Matt Skole

Tommy John surgery is, for obvious reasons, mostly associated with pitchers, but Skole is providing an example of how it can derail a promising hitting career as well. The first baseman's 2013 season was scuttled due to an elbow injury, and while he managed to play a full schedule last year, Skole didn't look at all like the same hitter he was before he went under the knife. Prior to getting hurt, the left-handed slugger showed flashes of becoming a classic walks, wallops and whiffs first baseman, and Nationals manager Matt Williams even compared him to Jim Thome, but with Ryan Zimmerman now moving across the diamond to preserve his shoulder the club doesn't seem to have room for him any more. Skole was left unprotected heading into the Rule 5 draft but wasn't taken, which means he'll continue to try to recoup value in the Nats' system for now.