crying before mid-season...calling for the Eagles again. It gets old in Philly with your sports teams! Go New York!— MRD
- Latest ESPN ranking of farm systems has Phils ranked 27 out of 30.— warbiscuit
- gather round, chillun...bubba/granny's gonna tell you about O L D. half a lifetime ago i weighed 215lb (on a 5'10" frame) and looked like i was 75. i am now 75, weigh 150lb (still on a 5'10" frame) and look like i should've looked half a lifetime ago. what happened? well, i cut out meat, fish, dairy and alcohol, and replaced doctor drugs with organic vitamins and minerals. took up swimming, yoga and meditation. all this in addition to an hour's quick walk every morning, plus 40 minutes of hard cardio and a bit of weights at the gym 3-4 times a week, as well as periodic visits to the osteo for maintenance. granted, i don't have the drudgery of standing around first base a few hours each day thinking about my 25 mill salary and subway commercials. players get injured primarily because their training programs are antiquated. with the current knowledge of diet, body work and disciplines of mental acuity, plus modern training equipment, there is no reason - none - for a 21st century position player ever to get leg injuries, which accounts for the majority of their down time. wait, hang on - there is a reason, two in fact: lack of self-motivation, lack of professional pride, a couple of categories in which the phillies just may lead all of mlb. put that in your pipe and puff it, you young whipper-snappers.— bubba church & granny hamner
