As baseball fans, we always praise and speak highly of the guy who always dives into the stands to catch a ball or slams into the wall while chasing down a fly ball. And let’s face it, that’s one of the most exciting things to watch during a baseball game.

Who didn’t enjoy watching Derek Jeter dive into the stands, coming out with a bloody face, or Aaron Rowand crashing into the center field wall at Citizen Bank Ballpark, even though he broke his nose. I’m not talking about taking pleasure in their injuries. I’m talking about the excitement a baseball fan feels when the player goes all-in while making a play in disregard of his own safety.

In the same way, we sometimes criticize players that don’t risk enough or “play it safe” when making the same play. Or we will label a player as a non-team player or an individual, but is that really true?

If we stop and put things in perspective, who is actually contributing to the team’s success more? The guy who slams into the wall or into the stands without thinking about his health or the guy who plays it smart and stays healthier for the entire season?

This might be hard to explain and to believe, but the guy who plays it smart helps his team in the long run (unless we’re talking about the last out in the seventh game of the World Series). It is worthless to have the best players in the game if they can’t stay healthy. When your everyday players get hurt you have to replace them with below-average players. And the longer they stay hurt, the worse off your team will probably be.

Let’s assume for one moment that a player like Prince Fielder, who is incredibly productive, offensively, dives into the stands to catch a ball and breaks his hand. He might have given his team a win with that catch, if he makes it obviously, but how many wins will he costs the team when he has to spend more than a month on the DL?

So, is it worth risking your health over one play in one game, instead of staying healthy in the long run? The answer is no. Unless, and I repeat, we’re talking about the last out of the seventh game of the World Series. Players should try to make smart choices when playing the game. This will make them healthier and they will be able to help their teams throughout an entire season.

Now, is it easy to do? Absolutely no. Playing it smart in that kind of scenario is really hard to do for most players. You always want to win, and you probably won’t mind if you get a little banged up in the process.

So the next time you see a guy diving into the stands or crashing into a wall congratulate him, and enjoy the moment, but don’t speak poorly of those who play it carefully, because they will end up helping the team more in the long run. Remember it’s a 162 games season, not a sudden death game.

Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.