Derrek Lee's 2010 Season Hampered By Thumb Troubles

A piece I just wrote for SB Nation Chicago. 'Twould seem Aramis wasn't the only Cubs player with a cranky digit.

over 1 year ago daver 21 comments 0 recs |

Comments

Hope Lee Rebounds

He’s a great guy. While I don’t expect him to be what he was in 2009 again, I think he could again be a solid player but not an all-star.

"The big possums walk late." - Harry Caray

by memphiscub on Oct 15, 2010 12:56 PM CDT reply actions

Note to new Cubs manager

Don’t let players “play through the pain” ineffectively for half the season.

by El Borto on Oct 15, 2010 1:04 PM CDT reply actions

and this just adds to my desire to use my own "cranky digit" to express my feelings on the 2010 Cubs

by El Borto on Oct 15, 2010 1:06 PM CDT up reply actions

I want to believe that Lee and Ramirez played through the pain solely to help the Cubs, but the fact that both guys had the ability to be free agents this offseason makes me wonder if they were trying to play for contracts — at least, in part.

by elgato on Oct 15, 2010 1:36 PM CDT up reply actions

+1 +1

whats 15 days off when you could have several months of better production – I understand trying to play through it for a week or two but at that point go on the dl

by hansman1982 on Oct 15, 2010 1:40 PM CDT up reply actions

That sounds about right.

Or at least partly true. It’s probably a confused mish-mash of pride, stubbornness, an effort to show leadership, contract concerns and competitiveness.

Contributing Editor, SB Nation Chicago. Please follow us on Twitter!

by daver on Oct 15, 2010 2:50 PM CDT up reply actions

This was something Lou did all the time.

Let veterans play through injuries when 15 days on the DL would likely have solved the issue.

Lee, Ramirez, and Soriano all did this at various times from 2007-2010.

The next manager needs to NOT do this.

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al Yellon on Oct 15, 2010 2:04 PM CDT reply actions

well...

… obviously this is something that Bobby Cox did, too. So perhaps Lee didn’t let anyone know the extent of his injury or perhaps the training staff dropped the ball.

by dmlichte on Oct 15, 2010 2:31 PM CDT up reply actions

Different situations.

If Lee goes on the DL in April, he’s back in May. If he goes on the DL in September, he might not have been back.

by elgato on Oct 15, 2010 2:32 PM CDT up reply actions

ya...

… but Cox still continued to play Lee down the stretch and in the playoffs when he hurt the team at the plate.

by dmlichte on Oct 15, 2010 3:53 PM CDT up reply actions

Couple of things

what other options did Cox have with Prado and Chipper down? Maybe Glaus at 1st with Conrad at 3rd. Also Lee’s splits were better with the Braves: Cubs .335/416 for a whopping OPS of .751 with the Braves: .384/.465 for an OPS of 849, not stellar but far better with the Braves.

by Grockcubs on Oct 15, 2010 7:24 PM CDT up reply actions

this appears to be an old story with the Cubs

Playing with injuries that substantially reduce performance.

Piniella: "This is a tougher job than I thought it would be, I'm going to be honest with you."

by Ivy Walls on Oct 16, 2010 10:40 AM CDT up reply actions

It could've been those things.

DLee could’ve very well downplayed the pain to stay on the field. Or maybe just the fact that the Braves were already so depleted by the loss of Chipper and Prado that they just couldn’t bear to lose another guy – especially one they just traded for.

Contributing Editor, SB Nation Chicago. Please follow us on Twitter!

by daver on Oct 15, 2010 2:53 PM CDT up reply actions

Letting DLee play was Lou's first mistake

Letting him continue to bat in the three hold was possibly even more fatal.

Granted, there are many other factors that went into it, but look how the Cubs started performing when Quade took over and Castro and Byrd batted 2nd and 3rd.

Having someone so weak in the 3-spot weakens the lineup as a whole.

Eamus Catuli!

by wrigley_boy on Oct 15, 2010 3:36 PM CDT up reply actions

Exactly. Having Lou manage as long as he did this season also weakened our lineup!

by TJ11 on Oct 15, 2010 4:19 PM CDT up reply actions

I don't think a 15 stint on the DL would have fixed

Soriano last year or Ramirez this year and have major doubts about Lee as well. Lou gets a lot of blame but so do the players who refused to admit they were injured and tried to play through it, the
medical staff and Hendry. Frankly nothing says more about the problems of the Cubs the last two seasons than that their 3 top hitters were injured and for a variety of reasons were allowed to continue playing.

"Lou Piniella's been a great manager for a long time and I stand by him completely"
Jim Hendry

by Doggie Stalker on Oct 15, 2010 3:58 PM CDT up reply actions

thats also where

the manager needs to step in and say "You are sucking right now, you are also injured right now – I dont care what you have to say, take a 15 day breather

by hansman1982 on Oct 15, 2010 4:28 PM CDT up reply actions

last season was worse than this season IIRC

Chronologically inept since 2060
"I could be writing this crap!" -- Crow T. Robot
Me: Q: I can run but not walk. Wherever I go, thought follows close behind. What am I?
Wrigster A: Theriot

by Cubbie-Tim on Oct 15, 2010 8:07 PM CDT up reply actions

I wish I would have known about their cranky digits!!!!

That would explain why ARam and Lee were not running out grounders!

I know when I have a hurt thumb I can’t run at all!

by TJ11 on Oct 15, 2010 4:18 PM CDT reply actions

but

the EARNED the RIGHT to be slackers just like Halladay and other Aces EARN the RIGHT to have a ginormous strike zone

by hansman1982 on Oct 15, 2010 4:29 PM CDT up reply actions

tie always goes to the injured superstar, dont ya know?

Chronologically inept since 2060
"I could be writing this crap!" -- Crow T. Robot
Me: Q: I can run but not walk. Wherever I go, thought follows close behind. What am I?
Wrigster A: Theriot

by Cubbie-Tim on Oct 15, 2010 8:09 PM CDT up reply actions