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Georgia Tech has been dealt its first significant blow for the 2013 college baseball season in October, as the Yellow Jackets will miss outstanding junior righthanded pitcher Matt Grimes for the year because of Tommy John surgery.
Grimes entered his sophomore campaign earlier this year with high hopes. And things at least started out well as one of the team's starting pitchers. However, lingering arm issues sidelined him for the season and he finished '12 with a 3.38 ERA in five starts and 18 2/3 innings of work.
Though the news on Grimes comes at a bad time considering he was in the midst of a very impressive fall with a fastball touching the mid 90s, the Jackets learned a valuable lesson on how to get through these type of setbacks with the injuries to both Grimes and talented pitcher Luke Bard last season.
Fortunately for the Jackets, they do welcome back senior righthanded Buck Farmer, who plummeted in the most recent Major League Baseball draft, but has big-time stuff. Farmer started 16 games last season and had a 3.54 ERA in 106 2/3 innings. He also struck out 115 and walked 37.
As for Grimes, though he will miss the entire spring campaign, there are a few professional clubs at least showing interesting in drafting him in June should his rehabilitation progress well.
Grimes was a highly touted recruit out of high school, turning down significant money as a fourth-round pick to the Chicago White Sox.
The Yellow Jackets now must wait at least another season to get his full services.
Grimes will have the surgery Thursday, performed by renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews.