There is the baseball season you imagine, and the one we actually get.
We imagined Derek Jeter returning to defy age again, to be, you know, Derek Jeter. In recent days, we began imagining if a Mets lineup could have both John Buck and Travis d’Arnaud.
But the season — reality — had other plans. Now we ask what seemed unimaginable even 72 hours ago: Who will play first in 2013, Jeter or Alex Rodriguez?
Now we wonder if d’Arnaud is injury prone and will get any significant major league run in 2013.
The season — the reality — got cruel for both New York teams yesterday, and for the lower left legs of Jeter and d’Arnaud. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman announced a crack was found in Jeter’s ankle, near his previous fracture. The Mets said d’Arnaud fractured his foot.
Jeter is out until after the All-Star break and d’Arnaud is expected to miss a month to two. But recurring leg injuries for 39-in-June shortstops and catchers of any age are not particularly obedient to timetables.
After all, Jeter pledged to be back Opening Day, then recalibrated for May 1 and as recently as two days ago Joe Girardi was describing the shortstop’s reduced rehab workload as not a setback. The Mets said the same early in spring about Johan Santana stopping his throwing program. No setback.
But there is no doubt both New York teams suffered traumatic setbacks yesterday.
Perhaps we were delusional the whole time with Jeter. His pain tolerance and inner drive are such that we assumed he could defy age and wear and injury because he has throughout his career. But that fracture suffered in ALCS Game 1 was devastating. Jeter does not have a desk job. A shortstop needs to start and stop quickly over and over, day after day, month after month.
History shows not many shortstops at his age — healthy — have played even competently. At 38, he disregarded that history, led the majors in hits in 2012. Now?
No one should bet against him. Mariano Rivera has come back from a devastating injury and looks like Mariano Rivera, and Jeter is cut from similar self-confident, hard-working, defiant granite. But losing at least a half season now means we can suspend — if not outright dismiss — talk of Jeter chasing 4,000 hits and Pete Rose. We also are going to learn if Eduardo Nunez is a major league shortstop.
And there is a growing possibility Jeter will never again be an everyday even above-average shortstop. The position demands a quick-twitch skill that recurrent injuries to that left ankle may not afford.
As for d’Arnaud, the Mets sent him to the minors saying he needed game action, having been robbed of that due to back and knee injuries the past few years. Now, a foul ball has broken a foot. Back and leg injuries are as problematic for a catcher of any age as, say, an ankle injury is for a shortstop.
The Mets had been giddy that the supplemental piece to their big trade, Buck, was outperforming R.A. Dickey. But no one was kidding themselves. The Mets front office will be judged by if d’Arnaud honors the projections as a high-end offensive catcher.
Of course that is still possible. But D’Arnaud is no baby. He is 24 — six months older than Jason Heyward. The Mets’ best-laid plans had D’Arnaud and Zack Wheeler arriving in 2013 to begin being part of a serial contending cornerstone for next season.
So much for timetables. So much for the seasons you imagine. There is no script. Reality happens and yesterday that meant a couple of left feet broke down and took a piece of the New York baseball season with them.