This morning, I mentioned in the Bullets that Cuban pitching prospect Gerardo Concepcion last pitched for the Peoria Chiefs. I wondered openly what the issue was, knowing that he originally went on the DL with an “illness.” I had my concerns, and hoped that might spur an answer.
Well, today we got our answer from Theo Epstein, who told reporters that Concepcion has been out with mononucleosis. Crap.
Cubs fans have a bad taste in their mouths when it comes to pitching prospects and mono, after we watched former first round pick Hayden Simpson wilt away – kind of literally – after a serious case of mono shortly after he was drafted. He lost 20 to 30 pounds, and hasn’t been the same since.
But, let’s relax for now. Mono isn’t always a career-ender; in fact, it almost never is. Heck, Bronson Arroyo once had mono and kept on pitching. It is, however, usually a multiple month kind of thing for an athlete, so I’m not surprised Concepcion is still out. In time, he could come back just fine.
Hopefully we’ll get an update on him soon, and hopefully it’s just a garden variety case of mono, rather than a horrible one.