Colorado Rockies: Comparing David Dahl, Paul Molitor, and George Brett

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CHICAGO, IL – MAY 01: David Dahl #26 of the Colorado Rockies is greeted by Bud Black #10 of the Colorado Rockies after hitting a home run against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning on May 1, 2018 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images) /

On Friday, Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black compared David Dahl to Hall of Famers Paul Molitor and George Brett in an interview with Rockies broadcaster Jack Corrigan.

Unfortunately for David Dahl, the Colorado Rockies, and Rockies fans, he has been hit by the injury bug more than anyone would like.

Some of the injuries have been (in Bud Black‘s word) “freakish” as Dahl has ruptured his spleen on a play in the minor leagues in 2015, had a stress fracture in his rib in 2017 and turned his ankle on a play in the outfield that cost him the last seven weeks of the season.

Black said on Friday that Dahl’s biggest goal in 2020 and beyond is to show he can be a durable, everyday center fielder for the Rockies for years to come. While doing that, Black compared Dahl to two of his contemporaries from his own playing days: Hall of Famers Paul Molitor and George Brett.

Black made the comparison between the three (with Dahl and Molitor, in particular) as a testament to how talented Dahl can be when he’s on the field. His biggest problem is staying on the field, though.

1990: Paul Molitor #4 of the Milwaukee Brewers makes contact with a pitch during the game against the California Angels at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images /

Molitor’s extensive injury history

For Molitor, even during childhood, he suffered from a lot of freak accidents. By the time he had graduated high school, he had fallen out of a tree, injured his foot after riding a bike barefoot and nearly missed a whole year of baseball in high school after coming down with mononucleosis.

When he reached the majors after just half a season at the minor league level, he suffered numerous injuries and setbacks during the 1980s. He missed six weeks in 1980 due to a pulled muscle in his ribcage and while he was injured, he got hooked on cocaine (it was a big thing in baseball, and frankly, the USA, in general, in the 1980s). He was able to recover from that during the offseason.

Entering 1981, the Brewers moved Molitor to center field but after only a month into the season, Molitor suffered an ankle injury after trying to beat out a grounder. He returned in mid-August after the 1981 player’s strike ended. In 1983, he injured his wrist in mid-May and while he played through it, his offensive numbers suffered tremendously. Due to his struggles and some injuries to other players, the Brewers missed out on the playoffs after going Game 7 of the World Series in 1982 and making it to the playoffs in 1981.

In the beginning of 1984, he partially tore his MCL in his elbow. After trying to play through it, the Brewers shut him down for the season after playing just 13 games and he underwent Tommy John surgery.

MILWAUKEE, WI – OCTOBER 1982: Paul Molitor #4 of the Milwaukee Brewers batting during Game 5 of the 1982 American League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers on October 10, 1982 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images) /

After returning in 1985, he missed two weeks due to a sprained ankle and in 1986, he tore his hamstring and missed three weeks. He returned, played three games, and retore it. He missed three more weeks and after returning for two games, he tore it a third time. He returned two weeks later to DH duties (the Brewers were in the AL at the time) and shortly thereafter, returned to the field and he played the rest of the season.

He tore the hamstring again in late April of 1987 and missed four weeks. He returned for a few weeks before suffering from groin and elbow injuries. During that time, he retore his hamstring yet again. He still had a phenomenal year, though, as he had a 39-game hitting streak, won a Silver Slugger Award and came in fifth in AL MVP voting even though he only played in 118 games.

During the offseason, he had arthroscopic surgery on the elbow and in 1988, while he played 154 games, he still suffered from the nagging groin, elbow, and hamstring injuries. He began the 1989 season on the disabled list due to a dislocated finger and started the 1990 season with a fractured thumb, which cost him a month. He suffered from another fractured finger in June, costing him six weeks. He was already planning to have shoulder surgery at the end of the season but during the final week of the season, a collision with his teammate Jim Gantner meant that he had to have surgery on the shoulder as well as his forearm.

When he returned in 1991, he was only able to DH but he did not return to the disabled list until 1997, the penultimate year of his career.

KANSAS CITY, MO – OCTOBER 18: George Brett of the Kansas City Royals throws the ball to first base during World Series game four between the Kansas City Royals and Philadelphia Phillies on October 18, 1980 at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals defeated the Phillies 5-3. (Photo by Rich Pilling/Getty Images) /

Brett’s injury history

George Brett had established himself a bit more when the injury bug started biting him. He and Bud Black were teammates on the Royals from 1982 through 1988 and many of the injuries were during that time.

Brett made his MLB debut in 1973 but became an everyday player in 1974. In 1979, he started the season on the disabled list after fracturing his thumb in a charity basketball game. In 1980, he suffered from a few different nagging injuries but still nearly hit .400 (he won the MVP as he led the AL in average, OBP, and slugging percentage with a .390/.454/.664 slash line). To date, that is the closest that a player has come to hitting .400 since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941.

The Royals made it to the World Series for the first time in their short franchise history but Brett had to be removed from Game 2 to have surgery … because he had severe hemorrhoids. He was able to return just hours after the surgery, though, to play in Game 3 but it was still the biggest story of the World Series. If not for the Pine Tar incident in 1983, George Brett himself said that he thinks he would have been remembered for having hemorrhoids if not for the Pine Tar Incident.

During that 1983 season, he missed some time due to a few different injuries. One of them was breaking his toe after rushing from his laundry room to the living room to try to see an at-bat by Bill Buckner on TV.

In 1984, he spent 43 days on the disabled list and throughout, he missed around 300 games due to injuries.

However, both he and Molitor were Hall of Fame players even with their injury history. Another Hall of Famer that had his fair share of injuries was Larry Walker but that comparison may come soon.

Next. Podcast: Catching up with former Rox outfielder Mike Kingery. dark

Obviously, Dahl, the Rockies, and Rockies fans would love if he could be a Hall of Fame-like player playing every day but if Black’s comparison to Molitor and Brett is true (and you can see the similarities in injuries and talent both), the Rockies will still have a great player patrolling the outfield for years to come.

All injuries for Molitor and Brett came from their profiles on SABR.

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On Friday, Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black compared David Dahl to Hall of Famers Paul Molitor and George Brett in an interview with Rockies broadcaster Jack Corrigan.

Molitor’s extensive injury history

Brett’s injury history

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