This article is part of our Fantasy Baseball Injury Report series.
The health of an organization can be the difference in competing for a title or languishing at the bottom of the standings. In Major League Baseball, injuries can be particularly difficult to manage with an expansive roster that is asked to endure a grueling 162-game season. However a hardworking and diligent medical staff can help prevent injuries before they occur and diminish their lasting effects.
To honor the often-overlooked MLB medical staffs, the Martin-Monahan Award was established by injury sports writer Will Carroll of Bleacher Report and presented in conjunction with RotoWire. The Martin-Monahan Award winner is selected by a series of measurements including days lost, injury cost, and multi-year average. The award is meant to highlight the contributions of the entire medical team, including physicians, Athletic Trainers, physical therapists, and other associated health professionals.
The Martin-Monahan award is named after two well-respected and outstanding Athletic Trainers that spent their careers committed to improving and preserving the health of their athletes. Dick Martin, a long-time Athletic Trainer for the Twins, and Gene Monahan, a New York Yankees legend in his own right, continually held themselves and those around them to unprecedented standards and helped raise the bar for medical care in Major League Baseball.
This season, we are proud to present the award to the medical staff of the Milwaukee Brewers. Led by Head Athletic Trainer Dan Wright and Director of Medical Operations Roger Caplinger, the organization becomes the first repeat winner of the award having previously claimed the title following the 2005 season.
"The Brewers are honored to receive this award," said Caplinger. "Our entire medical staff, including athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, and physicians, strives to provide our athletes with the most comprehensive medical care in baseball. We have a passion and focus to be forward-thinking, innovative and progressive in injury prevention. The support we receive from Brewers ownership and our baseball operations executive team is critical as they consistently commit the resources needed for us to be successful."
Wright is no stranger to success having previously worked with the Cincinnati Reds and was a part of the 1991 MLB "Training Staff of the Year" awarded by PBATS. He was also the assistant athletic trainer to Caplinger during the award-winning 2005 campaign.
The 2014 season marked Wright's second year as the head Athletic Trainer but his performance has made an immediate impact on the Brewers organization. The club utilized the disabled list just 10 times all season, the lowest total in the league. Furthermore, these 10 moves cost the Brewers a total of 571 days, second only to the Pirates, and $8.9 million, the lowest total in baseball.
In addition to their outstanding work with injury prevention, Wright and his staff exceled at minimizing time lost when an injury inevitably occurred. Two of Milwaukee's top offensive weapons, Ryan Braun and Aramis Ramirez, suffered muscular injuries at various points of the season. Both players returned in less than month, despite the tendency for their types of injuries to linger and become easily aggravated. Braun returned 16 days following a right oblique strain while Ramirez missed 24 games with a hamstring strain. Neither player experienced a setback. Having this duo in the lineup daily allowed the team to finish with their third winning record over the past four seasons.
Perhaps even more importantly was the staff's ability to keep the Milwaukee players off the operating table. In a year where surgeries like the Tommy John procedure seemed to dominate the headlines, not a single Brewer player went under the knife over the course of the season. It may seem like a small victory but it should have a carryover effect into next season and set up the Brewers for future success and a potential return to the postseason.
President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Doug Melvin stated, "This award illustrates a well-deserved recognition of the talents and dedication displayed by our entire medical staff to an extremely important facet of today's game. "Under the leadership of Gord Ash and Roger Caplinger, they are the people who not only help a team keep its players on the field, but also contribute to the careers and success of numerous players."
We would to like to congratulate Wright and the entire Milwaukee medical staff and look forward to presenting them with 2014 Martin-Monahan Trophy at this year's Winter Meetings.
Previous Martin-Monahan Award Winners
2004: Tampa Bay Rays
2005: Milwaukee Brewers
2006: Chicago White Sox
2007: Cleveland Indians
2008: Pittsburgh Pirates
2009: Philadelphia Phillies
2010: Chicago White Sox
2011: Kansas City Royals
2012: Cincinnati Reds
2013: Seattle Mariners
