Walking wounded

Someday, Hunter Pence may well be listed as one of the best players in the game. He may even appear on an MVP list or two. But at no time in our lives will we see him listed among the Top 100 Coolest Baseball Players Alive.

When the Astros ' irrepressible 24-year-old outfielder, on a trip from the hot tub to the bathroom at his spring training home on Monday night, crashed through a sliding glass door and ripped up his hands and sliced his knee, he kind of forfeited the "cool" thing for life. Not that he had any real shot at it, anyway.

Pence 's injuries, in the annals of bizarre baseball mishaps, probably won't register in any Top 100 list, either. It's nothing like falling off a treadmill ( Moises Alou ), or stabbing yourself trying to open a DVD ( Adam Eaton ), or burning yourself while ironing a shirt ( John Smoltz ), or breaking your hand horsing around with the kids ( Ken Griffey Jr. , just last winter). Pence will miss the first week or so of the Astros ' workouts.

That is, unfortunately, not the case with a lot of other ballplayers who are limping their way into full squad workouts this week. Curt Schilling doesn't know when -- or, indeed, if -- he'll pitch again. Albert Pujols is sore -- for something like the eighth straight year. Nobody's sure exactly when Toronto closer B.J. Ryan will be ready again, though hopes are high.

Here are 10 players whose hurts this spring could all hurt their teams' chances this summer. Alas, Pence -- who has to have a good year for Houston to have any chance at all in the National League Central -- didn't make this list, either:

We all know the story behind his shoulder. It's messed up, and the pitcher and the team, after a little tug-of-war, have decided not to do what probably would have been season-ending, and perhaps career-ending surgery. The hope is that Schilling can come back in the second half of '08.

Prognosis: For Schilling , not so good. He says he expects to know a lot more in four to six weeks. For the Red Sox , it's not good, either, but at least they have a couple of youngsters ( Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester ) that can help share the starting load.

Remember how good he was back in '06, when he struck out 144 in 121 innings, had a 2.16 ERA and went 12-3 -- as a 22-year-old rookie? The lefty had Tommy John surgery in November of 2006 and missed all of last season, but he says he's throwing everything now.

Prognosis: Pretty good. As Will Carroll over at Baseball Prospectus tells us -- Carroll knows injuries like Billy Beane knows how to squeeze the most out of a buck -- Tommy John surgery is practically routine these days. The Twins need Liriano throwing like he used to just to keep from being completely overwhelmed in the American League Central .

This guy is a walking bruise. Every year he seems to have something ailing him. Hamstrings. Feet. Now it's a sore elbow.