Atlanta Braves top 15 prospect Patrick Weigel could miss entire 2018 season
By Jeff Schafer
Braves just got news that one of their top prospects in the minors could be missing the rest of 2017 and all of 2018
Atlanta Braves drafted right-handed pitcher Patrick Weigel in the 7th round of the 2015 MLB draft out of the University of Houston and the big righty has already impressed many people in the short time with this organization. Unfortunately, it’s going to be a while until we see him again on the mound.
The 6’6″ 240-pound righty had an MRI on his right elbow on June 20th which showed ligament damage. Weigel then met with Dr. Andrews to see if surgery was needed. Sadly for Braves fans, Tommy John surgery was recommended by the famous doctor.
After days of questioning what happened with Weigel at his appointment, he updated us on Twitter that he had the surgery.
Today, after much deliberation, had TommyJohn surgery. I want to thank everyone who has reached out and encouraged/supported me #2019ready
— Patrick Weigel (@PatrickCWeigel) June 27, 2017
Even Patrick, and maybe it came from the doctors and Braves organization, are thinking 2019 for a return.
This is a huge blow for the Braves organization and minor league system. Weigel was the Braves 2016 minor league pitcher of the year and was already off to another fantastic season in 2017.
The Braves promoted Weigel in early May from Double-A Mississippi to Triple-A Gwinnett. He held a 3-1 record with Gwinnett with a 3.58 ERA until his final outing where he suffered the injury (gave up nine runs, three walks and seven hits in only 3.1 innings pitched that night).
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The Braves promoted Weigel in early May from Double-A Mississippi to Triple-A Gwinnett. He held a 3-1 record with Gwinnett with a 3.58 ERA until his final outing where he suffered the injury (gave up nine runs, three walks and seven hits in only 3.1 innings pitched that night).
Prior to the injury, I saw a couple folks expecting the 22-year-old to be promoted to Atlanta at some point this season if a trade or an injury happened.
Tommy John surgery usually takes anywhere from 12-14 months to recover….and sometimes even longer. It’s always case-by-case situations, but I’ll bet the Braves won’t push the matter with this prospect. Atlanta Braves have always been known to be very cautious with their TJ patients.
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Remember though, Weigel is still just 22-years-old (will turn 23 on July 8th) so he still has plenty of time to recover and have a prosperous career with the Atlanta Braves. We’ll continue to check in with Weigel as his progress happens, but it will be a little while until we hear his name again.