SPECULATOR: Searching for hidden injuries among slow starters

As we saw with Roy Halladay earlier this week, ballplayers often overestimate their ability to play through an injury. The particular space occupied by Halladay; where he was apparently healthy enough to pitch poorly, is particularly galling to fantasy owners. As Halladay lurched from bad outing to bad outing through March, April, and May, it became obvious to most observers that he was not healthy, long before he actually admitted as much.

The problem is, Halladay is not the only offender. Plenty of other players around MLB are doing the same thing right now, and just haven't gotten to the point of giving up and admitting to their injury. Some of those players are currently baffling us with slow starts like Halladay's. Who else might...

Almost!

You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

More From Speculator

With most pitchers 3-4 starts in, we dive into the sub-indicators to see who's rising and falling.
Apr 15 2026 3:06am
Using our Quality of Batted Ball (QBaB) metric to make some speculative hitter snap judgments.
Apr 8 2026 3:06am
Baseball is back, and it's time to overreact... because what else are we supposed to do?
Apr 1 2026 3:08am
Our Opening Day Eve tradition speculating on the top category producers who went late in drafts.
Mar 25 2026 3:07am
If history is any guide, this year's end-of-season Top 15 will come from all stages of the draft.
Mar 18 2026 3:08am

Tools