Impact Analysis: Juan Pierre, Los Angeles Dodgers

July 2, 2008 @ 12:02:14

By Owen Kinsky
Edited by Herija C. Green

What was a good weekend for fantasy owners of Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Juan Pierre (knee) turned sour Sunday, June 29, when Pierre was injured during a successful steal attempt against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. While registering his 35th stolen base of the season, Pierre sprained the MCL in his left knee. He has been placed on the 15-day disabled list for the first time in his career and is expected to miss four to six weeks with his injury.

This was an unfortunate turn of events for Pierre, as Dodgers manager Joe Torre recently indicated Pierre would retain his starting role upon the return of injured center fielder Andruw Jones (knee).

The loss of Pierre undoubtedly leaves owners scrambling for stolen bases, as he was about as consistent as a base-stealer could be. Pierre was tied for second in the majors in steals (35) to Colorado Rockies outfielder Willy Taveras (38) and was averaging nearly a stolen base every two games.

Pierre's first major injury

Prior to this injury, Pierre had been an extremely durable outfielder in the majors. During the last five seasons, Pierre had played in every game during stints with the Florida Marlins, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Over those five years, Pierre recorded fewer than 55 steals only once (in 2004, when he swiped 45 bags). He stole 64 bases last year and to this point in the season had shown no signs of slowing down.

While his age hasn't slowed him (Pierre will be 31 in August), this injury has the potential to. Pierre has no history of dealing with injuries, let alone leg injuries, and he may need to work his way back to 100 percent before he can start tearing up the basepaths again. It isn't out of the question that this knee injury could hamper Pierre throughout the remainder of the season, as it is his first major leg injury and Pierre relies so heavily on his speed.

Pierre's status in the Dodgers outfield

Pierre entered the 2008 season as part of a logjam in the Dodgers outfield after they signed Jones in the offseason. Pierre came out of spring training set to split time with outfielders Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. Although Pierre lost a few at-bats early in the season due to the crowded outfield, the injury to Jones assured him of an everyday spot. He was making the most out of his playing time with a .277 average, 30 runs scored, 24 RBIs and 35 steals. He had played in 73 of the Dodgers' 82 games.

Though Pierre had been told he was going to keep his starting role whenever Jones returned, this injury now results in Kemp and Ethier retaining their starting roles for the foreseeable future, which makes Pierre's prospects upon returning even harder to gauge.

Steals options in free agency

Owners with Pierre on their roster undoubtedly had him there for stolen bases, as he offers little else of fantasy value to a team. This makes finding a replacement easier than many free agency searches. Finding a player who steals bases at a regular clip regardless of his other stats is not a difficult one; however, Pierre's replacement on a fantasy team isn't likely to steal as often as Pierre so he would ideally have a redeeming stat in another category in order to help owners' teams.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Fred Lewis is that kind of player. He offers a good amount of steals (14 so far this season) along with the ability to put up good numbers in other stat categories. He has six homers, 53 runs scored and a .285 average. If Lewis is available in your league, he would be an obvious add.

Apart from Lewis, owners scavenging for steals may turn to Kansas City Royals outfielder Joey Gathright, who has 18 steals this season. He has been getting regular time with Kansas City but offers lesser secondary stats than Pierre (30 runs, .249 average).

Other names that could help include Washington Nationals outfielder Elijah Dukes (.318-5-16 with six steals in the last 30 days) and Boston Red Sox outfielder Coco Crisp (.314-3-11 with five swipes in the same time period). For those in deeper leagues looking purely for speed, Oakland Athletics outfielder Rajai Davis has 15 steals despite filling a part-time role with the club.

Fantasy baseball outlook

Pierre's injury is a tough blow to owners hoping to take the steals category in their league. With Pierre out four to six weeks, owners in NL-only and deep mixed leagues should stash him on a DL spot. Those playing in shallow mixed formats can consider cutting Pierre loose as his lack of strong supporting stats could make him expendable.

In addition, even though he is slated to return in as soon as four weeks, the leg injury could linger for the remainder of the season. His return to the field in August wouldn't immediately guarantee a return to stealing bases, and owners stashing him for the duration of his injury need to be prepared for a drop in his steals when he gets back.

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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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