Crap

Earlier this week, SI's Tom Verducci put out his annual watch list for the Verducci Effect, the process in which young pitchers suffer a dropoff in production or injury trouble due to overuse. And who is on the list this year? Josh Johnson, of course. In 2009, Johnson threw 209 innings, 52 more than his career high, set in 2006. Verducci points out that Johnson is older than most of the other pitchers on the list, which reduces his risk of dropoff. But still, his inclusion is a bit of jolt, since Ted and I both consider him to be a centerpiece of the team for the next few years.

Now, this is not a death sentence or anything (Verducci reminds us that his system is not a predictor), but still, a cause for concern and a reminder that luck plays a larger role in baseball than we care to admit sometimes. Have a good weekend...




Photo via UPI