With concussion issues behind him, Dan Uggla could return to form in 2015

Jun 7, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Atlanta Braves second baseman Dan Uggla against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

When the Washington Nationals signed veteran infielder Dan Uggla to a minor-league deal last month, several Nationals fans and writers criticized the deal. And given how he’s played in recent years, that criticism was more than warranted.

After all, the infielder’s production has dropped steadily since his All-Star campaign in 2012 and hit rock bottom last season, when he posted a .149/.229/.213 line with 46 strikeouts in just 52 big league games with Atlanta and San Francisco.

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As I wrote last week, however, the deal shouldn’t worry anyone, since it’s just a minor league contract. But given recent developments about health issues that Uggla had in 2013 – the year his decline began – the deal is starting to sound better for the Nationals.

According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, Uggla was hit in the head by pitches twice, once in June of 2012 and again in Spring Training of 2013. At the time, nobody thought anything of those incidents and nobody believed they had anything to do with his sudden decline. Now, nearly two years after he got hit the second time, it looks like those incidents may have been directly responsible.

Here’s what Cafardo wrote about the situation:

"[Las Vegas orthopedist Robert] Donatelli and his staff put Uggla through a series of tests and determined he had suffered oculomotor dysfunction. Uggla, who had gone so far as to get Lasik treatment because he wasn’t seeing the rotation of the ball, had 20/15 vision. But the testing found that when Uggla moved his head or body, his vision was 20/100. This explained being unable to see the rotation of the ball. It also affected him in the field, Uggla saying it got to the point where he didn’t want the ball hit to him at second base.Uggla was given two weeks of exercises to improve the condition. And in November, Donatelli declared him healthy, his motion vision back to normal."

If the oculomotor dysfunction was really the reason behind Uggla’s decline, and if he is in fact cured, then the once-criticized deal the Nationals signed him to two weeks ago may end up being one of the best moves the Nationals have ever made. Why? Because before Uggla became one of the worst hitters in the game, he was one of the best.

Uggla, 34, is a three-time All-Star with 244 career home runs, and was once considered to be the best-hitting second baseman in the league. The infielder’s best season came with the Marlins in 2010, when he hit .287 with 33 home runs and 105 RBIs.

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If a healthy Uggla can return to his 2010 form next season, or if he can at least come close to it, then the Nationals may have gotten the bargain of all bargains. The Nationals have been looking for a second baseman all offseason, and if Uggla’s recent struggles are in fact behind him, then the they found their man – and they found him for cheap.

Of course, it’s possible that the injury had nothing to do with his struggles and that he simply can’t hit the ball anymore. We won’t know for sure until we see him play this spring. One thing’s for certain, the fact that Uggla is healthy is great news, not only for him, but also for the Nationals.

Next: Nationals closer Drew Storen has a lot to prove in 2015

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