Phillies Prospect Matt Imhof Retires After Eye Removal Surgery

Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Matt Imhof has retired after having his right eye removed following a freak accident at Brevard County Stadium last June, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. 

Imhof, 23, was stretching with his teammates when a fragment of metal broke loose from the wall and struck him in the face, causing severe damage to his eye, a fracture of his nose and two broken orbital bones. He ultimately decided to have his eye removed, and it was replaced with a prosthetic.

Imhof had been stretching using an exercise band hooked on the wall on the day of his injury when the metal hook came out of the wall and struck him in the face. Once his eye was removed, he had to learn how to operate with vision in just one eye. Learning how to go down the stairs, to drive or not bump into people while walking through the airport was initially a struggle.

But Imhof, in an article he penned for ESPN.com, said he wasn't choosing to retire because of his injury but because "I need a change of pace after 20 years of doing the same thing."

He continued:

"

I still love the game of baseball, and I'm proud of everything I accomplished in the game. It's opened doors for me I never thought I'd walk through. It's allowed me to represent my country on the biggest stage, and it's given me a platform to effect positive change in the lives of those less fortunate than myself. I am blessed that I was able to play this game for 18 years and will never forget the lessons it taught me along the way.

I'm a firm believer that baseball, through all my struggles on and off the field, prepared me for this moment. But the greatest thing baseball ever did for me was teach me who I could be without it.

"

Imhof, the 47th overall pick in the 2014 MLB draft out of Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, finished his minor league career 13-10 with a 3.69 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 147 strikeouts in 173.0 innings pitched and 38 total starts. He spent the 2015 and 2016 season with the Clearwater Threshers in the Florida State League.