Alex Faedo Sidelined For Fall Ball

Alex Faedo (Photo by Andrew Woolley)

Florida righthander Alex Faedo had arthroscopic surgery on both of his knees in early September and will not pitch this fall as a result, several sources told Baseball America.

The surgery should not cause a major disruption for Faedo, who is positioned to be Florida’s No. 1 starter and a high first-round pick in 2017. Faedo is not expected to miss time next spring; in fact, according to a source close to the program, he’s already walking without crutches. He is expected to be cleared for regular conditioning and throwing as soon as November and will participate in a normal throwing program as the season approaches.

Faedo has long been considered a potential high draft pick. He was a member of the Gators’ weekend rotation for parts of his freshman year, and established himself as one of the top college pitchers in the nation as a sophomore in 2016, going 13-3, 3.18 with a robust 133-21 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 104 2/3 innings.

This summer, Faedo ranked as the top prospect for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team after throwing 16 more innings, going 3-0, 0.56 with 21 strikeouts and just three walks. John Manuel provided a thorough report on Faedo’s strengths and weaknesses here.

“He’s the top college guy for me,” said one American League crosschecker in a text. The scout went on to praise his fastball/slider combo and extensive history dating back to his days as a top prospect at Tampa’s Alonso High, where his father Landy serves as head coach.

Gators coach Kevin O’Sullivan declined to comment.

Faedo ranked as the No. 403 prospect in the 2014 BA 500. He got off to a slow start that spring due to a turf toe injury that held up his conditioning and led to a drop in velocity.

Now the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Faedo will have to go into his draft year coming off surgery, even if it was minimally invasive, on both knees.