Well, if you are a Detroit Tigers fan then I’m sure you have had better days. If you are a Victor Martinez owner, it’s not going to get much better for you. For the second time in the last 4 years, Martinez has sustained a knee injury working out in the offseason. I will say that this is not very common for MLB players. However, it’s better to know now then taking him with an early round pick.
Right now, the best case scenario is to patiently wait word for about 6-8 weeks. He has a 36 year old knee that has to have its meniscus repaired or partially removed. If it’s removed, he will actually be back sooner. If it’s repaired, then he could miss 2-3 months. What this means for you the team owner potentially drafting him is to let someone else take the risk. I myself am a huge Detroit Tigers fan but I am worried about Victor’s season. He just went from a MVP runner up early round selection to a late round gamble. Do I think he can knock the rust off and produce this year? Yes I do! But I wouldn’t waste an early round pick or a keeper spot for him. The man batted a healthy .335 with 103 RBIs and 32 home runs at the ripe age of 35.
Now, the question you might ask is “who steps up?”. Well you already have a recovering Miguel Cabrera who may be close to ready by opening day. The one guy who could really benefit from this all is Yoenis Cespedes. Last year, Cespedes had a very respectable line .260/22/100.
Now, put Miguel Cabrera hitting in front of him and maybe JD Martinez behind him in a contract year and tell me what you get? I could be completely wrong with YC but he is being given an opportunity to bat clean up in a more balanced Detroit line up. His value has crept up OF rankings as of late and I’m sure they will continue to do so. But if he slips and is there late jump on him while you can.
In conclusion, knee scopes for young athletes don’t sound like much but are very traumatizing to ones anatomy. VM is 36 and still has a few good productive years left. However, this is a setback for his fantasy value and his encore from last year. Take the negative (Victor) and turn it into a positive (Yoenis).
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