Uh oh.
↵TCU's Matt Purke, long considered a top five draft prospect headed into this year, will be making a dreaded trip to Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday according to Stefan Stevenson. This is, of course, bad news for any pitcher as shoulder injuries nothing to take lightly. It's especially concerning, though, given how Purke has slipped in recent weeks. Purke's velocity, according to Baseball America, has been dropping lately - much like his draft stock:
↵↵↵His fastball sat at 90-91 mph those first two innings, topping out at 92-93, but his stuff dropped off precipitously in the third, when the Aztecs scratched out an unearned run. A scout commented in the third that Purke's arm slot dropped noticeably, and his stuff flattened out. He sat about 88 that inning, then dropped into the 84-86 range in the fourth inning. He exited after allowing a leadoff single in the fifth (when he threw fastballs at 82 and 85 mph), having thrown 79 pitches. He did not strike another batter out after the second, and he finished with three walks, four hits and two runs (one earned).
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Hopefully for Purke's sake, there's nothing wrong with his shoulder, but given the drop in velocity, this doesn't look good.
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