Segedin Gave Dodgers Something To Think About
GLENDALE, Ariz.—If Rob Segedin could take a hint, he probably wouldn’t be playing professional baseball anymore.
The third baseman acquired by the Dodgers this winter has endured a series of physical challenges, beginning during his college career at Tulane, that might make a career as a pro athlete seem like a mismatch.
Segedin didn’t realize this until his sophomore season at Tulane. That’s when a lower back injury led to a CAT scan, which revealed he had been born with Pars Defect.
“It’s a birth defect,” said Segedin, 27. “From what I understand . . . your spine isn’t completely fused together, bone on bone. So my (spinal segments) never completely fused together. So your body creates these micro-fibers that kind of glue it together. When I originally hurt my back, I kind of tore those.”
It took doctors some time to give Segedin the right treatment plan. He returned to play as a junior but then found he had another issue to deal with—this time in his hips.
“It’s not a birth defect, but it’s something that develops during your teenage years,” Segedin said. “You get this added bone on your hip.
“I was in a full body brace (after surgery). At the time I was coming back, I was thinking, ‘Just try to enjoy college baseball. It’ll be the last time you’ll be able to play baseball.’ I was fortunate enough to come back from that and play well enough to get drafted. Ever since then it’s been good.”
A Yankees third-round pick in 2010, Segedin slowly rose through the system. Last year, he hit .287/.360/.426 with seven home runs in 71 games at Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
This winter, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, a fellow Tulane grad, acquired Segedin from the Yankees in a minor league trade and extended a spring invite. He took advantage, hitting two home runs in his first spring game. He was among the last cuts, just missing out on making the Opening Day roster.
L.A. CONFIDENTIAL
• Righthander Josh Ravin suffered a fractured radius in his left arm in a car accident early in spring training and will miss at least eight weeks. He had surgery during which screws and plates were inserted.
• The Dodgers had two minor leaguers on rosters for World Baseball Classic qualifiers: righthander Sven Schuller (Germany) and lefthander Leonardo Crawford (Nicaragua).
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