Troy Tulowitzki (SS-COL)

Injury He suffered a torn left hip labrum which required season-ending surgery. 

2014 Season – He was having an MVP-type season before sustaining the injury.  In only 91 games, Tulowitzki hit .340 with 21 home runs, 52 RBI, and 71 runs scored in just 315 at bats.  He also had an incredible 1.035 OPS and a terrific BB/K ratio of 50/57.

Reason For Optimism  

  • Tulowitzki recently underwent a medical check-up and everything came back clean. 
  • He has been taking batting practice in the cage and has no issues when swinging. He has begun taking ground balls and doing fielding drills, so he will be ready for spring training without any restrictions. 
  • After all the trade rumors and concerns over his well-documented injury history, Tulowitzki should be motivated to prove people wrong and play more than 150 games. 
  • Despite having the benefit of playing his home games at Coors Field, he still produces solid offensive statistics on the road (only 22 home runs and 94 RBI less on the road in two fewer career away games).

Reason For Concern

  • Tulowitzki has an extensive and consistent injury history and has not played more than 150 games in a season since 2009.
  • He is 30-years old now which means his body heals slower than it has in the past.
  • Hip injuries can be debilitating which is even more risky for a shortstop who must cover a lot of ground in the infield.

2015 OUTLOOK Tulowitzki is unquestionably the best offensive shortstop in baseball and normally should be a first round pick in a standard 12-team fantasy baseball league.  The problem is that he has consistently been injured throughout his career including two out of the last three seasons where he failed to play even 100 games.  It is a risky proposition to spend your first draft choice on a player who is highly likely going to miss considerable time during the season.  He does play a premium position and would outperform all other shortstops by far if he played more than 140 games.  While there are times it is worth taking a risk on a player coming back from an injury, there is too much history over the course of his nine-year career to expect anything else.  Unless you have the wraparound picks in the first and second round, you are better off passing on Tulowitzki for a more stable and healthy player.   

If you are wondering the best way to evaluate players such as Tulowitzki so that you can be prepared for your draft, then be sure to check out the 2015 Fantasy Alarm Draft Guide which will be available soon on newsstands and online at Fantasy Alarm

Michael A. Stein, Esq. is the Chief Justice of Fantasy Judgment, the industry's premier dispute resolution service, and co-host of the Fantasy Alarm Podcast.  You can contact him at michael.stein@fantasyjudgment.com or on Facebook and Twitter (@FantasyJudgment),