Scott Boras cites Bryce Harper‘s 2017 leg injury for his defensive fall-off in 2018:
Moustakas’ ratings at third base took a major dip in 2017, when he was coming off a season in which he appeared in only 27 games because of a torn ACL in his right knee. But once Moustakas’ leg was fully recovered, he rebounded defensively in 2018.
Boras envisions Harper following the same pattern, saying the outfielder’s difficulties last season stemmed from the hyperextended left knee that sidelined him from Aug. 13 to Sept. 26, 2017.
“His legs were flat-out tired,” Boras said. “It was the same thing with Moose. The rehab time in one offseason sometimes is not enough. Look at Moose’s defensive metrics at third base. They’re now all plus-plus. In ‘17, they weren’t there. Everyone goes, ‘It’s his body type.’ No, he had a leg injury.”
Boras then referenced the defensive runs saved metric (DRS).
“These plus-minus things, when it’s plus-plus-plus all the way through, and then you have a leg injury and it’s minus the next year, it always goes back to the plus,” the agent said.
I would not be surprised if the leg also contributed to Harper’s prolonged slump at the plate. I have believed for a long time that most slumps are caused by injuries minor enough to allow a player to stay on the roster but bothersome enough to hurt production. Maybe “major slump” should be a reason to go on the disabled list.
from baseballmusings.com https://ift.tt/2K8ymxq
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