Key Prospect Injuries

I’m going to tread softly on Jeff’s territory today by looking at some of the bigger named prospects that we known are going to miss some significant time in 2010. Most of these players can (or would have been) found amongst their organizations’ Top 15 prospects. Tuck these names away and don’t forget about them once they get healthy, especially if you’re playing in a keeper league.

Jared Mitchell | OF | White Sox: Ankle surgery will sideline the White Sox’ top amateur draft pick from 2009 for the entire season after be injured himself in a spring training game. Mitchell appeared in 34 low-A games in his pro debut and posted a .396 wOBA with a strikeout rate of 34.8%. His raw for a college pick so the missed time could hurt. The injury moves fellow ’09 draft pick Trayce Thompson up the depth chart in the White Sox system.

Chris Pettit | OF | Angels: I feel bad for Pettit. He had a good shot at breaking camp with the Angels and, at 25 years of age, he’s no spring chicken. Now the former college senior signee out of Loyola Marymount will miss the entire 2010 season thanks to shoulder surgery. In 365 minor league games, Pettit has a .313 batting average and projects to be a solid platoon or No. 4 outfielder. Fellow prospects Terry Evans (immediately) and Peter Bourjos (later this season) stand to benefit.

Ryan Westmoreland | OF | Red Sox: Perhaps the most unfortunate injury of them all, Westmoreland recently underwent brain surgery for a life-threatening condition. There has been little said what impact this will have on his promising baseball career, but the good news is that he’s making progress. Reymond Fuentes, the club’s ’09 No. 1 draft pick, would have played with Westmoreland in low-A ball this season.

Mat Gamel | 3B | Brewers: A shoulder injury will sideline Gamel at least through the month of April, which will give Casey McGehee a head start on securing the third base job in Milwaukee. On the plus side, McGehee is overrated. On the downside, Gamel might be, too. A poor defensive third baseman, the prospect is likely headed for a position switch but he did not impress during his first taste of MLB action in ’09 by posting a .332 wOBA. Taylor Green is another player that could benefit from the injury.

A.J. Pollock | OF | Diamondbacks: Pollock is another ’09 first round draft pick that has suffered a serious injury. The outfielder will miss up to three months with a fracture in his elbow. Pollock had a modest pro debut in ’09 at low-A ball. He posted a .324 wOBA in 277 at-bats. Fellow ’09 draft picks Marc Krauss and Keon Broxton will have some time to scramble past Pollock on the depth chart.

Junichi Tazawa | RHP | Red Sox: The most recent big-named prospect to have his season ruined by injury, Tazawa will undergo Tommy John surgery in the very near future and miss the entire 2010 season, and perhaps part of ’11. It’s too bad, as the Japanese import made it to the Majors in his first pro season and would have battled Michael Bowden as the first starter recalled in the event of an injury to the big league rotation.

Jordan Brown | 1B | Indians: Last year, I listed Brown as one of the top underrated prospects in the game and stated that he deserved a shot to play in the Majors. Repeating triple-A, he then went out and hit .336/.381/.532 with a wOBA of .397 in 455 at-bats. The knock on Brown has been his lack of prototypical power for a first baseman, but he could easily have a career similar to Sean Casey (another former Indian). Brown will likely miss the first two months of the season after undergoing knee surgery. Matt LaPorta will man first base in Cleveland while Beau Mills will have some time to try and rebuild his prospect status in the upper minors.

Dellin Betances | RHP | Yankees: The Yankees right-hander actually had Tommy John surgery back in August but he’s expected to miss most, if not all, of 2010. That actually might be a good thing, as he’ll be Rule 5 eligible after the season, so the organization may want to keep him in rehab for the entire season so other organizations cannot get a good read on his health.

Desmond Jennings | OF | Rays: One of the best offensive prospects in baseball, Jennings is currently dealing with a wrist injury. His injury status is not considered serious at this point, but wrist injuries have a tendency to linger, which could affect him for longer than some might think. The injury could buy Matt Joyce (who is also dealing with an injury) some more time to establish himself in the Rays outfield.

If there are any key prospects not mentioned that project to miss more than two months time in 2010, feel free to mention it in the comments section.