Phillies Notes | Drabek done for a year with injury

SAN DIEGO - The Phillies suffered a major blow yesterday, but they say they don't think it's fatal.

They announced that righthander Kyle Drabek, the team's No. 1 draft pick in 2006 and the organization's No. 2 prospect according to Baseball America, will undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Wednesday in New York. He will miss about a year, but the Phillies are optimistic he will make a complete recovery.

The news came on the heels of Thursday's announcement that the Phillies had signed this year's top pick, lefthander Joe Savery, to a contract. Savery, Drabek and righthander Carlos Carrasco are considered the organization's three blue-chip pitching prospects.

"We're going to lose a year of development on him," assistant general manager Mike Arbuckle said about Drabek. "But we're trying to find the positive side to this. One, he's a high school sign, so he's much younger. There's a bigger window to work from compared to a college kid who's 21 or 22 and having the surgery. Second, there's a high success rate for pitchers coming back from this injury compared to a shoulder injury."

Drabek, 19, had not pitched for single-A Lakewood since June 15. He threw off the mound for a second time since the injury just a few days ago and told the Phillies his elbow still did not feel healthy. In fact, he told them he felt a pinching sensation in the elbow.

The Phils decided to send Drabek back to the doctor.

Drabek visited New York Mets physician David Altcheck. An initial MRI exam revealed no damage to the elbow, but a second MRI test, which looked at Drabek's elbow from a different angle, showed a tear. Phillies physician Michael Ciccotti and orthopedist James Andrews will review the second MRI exam this week, but surgery is expected.

Drabek was 5-1 with a 4.33 ERA in 11 games (10 starts). In 54 innings, he allowed 50 hits, 29 runs and 23 walks. He struck out 46.

"We thought he had made very good strides, on and off the field," Arbuckle said. "We were very pleased with him coming out of spring training. He was maturing on the mound in the way he handled himself in situations. It's unfortunate.

"We all understand there is an attrition rate with pitchers. Losing one of your better prospects is something none of us are happy with, but unfortunately that's part of the business. There is a risk involved when you're a pitcher."

Jack Russell Memorial Stadium, the Phillies' longtime spring-training home in Clearwater, Fla., was demolished yesterday.

The Phils played exhibition games there from 1955 to 2003 before moving to Bright House Networks Field.