Yankees Lose First-Round Pick to Tommy John Surgery

You know how some people have so much money they don't know what to do with it? The Yankees officially fall into that category. Despite knowing that their first-round pick Andrew Brackman had an injured arm, they still signed him to a four-year deal that includes a $3.3 million signing bonus. But, lo and behold, there's now news that Brackman might not even pick up a ball for a year and a half. From the New York Post:

Andrew Brackman, the Yankees' first-round pick in the June draft, has decided his right elbow will be better served by undergoing Tommy John surgery, according to agent Scott Boras.

Brackman, who signed a four-year deal worth $4.5 million that includes a $3.3 million signing bonus and could escalate to $13.8 million if incentives are met, has chosen Dr. James Andrews to do the procedure, which normally takes 12 to 18 months to come back from.

The Yankees knew of the 6-foot-10 Brackman's elbow problems long before taking him with the final pick in the first round. A recent visit to Andrews' office confirmed a problem and Brackman decided to have the surgery, which, according to Boras, has a 97-percent success rate.

Confused by the picture? Don't be: that is in fact Brackman, who played college hoops in addition to baseball at NC State before being drafted. The fact he was a two-sport star limited his innings his college, which means that he was probably going to require a bit more time in the minors to polish his skills in the first place. And now? Push that timetable back another 12-18 months. There's a chance this surgery will be a small footnote on Brackman's career, but first-round picks have a hard enough time living up to their pre-draft hype, let alone guys who were damaged goods before they sign their first contract.