Drabek Shut Down

The Philadelphia Phillies have decided to shut down young phenom Kyle Drabek for the rest of the season. The pitcher hit the 158 innings pitcher mark in his last start for the Double-A Reading and because of that the team thought it was best to shut the 21-year old down. The Phillies are being so protective of this kid that he won’t be allowed to pitch in the Florida Instructional League or Arizona Fall Leagues either. I don’t like the kid gloves that teams use now, but in this situation it might not be a bad decision.

“He’s perfectly healthy,” said Chuck LaMar, the Phils assistant general manager “He’s had an outstanding season at the two highest levels of minor-league ball that he’s ever pitched. He’s gotten to the point where he’s 100 innings more than he’s ever pitched, and we need to be careful with him because of his unique situation.”

Most know his story. Phillies top pick in the 2006 draft. Tommy John surgery during the 2007 season. Didn’t return to the mound till late 2008. So as you can tell there hasn’t been much actual pitching before this year.

His numbers this year between Single and Double-A were absolutely outstanding. He went 12-3 with a 3.19 era over those 158 innings, striking out 150 and walking 50. Those numbers made him untouchable in trade discussions, but more importantly numbers like that have the Phillies thinking of bringing him to the majors next season.

The rest should do him good as he’s going to be really put to the test next February.

Like what you read? Then follow us on TWITTER for more updates

Tags: Kyle Drabek, MLB, Philadelphia Phillies