According to Paul DePodesta of the San Diego Padres front office in his blog "It Might be Dangerous...You Go First", the Padres are on pace to tie their own MLB record for player days on the DL.
Depodesta said:
"10 players on the Major League DL: Cha Seung Baek, Cliff Floyd, Luke
Gregerson, Scott Hairston (starting rehab in Lake Elsinore this
weekend), Shawn Hill, Nick Hundley, Jake Peavy, Luis Perdomo, Chris
Young, and Mark Worrell. As a team we've now amassed 507 DL days, and
the season is only 76 days old. In fact, we've had six or more players
on the DL on 61 of the 76 days."
10 players on the DL means 10 minor league players are on the major league roster.
507 player days on the DL in 66 games means the Padres are on pace for 1244 player days on the DL in 2009.
Does that number sound familiar?
1244 is the MLB record number of Player days on the DL that the Padres recorded in the 99 loss 2008 season.
The Padres already have the record, the 2nd most injuries and the 3rd most injuries in a season. If this year ends over 1000 player days on the DL, the Padres will have recorded the 4 seasons with the most injuries in baseball history AND they will have done that ALL in this decade.
You have to wonder how much of that is attributable to the trainer and strength coaches.
Some injuries are accidents, but the plethora of injuries to pitchers and injuries to tendons and other soft tissue can be blamed on improper or over conditioning.
In my opinion its time to take a much closer look at the the staff responsible for the Padres conditioning.