Impact Analysis: Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals

June 5, 2008 @ 13:57:41

By Owen Kinsky
Edited by Richard Garcia

My, how things have gone downhill for the Washington Nationals since their opening day victory in which third baseman Ryan Zimmerman (shoulder) hit a walk-off home run to christen their new stadium. Now, the Nationals are in last place in the NL East, and Monday, June 2, Zimmerman was placed on the disabled list with a partially torn labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder. He is the fifth player from the opening day starting lineup currently on the disabled list.

Zimmerman was injured while sliding head-first during a game against the Baltimore Orioles May 18. He played for a week with the injury before missing seven games prior to being placed on the disabled list. His placement on the disabled list was retroactive to May 26, and he will be missed by both the Nationals and his fantasy owners.

Zimmerman is expected to be replaced by third baseman Aaron Boone. However, Boone is not expected to be the everyday third baseman. Outfielder Willie Harris, second baseman Ronnie Belliard (calf) - when he returns from injury - and utility player Kory Casto are expected to spell Boone.

Shoulder injuries in non-pitchers

Though normally a pitching injury, labrum injuries have affected position players before. Players such as St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Troy Glaus and the retired Shawn Green have both experienced labrum tears in previous seasons. However, the closest comparison to the injury that Zimmerman sustained is with the one that possible Hall of Fame outfielder Larry Walker had.

The former Colorado Rockies star sustained a partial labrum tear in his non-throwing shoulder in spring training before the 2003 season. He played through the injury, however, and experienced one of the worst seasons of his career. A career .313 hitter, Walker hit .284 in the 2003 season, a year after he hit .338 with 26 home runs. His power dropped off significantly during his injury-marred 143 games in 2003, as he managed only 16 homers.

His rise to the majors and a former iron man

Zimmerman was the fourth overall pick in the talented 2005 draft class. He was taken in front of talents such as Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Ryan Braun, Cincinnati Reds center fielder Jay Bruce and Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. He was rushed through the Nationals minor league system and was able to do what few others have done; he made it to the majors in the same season in which he was drafted. The 2008 season is his fourth (third full) in the league, and at 23 years old, he is one of the rising stars in the NL. However, his injury could potentially be a significant setback in his development.

Zimmerman had been a picture of perfect health before his recent injury. Before a day off May 4, Zimmerman had played in 205 straight games. However, this is an injury that could likely require surgery at some point, whether it is during this season or after its completion. One recommendation at this point is for Zimmerman to get some rest and take anti-inflammatories. If he does play the remainder of the season, he would likely be at less than 100 percent and could experience a drop in production.

Disappointment this season

Zimmerman is owned in most fantasy leagues, and he was expected to have a breakout season. While his overall numbers aren't spectacular, with eight home runs, 27 RBIs and a .257 average, Zimmerman had put together a solid month of May, indicating that he may have been ready to break out. In May, Zimmerman hit .289 with five homers and 14 RBIs prior to the injury. It seems like he started to click before he was abruptly interrupted by this unfortunate injury.

Options for owners

Zimmerman isn't eligible to come off the DL until June 10 and could be out slightly longer. This means that fantasy owners will need to look for help elsewhere. There are a few third basemen owners' could use to replace Zimmerman in the interim.

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Blake DeWitt, thrown into a starting role early this season, has performed well. He is hitting .293 with five home runs. DeWitt seemingly has a lock on the corner position, so much so that third baseman Andy LaRoche is playing other infield positions with Tripe-A Las Vegas. The team is doing this in order to increase the ways LaRoche can help the big league club. This news suggests that fantasy owners should see an increase in DeWitt's long-term value.

While DeWitt could help owners with runs and average, those looking to replace Zim's power numbers could look to Cincinnati Reds third baseman Edwin Encarnacion. Encarnacion ripped the cover off the ball in April, hitting seven homers with a .293 average. However, May wasn't kind to Edwin, as he only added one dinger. He seems to have righted the ship so far in June (4-for-13, two home runs) and could help owners missing Zim's power potential at third.

Fantasy baseball outlook

Even though Zimmerman's injury could potentially harm his numbers this season, all indications are that he intends to play the remainder of the season once he gets off the disabled list. His shoulder likely will not be at full strength the rest of the season, and as Walker's example showed, there is a good chance that his numbers will take a dip. However, Walker was at the tail end of his career when he suffered the injury, and at 23 years old, Zimmerman may be able to fight through it better than Walker did.

Regardless of the numbers he may put up after returning, Zimmerman will be playing the rest of the season with the potential to make the injury worse, and at any point this season, he could go under the knife. Zimmerman, when healthy, has the potential to be one of the best third basemen in fantasy baseball. Even at less than full strength, Zim might likely be a better option than many other possibilities in free agency. While it is much too early to pull the plug and drop Zimmerman in any format, owners should start to look for a backup plan just in case.

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Owen Kinsky
Owen Kinsky is a KFFL contributor that has been an avid sports fan his entire life. He began playing fantasy sports, both football and baseball, back in 2000. His love of writing and the game of baseball brought him to KFFL in 2008.

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