Curtis Granderson was an integral aspect of the New York Mets' World Series run and he managed to produce even with an injured thumb. However, one of the team's top prospects, Marcos Molina, was unable to play through an injury late in the season.
Granderson underwent thumb surgery to repair a torn thumb ligament, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. He should be fully recovered by the time spring training rolls around.
The news was not as good for Molina. The organization's No. 6 overall prospect underwent Tommy John surgery in late October and will miss the entire 2016 season, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America.
Granderson's injury came in Game 3 of the NLCS after making a headfirst slide. Nonetheless, he still batted .250/.360/.700 with six runs scored, three home runs and five RBI in the World Series.
The 34-year-old is under contract for two more seasons and will earn $31 million over that span. He lived up to his contract in 2015 after hitting .259/.364/.457 with 98 runs scored, 26 home runs and 70 RBI as the Mets' leadoff man.
As for Molina, the 20-year-old Dominican pitched in only nine games (eight starts) this season and struggled at High Class A St. Lucie. He went 1-5 with a 4.57 ERA and 1.45 WHIP and ended his season giving up five runs in four innings during his final start.
Molina dealt with elbow trouble earlier in the season and was sidelined for three months after making his first six starts. His last appearance came in August, which was when further elbow concerns arose.
Nonetheless, he's had a successful minor-league career, going 17-13 with a 3.30 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 213 strikeouts in 46 games (39 starts) totaling 229 innings. Unfortunately he'll spend all of 2016 recovering from the surgery, but his future still remains bright.
Luckily for the Mets, their arsenal of young pitching allows them to cope with Molina's bad news. Zack Wheeler will be returning from Tommy John surgery in June and youngster Rafael Montero should be healthy for 2016 after battling shoulder issues this past season.
