Almost everything below was thought about Tuesday night before, but written after, Justin Morneau hit two home runs against the Tigers. Which might make it all seem moot. But then again it might not. You choose ...
Justin Morneau Homers Twice, But To What End?
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Justin Morneau was (officially) the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 2006. You might argue that he wasn’t really the league’s most valuable player, but it’s hard to argue that he wasn’t one of the league’s better hitters that season, and in the seasons since. From 2006 through 2010, Morneau batted .298/.372/.528 for a nice round 900 OPS.
But last season, of course, he missed the second half after suffering a concussion. Morneau was supposed to have recovered by this spring, and the Twins believed he was recovered enough to play.
So he’s played. And in 47 games he’s batted .242/.291/.335 for a 626 OPS. Amidst those not-so-round, not-so-nice numbers are just two home runs. So what’s “wrong” with Morneau?
There’s been no hint of concussive symptoms.
There’s something else, though. :
Twins first baseman Justin Morneau admitted Tuesday he’s been dealing with a pinched nerve in his neck that’s also causing weakness in his left shoulder, and the injury will likely linger the whole season.
Morneau, who has missed just five games this season despite the injury, has received two cortisone shots in his neck and met with doctors, who told him the pain is unlikely to go away.
“We got it checked it out, and there’s not really a whole lot that can be done,” said Morneau, who added that he’s never dealt with this injury before this year. “We shot it twice, and it feels better today than it did a while ago. So the hope is that it’ll continue to get better.
“It’s not something they really want to do surgery on. They say typically the time to recover is about the same amount of time to recover from the surgery. So it’s one of those things where it’s playable, and as long as the pain is tolerable, we’ll keep grinding it out. So that’s kind of where we’re at.”
Grinding it out? Morneau’s attitude seems admirable, and maybe the Twins are so bereft of talent that they really can’t find a first baseman who homers more than once a month. I’m just not sure if Morneau’s numbers suggest an injury that’s “playable” ... or rather a player who shouldn’t actually be playing.
Either way, the real question is about the point of it all. The Minnesota Twins are so far out of first place, second place must seem like first place, third must seem like second, and ... well, you get the idea and the Twins probably do, too. Or should. Is it really helping the team, Morneau playing when he probably isn't healthy enough to play? Would it really help the team, if he hit the Disabled List for a month or more?
There aren’t any good answers to these questions, just as there aren’t any good answers for the Twins’ various other woes. Here’s a prediction: One of these days, Justin Morneau will hit two home runs in a single game, doubling his previous season’s output. But it won’t mean he’s healthy, and it won’t mean the Twins won’t still finish last.
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