MLB Draft News: Another Young Arm Tears UCL

A mere week ago, the 2014 top draft pick Brady Aiken went down for the year with Tommy John surgery when he tore his UCL after throwing just 13 pitches. Baseball America reported that on Wednesday, Michael Matuella, whom many expected to be the first pitcher off the board in this years MLB Draft, suffered the same fate as Aiken.

Matuella is the Duke Blue Devils ace. Standing at 6 foot 6 and 220 pounds, Matuella saw his junior season come to an end after just 25 innings with a completely torn UCL.

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The young right hander is no stranger to injury woes. Last season, after dealing with what was labeled lat discomfort, Matuella dealt with pain in his lower back. It was identified as spondylosis which is general wear and tear of the lower vertebra. He shut himself down in hopes that rest would aid his back and did not pitch until this spring.

There was a noticeable difference in Matuella’s pitching. The big righty would hit 98 miles per hour consistently during his sophomore year, but Baseball America said he his fastball was hitting in the lower 90s this spring. His slider, which Baseball America said was clocked at about 85 miles per hour during his sophomore campaign, was coming in at 79 to 81 mph. Back pain or not, something was wrong.

Most likely due to the pain in his back, Matuella altered his delivery. Whether that is what ultimately caused the tear, or he was just the next in line of young pitchers who seem to fall victim to Tommy John surgery, Matuella is done for 2015 and his draft stock is in question.

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He was the No. 2 draft prospect on the board and the top pitcher. Some scouts were already weary due to the back condition, so the UCL tear will surely drive them away. However, Jeff Hoffman, drafted No. 9 by the Blue Jays and Erick Fedde who went to the Nationals at No. 18, both dealt with with UCL issues and both were still drafted in the top 20. Could Matuella and Aiken be heading down the same road?

Matuella will likely get his shot at the big leagues. Baseball America is not high on the pitching crop heading into this draft, so Matuella still has a shot to be drafted early, quite possibly the first round.

“Over the last three years Michael Matuella showed premium talent we have rarely seen in college baseball,” Duke head coach Chris Pollard told Teddy Cahill of MLB.com. “He has also demonstrated tremendous character, leadership and work ethic. While we are all disappointed with the timing of his injury, I have total confidence he will make a full recovery and have a long and successful pitching career.”