You may remember right-hander Karsten Whitson, who was drafted ninth overall by the Padres in 2010 before turning down $2.1 million to attend the University of Florida. It turns out that his gamble might not pay off.
BREAKING: The Whitson family informed me #Florida RHP Karsten Whitson to miss the '13 season following shoulder procedure. #Gators #mlbdraft
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) February 14, 2013
Per Aaron Fitt of Baseball America, Florida baseball head athletic trainer Pat Hassell announced yesterday that Whitson would miss the start of the season due to continued shoulder fatigue. The exact nature of today’s procedure isn’t yet known, but Whitson’s father, Kent Whitson, told Rogers that his son’s rehab process will take about four months.
While Whitson enjoyed a strong freshman season, forearm tendinitis limited him to just 33 innings last year and he was forced to leave the Cape Cod League after three innings due to shoulder stiffness. Still, the potential was there for him to be a first-round pick this year. He’ll likely draw interest from MLB teams even after today’s procedure, but Whitson’s father says his son is “fully prepared” to return to Florida as a redshirt junior if things don’t work out.
The Padres took second baseman Cory Spangenberg in 2011 as a compensation pick for failing to sign Whitson. The speedy 21-year-old batted .271/.324/.352 in 98 games last season with High-A Lake Elsinore and was ranked as the organization’s No. 7 prospect by Baseball America last month.
UPDATE: Good news. According to Aaron Fitt of Baseball America, Whitson didn’t have any damage to his labrum or rotator cuff and Dr. James Andrews was able to locate and repair an impingement that was causing discomfort.