Hideki Matsui, OF, New York Yankees

May 19, 2006 @ 14:29:34

By Chris Kolb
Edited by KFFL Staff

In the first inning of a May 11 game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, Yankees left fielder Hideki Matsui charged toward the infield, looking to turn a shallow fly ball by Boston second baseman Mark Loretta into a routine out. As Matsui slid forward to try and make the catch, his left wrist, which also happens to be the side he catches with, landed on the field, twisting backwards in an extremely awkward position, and fracturing in the process. Unable to make the catch, Matsui still had the presence of mind to get up and throw the ball back to the infield, before succumbing to the pain shooting through his lower arm.

Quickly surrounded by the Yankees' training staff and other players, Matsui was helped off the field and taken to Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. Once there, Matsui was examined by Yankees team physician Dr. Stuart Hershon, as well as hand specialist, Dr. Melvin Rosenwasser. The prognosis was unfortunately grim for the Yankees and their fans, as X-rays revealed that Matsui indeed had a fractured left wrist and would have to undergo surgery the next day to repair the broken bones. Matsui would also most likely miss at least the next three months of the season, if not longer.

From a pure baseball perspective, Matsui's injury is devastating for the Yankees. Although Matsui may not have had the same kind of numbers as third baseman Alex Rodriguez, designated hitter Jason Giambi, or shortstop Derek Jeter, Matsui's ability to make timely hits to keep an inning alive for another Yankee batter is critical to the Yankees' lineup. Matsui also carried a career .370 on-base percentage, which is considered to be outstanding, and will be difficult, at best, to replace.

Currently, the Yankees are using young outfielder Bubba Crosby to replace Matsui in left field. Known for his excellent range and speed in the outfield, Crosby will be a more than adequate replacement in the field for Matsui. However, Crosby still has looming questions about his ability to replace Matsui effectively in the Yankees' batting lineup.

Table: Bubba Crosby Career Statistics

Year	Games	Hits	Runs	RBI	HR	Walks	.Avg
2003	9	1	0	1	0	0	.083
2004	55	8	8	7	2	2	.151
2005	76	27	15	6	1	4	.276

It has been rumored that the Yankees will try to trade for a more solid replacement for Matsui in the coming weeks and months, however, it will be difficult for the Yankees to acquire any player the caliber of Matsui in a trade, as the Yankees have depleted their stock of talent in the minor leagues in the past few seasons. Look for the Yankees to wait until mid-summer before making any moves, as they will most likely give Crosby time to improve before going after someone else.

From a fantasy point of view, Matsui's injury is a slight bump in the road, but nothing more. There should be a wide selection of outfielders currently performing at or near the same level as Matsui was prior to his injury. The keys to focus on when searching for a replacement are the player's on-base percentage and their current RBI total. These are the two things you'll miss the most without Matsui in the lineup, as Matsui's high on-base percentage allowed him to score a lot of runs, and his timely hitting gave Matsui a fairly high RBI total as well.

Table: Commonly Available Outfield Replacements for Hideki Matsui

Player Name	Team	Games	Hits	Runs	HR	RBI	Walks	.Avg	.OBP
Jacque Jones	Chicago Cubs	35	30	11	6	17	5	.273	.308
Mark Kotsay	Oakland Athletics	37	41	19	3	19	14	.277	.341
Carl Everett	Seattle Mariners	41	36	17	6	20	17	.255	.341
Trot Nixon	Boston Red Sox	33	33	23	3	18	21	.317	.438
Gary Matthews Jr.	Texas Rangers	29	35	15	3	18	12	.297	.358

The majority of these players have significant on-base percentages, which tend to translate into runs, especially when that player has good players surrounding him in the lineup. They also bring a fair amount of RBI with them as well, which addresses the two main concerns in replacing Matsui. All of these players are also currently available in most leagues, so you shouldn't have too much difficulty acquiring one of them to replace Matsui.

Overall, this injury could be of some difficulty to fantasy owners but you should be able to find a more than adequate replacement for Matsui, without trading away your best player to get him.

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Chris Kolb
Chris Kolb has been a KFFL contributor since 2006.

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