One of the Philadelphia Phillies’ four aces, Roy Oswalt, was placed on the disabled list with back spasms. Unfortunately for Oswalt, he has a long and troubled history with back injuries and back spasms. This will be the sixth time in his career that Oswalt will be forced to miss time due to a back injury and his injury history makes you want to turn away from your computer screen. With his latest back injury and placement on the DL, questions are swirling about the future of Roy Oswalt in Philadelphia and in baseball. Oswalt had this cryptic quote regarding his latest ailment after leaving Thursday night’s game as reported in the Philly Inquirer:
“You throw as long as you can and when you can’t throw anymore you don’t,” the 33-year-old pitcher said after the game. “Hopefully it’s not to the point where I can’t throw anymore. If it’s at that point, you just have to accept it.”
That does not sound very encouraging. The Phillies pitcher admitted he’s been struggling with back problems all season (also going on the DL in April) and has struggled accordingly with only a 4-6 record in 2011. His fate could be determined on Monday with a scheduled MRI. If there are bulging discs or serious issues, then Oswalt may be done for the season and beyond. Oswalt seemed resigned to his fate after leaving Thursday’s game and sounded like a pitcher whose career may be coming to a close. These developments are unfortunate because Oswalt has truly been one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball over the last decade, mainly due to pitching great for several years off the radar in Houston. Even in Philly, he’s been overshadowed by great pitchers like Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. Check some of these career accomplishments…
-Career record of 154-89
-3 time All-Star
-5 time Top 5 NL Cy Young voting
-2005 NLCS MVP
-4th in WAR for active pitchers (45.7), 3rd in active ERA (3.20)
The most similar pitchers according to Baseball Reference to Oswalt’s career are Hall of Famer Dizzy Dean and future Hall of Famer Roy Halladay. That may come as a surprise because Oswalt isn’t typically discussed amongst the best pitchers in the game. He’s shown a lot of toughness in pitching through pain this year, and perhaps he can come back to contribute to the Phillies rotation this season if his back allows. With the stable of Halladay, Lee, and Hamels, the Phils should be fine with or without Oswalt, but the former Astro deserves to go out on his own terms.
***Update: Some good news and bad for Oswalt and the Phillies. He has been diagnosed with a bulging disc in his back, but is slated to hopefully return in August.
