Obviously, this is a giant blow to the Pirates’ offense. Jason Jaramillo and Robinzon Diaz are not going to provide anything close to the offensive production of Ryan Doumit, who might be the largest threat in the lineup. However, both are better defenders behind the plate, which should lessen some of the sting of this injury. Taking fielding into account, Doumit is probably worth about 1.5 wins more than Jaramillo or Diaz over 500 plate appearances. That is a pretty significant loss, but it is probably less detrimental than most fans think. If we are looking for a bright side to the situation, we can be thankful that Neal Huntington has improved the catching depth within the past year.
It is a shame that Doumit continues to struggle with injuries. It is also strange how often his injuries seem to be the result of bad luck. When I think of an injury-plagued player, I usually picture a guy with nagging hamstring strains or shoulder soreness. Doumit just seems to be a person that works hard to stay in shape, but has an extra degree of fragility. I am still inclined to call it simple misfortune, but the frequency of these mishaps seems much too great for it to be a coincidence.
