Well, the first round draft pick of the Orioles in 2009, Matt Hobgood, will miss the 2012 season due to injury. It’s not good news for the young hurler, and is another setback in a professional career that has seemingly not gotten off the ground.
From the Baltimore Sun: Former Orioles top pick Matt Hobgood, who has battled ineffectiveness and injury in his brief pro career, will have right rotator-cuff surgery April 2 and is expected to miss all of the 2012 season.
The 21-year-old Hobgood, whom the Orioles selected in the first round (fifth overall) in 2009, was shut down earlier this month with shoulder discomfort, something that previously has hampered him in his career.
He was examined by Dr. Craig Morgan earlier this week and surgery to repair the shoulder was recommended, according to John Stockstill, the Orioles’ director of player development.
Morgan, a shoulder specialist, will perform the surgery in Wilmington, Del. He will be “sizing down” Hobgood’s rotator cuff so that it fits better with the shoulder capsule. It often takes pitchers 12 to 18 months to fully come back shoulder surgery.
Well, for every Tim Lincecum or Josh Beckett that comes out of the first round of the MLB Draft, there are countless Matt Bushes or Bryan Bullingtons, who never make it for one issue or another. Considering how much these players make, fans and the team hope it is worth the investment.
There have been many concerns with Hobgood – work ethic, conditioning, body composition and injuries – that have made his deal with Orioles a big time-wash right now. A lot of the lack of success that Hobgood has had is on him; however, perhaps, it may be an issue right now of things not working out.
He’s still young and has the time, plus ability to turn it around. But when?
Picking a guy in the MLB Draft is a crap shoot. Some make it, many don’t.
