Former first rounder Brett DeVall will have to fight through another injury.
Atlanta Braves left handed pitching prospect Brett DeVall will be shut down for the remainder of the season and will head to Birmingham, AL to have his pitching elbow examined by Dr. James Andrews, the preeminent sports surgeon in the country. The 20 year old DeVall was the Braves' first selection in the 2008 draft (40th overall) and had been playing for the Rome Braves, where he had a 7-9 record, 4.39 ERA, and 1.52 WHIP in 106.2 innings.
After just 10 starts with Rome last season, where he went 4-4 with a 3.52 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 53.2 innings, DeVall was shut down with soreness in the same elbow. It was feared the he would require Tommy John surgery, but he ended up having minor arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips in the elbow. The recovery process caused a delay that prevented him from joining Rome until early May this season, but he had pitched well despite not being at full strength.
It's unclear yet if DeVall's latest injury will require Tommy John surgery or if it can be repaired again with minor surgery. Either way this is a another unfortunate blow to a promising career that has been filled with setbacks. Since being drafted, Devall has appeared in just 33 games, pitching a total of 170 innings, with a 11-13 record, 3.92 ERA, and 1.37 WHIP.
0 recs | 16 comments
Damn, just damn...
he seemed to be coming along well and returning to good health after that complete game three starts ago. In the two starts since, he got hit pretty hard so perhaps something went wrong in the complete game?
I was looking forward to seeing what he could do next year, but now it seems like we probably won’t see him pitch again until 2012. Damn, just damn. Good luck Brett, we’ll be rooting for you to come back strong one more again.
Mr. Sanchez - August 17, 2010
It’s such a shame. He’s such a great kid and he works so hard and the injuries just keep coming. That’s one universal thing, you never want to see injuries. At the end of the day, if things don’t work out because of performance, most folks can deal with that. But if a career fails because of injuries, well that’s hard for anyone to deal with. Now I’m not just talking about Brett, because his career is by no means over, but more in the general terms of what players are mentally able to accept about their careers.
cbwilk - August 17, 2010
Damn. That kid is from my hometown. I saw him a pitch a few years ago and he was just filthy. Get well soon Brett.
McCann and McWill - August 17, 2010
In good news, however, J.J. Hoover was promoted from Myrtle Beach to Mississippi after earning his 11th win with eight strikeouts in six shutout innings last night. Good for J.J. So unfortunate for DeVall. We were looking forward to having him here in Myrtle Beach sooner than later.
fattums182 - August 17, 2010
Dumb Question
Do all minor leaguers get free health insurance? Who’s paying for these surgeries?
joshmaurer - August 17, 2010
The Braves are paying for them. Any injuries that happen through the course of their job are covered by the team.
cbwilk - August 17, 2010
Andrews probably owns a small island somewhere. How much you think these cost? $10K? If he did two a day he’d rake in $5MM / year!
joshmaurer - August 17, 2010
I think they cost a lot more than that. He does knee, shoulder, and elbow surgeries mostly, and does over 400 a year. I don’t know for sure, but I think 5 million is an incredibly low estimate.
cbwilk - August 17, 2010
Does he do that many personally?...
Or is his just the name on the practice with several other doctors working under him? I’m pretty sure it’s the latter.
Mr. Sanchez - August 17, 2010
Over 1 per day would be rather time consuming.
BenDuronio - August 17, 2010
I know most surgeons tend to schedule about 3 a day, usually 2 or 3 days a week. If you did 3 a day for 3 days a week that’s 468. So it’s not hard to see him doing 400 a year, which is the number I’ve seen a bunch of times.
cbwilk - August 18, 2010
James Andrews
The name that you never want to hear, as a fan. Hopefully they’ll conclude that he just needs to shut down for the year and rest the arm-that’s probably the best case scenario here.
Bronn - August 17, 2010
Aww, that really stinks
MBL1 - August 17, 2010 via mobile
He has good stuff but is always getting hurt. I hope he gets healthy soon
Braves24 - August 17, 2010
As odd as this may sound
having TJ at this point in his career may have been the best thing for DeVall. Guys come out of TJ with a stronger elbow and should keep him from having the recurring elbow problems he has been having. When he comes back he will be 21-22 years old and far far from done considering he came out of high school anyways and is the proper age for the level he will reappear in.
bbxxj - August 17, 2010
Brett DeVall
Brett went to see Dr. Andrews today and received the best news he could have gotten. No torn ligaments and will not need TJ at this time. Only an inflamation and he will rehab over the next 6 weeks with another evaluation at that time.
PANHANDLEDAD - August 19, 2010
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