Will Lidge's Fantasy Value Flash Downward?

February 29, 2008 @ 10:12:12

By Joshua Ellis
Edited by Tim Heaney

On Monday, Feb. 25, Philadelphia Phillies closer Brad Lidge underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. The expected opening day closer is projected to miss three to six weeks because of the injury. As of February 26, the season opener is a little more than four weeks away.

Lidge's Injury History

Other than a minor ribcage injury in 2002, Lidge has been a physically healthy player until this offseason. Lidge underwent surgery on his right knee in October of 2007 to repair cartilage. When throwing his first pitch Saturday, February 23 at Phillies spring training, Lidge caught his spike on the mound and was forced to limp off the field. On Monday, Lidge underwent successful surgery for a torn medial meniscus, and doctors were quoted as being very optimistic about his condition.

Other than his recent physical injuries, many still believe Lidge's mental pitching capacity was forever rocked when St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols hit a three-run home run off Lidge in the 2005 National League Championship Series. Lidge struggled mightily in 2006 (a 5.28 ERA with a 1.40 WHIP) before rebounding somewhat in 2007 (a 3.36 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP).

Injury Prognosis and Ramifications

With the start of the season quickly approaching, there is a possibility that Lidge will not be ready to be the Phillies closer by opening day. However, the former Notre Dame star is optimistic that he can return by opening day. Lidge is expected to resume baseball activities with the Phillies later this week, but it is unknown if he will have enough spring training innings to be named the starter on opening day and may need to participate in extended spring training to ready himself for the season.

The Phillies have named former closer Tom Gordon as the interim closer. As a replacement, Gordon should be very capable. The veteran was a successful closer for three full seasons and he has 156 career saves to go along with 133 career wins. Last season, Gordon recorded six saves in a year plagued with injuries. His time as the Phillies closer should be brief to begin the season, so he should not be drafted as a long term option for saves this season, however when he is called upon to close games, he should be a nice option. Should Lidge pick up another injury this season, Gordon will be the top option for long-term replacement in Philadelphia.

Fantasy Summary

Due to the timing of the injury, and the need for a guy like Lidge to throw to live batters before he is allowed to close for the Phillies, he could miss the start of the 2008 season. With the doctors' optimism and from comments by Lidge, he does not expect to miss much time. Clearly this raises a red flag with Lidge's health, because if he can get injured rather easily in spring training, then there is the possibility he can pick up an injury during the regular season and put your team in a bind.

Lidge could still be considered one of the top closers in the National League when healthy, but don't reach for him as anything more than a No. 2 closer. A safe thing to do is that if you snag Lidge at a good value, you should also add Gordon at the end of the draft to use at the beginning of the season and as insurance. Although Lidge is expected to return in the first month of the season, this is a situation you should try to shy away from on draft day.

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Joshua Ellis
Joshua has been a KFFL contributor since 2006.

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