Report: Former D-back Webb shut down indefinitely
Mar 23, 2011, 11:06 PM | Updated: Jun 1, 2011, 6:37 pm
In what has become a rite of spring for most Diamondbacks fans, news of Brandon Webb’s shoulder is not good.
Fortunately for D-backs fans, Webb is no longer a member of the D-backs. He’s on the Rangers.
According to a report by nbcsports.com, Webb had to be shutdown….again….with lingering shoulder problems. Stop me if you’ve heard this before; he had troubles getting loose and is off to see the doctor.
The last two years, the Diamondbacks paid Webb 15 million dollars for four innings of work. He hasn’t pitched in a game since Opening Day 2009.
Once hailed as the only true born and bred Diamondback stud, Webb is now derided for taking a ton of money and yielding nothing in return.
Not fair. First of all, the three years prior to his shoulder problems, Webb won a Cy Young award, finished second twice, was an All-Star all three years and even got MVP votes in two of the three seasons.
His average salary during that stretch? Just a shade over four million per year. He was one of the best bargains in baseball.
Secondly, most D-backs fans (I would offer up the vast majority of D-backs fans) were insisting the team pick up that massive option (8.5 million) even though he was coming off a shoulder injury, the type that often devastates a pitching career.
You can’t have it both ways, ripping the team if they don’t pick up the option then ripping the player for not being able to pitch.
Either way, if Webb is having a hard time getting loose when he’s signed to an incentive laden contract, I think it’s safe to assume his shoulder is the problem and not his head.
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