The 2019 Brewer Farmhand Injury Updates - Several Will Miss 2020 Season

[Mass Haas]

Our yearly update post.

 

Gee, it wasn't that many years ago that the Brewers were lauded for avoiding Tommy John surgeries. Nine are listed below.

 

Hat tip to the folks at the @BrewersMPR twitter account, who noted many of these injury updates before I could detail them here a bit further. The specific tweets were here and here on February 19th.

 

Updates from the Brewers' Media Guide -- links point to Baseball Reference pages

 

All posted in alphabetical order.

 

***

 

23-year-old RHP Daniel Acosta last appeared for Maryvale on July 3rd. He had Tommy John surgery on November 7th, and will miss the 2020 season. Notice the unique peripherals in his seven stateside appearances last summer, which had been preceded by three years in the DSL.

 

***

 

22-year-old LHP Jose Alberro, who last appeared for Rocky Mountain on July 14h, underwent Tommy John surgery on September 26th, he'll miss the 2020 season.

 

Here are four tweets from me on Alberro, going back to his effort in a DSL no-hitter.

 

***

 

We never did learn why 20-year-old RHP Wade Beasley, the Crew's 24th round pick in 2018 out of a Texas high school, was placed on the 60-day DL last April. Now we know he had right rotator cuff surgery last April 18th.

 

***

 

We did know about 23-year-old RHP Tate Budnick's Tommy John surgery in May of 2019. How? His own photo tweet.

 

This past January, we linked on this forum to audio podcasts featuring Tate.

 

***

 

Yet to make his professional debut, now-18-year-old RHP Breiner Carvajal underwent right labrum surgery on May 30th. We did get photos of the young man back upon his signing in November 2018 out of Venezuela.

 

***

 

Now 19 years old, we had posted previously:

 

18-year-old Venezuelan 2nd-year-pro (first-year stateside) RHP Leoner Colina has been placed on the Maryvale Blue 60-day DL. He last pitched on July 1st and only pitched in two outings this summer. He really limited the earned runs and was trusted with a starting rotation spot (13 starts) in his rookie DSL campaign in 2018 as a 17-year-old.

 

Sigh, we learn that Colina had Tommy John surgery performed on July 25th. Another who will miss the 2020 campaign, one would think.

 

***

 

In another post from last July 27th --

 

Hitting the 60-day DL is recently-turned 18-year-old corner OF and 2nd year pro Jhonny David. Last week his team assignment was moved from the DSL to Maryvale, but apparently that was due to rehab of some sort. David posted a nice but small sample (12 game, 35 AB sample) .797 OPS as a 16/17-year-old in his rookie season (2018) on his native island, but has yet to suit up in 2019.

 

David missed all of 2019 with a torn right MCL. That surgery was performed on August 8th, so it's unknown when he might debut this season.

 

***

 

RHP Preston Gainey, 29, deserves praise for remarkable perseverance, he was a Naval Academy signee, after all.

 

CAREER NOTES: 2019 — Missed the entire season.....underwent a second "Tommy John" surgery on 6/14, performed by Dr. Keith Meister. 2018 — Missed the season after undergoing “Tommy John” surgery on 3/20, performed by Dr. William Raasch. 2017 — Missed the remainder of the season after being placed on the 7-day disabled list on 4/23 with facet joint irritation. 2016 — Began the season on the 7-day disabled list recovering from a lower back stress fracture.

 

***

 

The official word on prized 17-year-old Dominican Summer League shortstop Eduardo Garcia is surgery for a right fibula fracture on July 2nd. We bemoaned the fun of following his box scores the rest of last summer.

 

***

 

20-year-old RHP Luis Gonzalez missed all of 2019 with a right elbow strain. He was drafted in the 8th round in 2018 out of a Puerto Rico high school.

 

***

 

We did know that 2019 8th round infielder David Hamilton (University of Texas) did not make his pro debut due to a torn right achilles, surgery in January of 2019. He should be good to go in 2020 spring camp.

 

***

 

The Adam Lind / Freddy Peralta trade has been in the news this week. Last August we posted:

 

RHP Carlos Herrera, who turns 22 in October, has been placed on the 60-day IL, ending his season.

 

Herrera, acquired alongside Freddy Peralta in the Adam Lind deal with Seattle, will end up with only one appearance in 2019, a rough one-third of an inning appearance in this rehab game in Maryvale on July 8th.

 

No official word on the nature of his apparently pretty serious injury.

 

Turns out Herrera had right shoulder surgery performed on July 25th.

 

***

 

LHP Nathan Kirby is now 26 years old. He was the Crew's Competitive Balance Round A pick in 2015.

 

CAREER NOTES: 2019 — Missed the season after undergoing thoracic outlet surgery on 4/22, performed by Dr. Greg Pearl. 2017 — Missed the season as he recovered from “Tommy John” surgery. 2016 — Missed the season as he recovered from“Tommy John” surgery. 2015 — Placed on the disabled list on 8/20 and missed the remainder of the season after undergoing “Tommy John” surgery on 9/1, performed by Dr. William Raasch.

 

Pretty incredible in a not-good way.

 

***

 

RHP Alec Kenilvort, 27, had made 40 relief appearances for Carolina in 2018, but we had not learned why he missed the 2019 season. He had Tommy John surgery on July 17th.

 

***

 

On July 16th we posted --

 

At Rocky Mountain, LHP Blake Lillis, with an injury history (missed all of 2017 with ulnar neuritis), was placed on the Vibes' 7-day IL. Lillis had made only one appearance this year, a 4.1 inning start back on June 16th. No word on the nature of this new injury.

 

Sigh, this was yet another Tommy John surgery, performed on July 18th.

 

***

 

Double hip whammy for another snake-bit high draft pick, 2017 2nd round RHP Caden Lemons

 

CAREER NOTES: 2019 — Missed the season after undergoing right hip surgery on 8/6, performed by Dr. Thomas Byrd.....later underwent left hip surgery on 10/14, performed by Dr. Thomas Byrd.

 

Sometimes a 6'6" baseball body doesn't want to cooperate.

 

***

 

The official word on top prospect OF Tristen Lutz' injury near the tail end of 2019's season is "bilateral core muscle repair surgery" on November 26th.

 

Sounds like fun.

 

***

 

2017 4th round LHP Brendan Murphy (Illinois high school pick), 21, has had it tough, still just nine pro appearances (2017).

 

CAREER NOTES: 2019 — Missed the entire season as he recovered from left shoulder surgery. 2018 — Missed the entire season with left biceps tendinitis.....underwent left shoulder surgery on 9/7, performed by Dr. Chris Ahmad.

 

***

 

Dominican Summer League RHP Dantel Ramirez, 21, joined the Tommy John club on May 30th.

 

***

 

Along with SS Eduardo Garcia (see above), now 18-year-old SS Carlos Roa was also wowing us in the DSL last summer.

 

His season-ender was left shoulder surgery on July 25th.

 

***

 

Maryvale infielder and Bahamas native Orveo Saint, 20, underwent left wrist surgery on October 3rd.

 

***

 

We know that LHP Quintin Torres-Costa was well enough from September 2018 Tommy John surgery to pitch nicely in the Arizona Fall League last year after some brief rookie-level appearances in August.

 

***

 

18-year-old DSL outfielder Alwinson Valdez missed his sophomore pro season with left shoulder surgery on May 30th. He's a RH batter.

 

***

 

Darn on this one.

 

Perhaps the most fun I've had putting a post together was this one on the signing of Chinese RHP Lun Zhao in June of 2018.

 

Still just 18 years old, Zhao missed the entire 2019 season with a right elbow strain, and then finally went under the Tommy John knife on October 29th.

 

RELATED NOTE:

 

19-year-old RHP Jian Yi and 19-year-old IF/OF YongKang Kou, also natives of China, are healthy, but were not listed on the Brewers' minor league camp roster posted by @BrewersPD. Normally they would not be due into camp until April regardless, but their arrivals may end up delayed due to the coronavirus travel issues out of China.

[brewcrewdue80]

Wow what a terrible list. No wonder we're around last in prospect rankings. I did wonder on Caden Lemons. I thought he was going to be the best or 2nd best for the Brewers from that draft. Brewers aren't even aggressive with their pitching prospects.

[TJseven7]

This reminds me of my friend who was pitching into college and walked away because he listed off 5 joints he needed to get fixed if he was going to keep playing. He was a junk baller and still, messed up massively.