Brady Aiken, the first selection in last year's MLB Draft, announced he had Tommy John surgery Wednesday. Aiken wrote about the experience in a column for The Players' Tribune.
Road to recovery starts now! @PlayersTribune http://t.co/cXcOUBVem4 pic.twitter.com/dCLkvDvkAq
— Brady Aiken (@bradyaiken10) March 26, 2015MORE: Top 50 fantasy prospects | Manfred favors international draft
The 18-year-old left-hander, who turned down a multimillion-dollar contract offer from with Astros and chose to pitch for a postgraduate team at IMG Academy, tore his UCL in his first game for the academy last week.
"When I visited the doctor’s office and got the news I had torn my UCL, I can’t even begin to express how I felt. I was — and still am — overwhelmed with a lot of different feelings, but mostly it’s disappointment. I won’t be able to pitch this season, and this is going to keep me from doing what I love most of all — competing. It’s going to be frustrating, and not just from a baseball perspective. When it’s 90 degrees at home in Cardiff and the waves are perfect and I can’t surf, that’ll be tough, too. I know the road ahead will be full of patience and hard work, and I’m ready for that challenge."
Aiken said his surgery was successful and he is gearing up for a long recovery.
"I want to thank the people at IMG Academy and all of the friends who have supported me throughout the last nine months — I will rely on that support to motivate me in my recovery. Most importantly, I want to thank my parents and my sister who have helped me to come as far as I have. There’s more to my story, and I’m looking forward to writing another chapter."
Aiken was considered one of the top prospects for the 2015 draft and likely the No. 1 pick for a second consecutive year. The Diamondbacks hold the top pick, while the Astros are No. 2 with the compensatory pick they received when Aiken decided not to sign. Aiken cannot be drafted by the Astros again unless he consents to it.
Concerns about Aiken's elbow arose last year when Aiken and the Astros were negotiating a signing bonus. A team medical examination after the draft (pre-draft exams are not allowed) revealed an issue (reportedly a smaller-than-normal UCL) that concerned the team. The two sides originally agreed to a $6.5 million bonus, which was less than the $7.9 million recommended by Major League Baseball but still a number that tied for the highest bonus ever given to a high school pitcher.
The Astros significantly lowered their offer after receiving the exam's results. Houston's final reported offer was $5 million. The organization was planning to use the extra money to sign right-hander Jacob Nix, a fifth-round pick, and left-hander Mac Marshall, the team's 21st-round pick. General manager Jeff Luhnow defended the organization's stance at the time, saying it "did nothing unethical."
Sporting News Media's Ryan Fagan contributed to this report.