Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Matt Imhof lost his right eye in a training accident last Saturday.
Imhof explained the situation in an Instagram post:
CSNPhilly.com noted the accident occurred during a "postgame stretching routine."
The 22-year-old Imhof was in his second full season of professional baseball after being a second-round pick in 2014. He was pitching in High-A Clearwater before his injury, posting a 3.91 ERA with 48 strikeouts and 43 walks in 53 innings.
Even though Imhof's stock had dropped off in the last year because of his command struggles, he was regarded as a potential back-end starter who could move quickly as recently as 2015.
Here is what MLB.com said about Imhof in 2015, when he ranked as the Phillies' 19th-best prospect:
Imhof has a solid three-pitch mix and a good feel for pitching. He throws his fastball in the upper 80s to low 90s. The pitch plays up, thanks to its natural cutting action and the downhill angle he throws from. His breaking ball can be an out pitch, and he also mixes in a changeup.
Though Imhof doesn't have premium stuff, he was one of the top strikeout pitchers in the country as a junior at Cal Poly. If he can rediscover that success in the Minor Leagues, he could start advancing quickly.
This doesn't necessarily spell the end of his pitching career. Los Angeles Dodgers phenom Julio Urias has vision problems in his left eye, yet he is doing OK for himself.
Hopefully things work out for Imhof in the future, whatever he decides to do.
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