Travis Blackley out for year...

[raiders_umpire]

just a heads up for the ones with minor leagues in their keepers....

Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - The Seattle Mariners will likely be without pitching prospect Travis Blackley for the entire 2005 season after undergoing shoulder surgery.

According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Blackley needed arthroscopic shoulder surgery to correct two small tears in the labrum.

The surgery, which was performed by shoulder specialist Dr. Lewis Yocum, was described as a routine procedure.

Blackley, who compiled a 1-3 record with a 10.04 ERA in his brief stint with the Mariners last season, spent much of the campaign on the disabled list while playing with Triple-A Tacoma.

The 22-year-old compiled a stellar 17-3 mark with Double-A San Antonio in 2003 and then was 8-6 with a 3.83 ERA while pitching for Tacoma last year.

Seattle, which does not have any immediate plans of replacing Blackley, will hold its first workout for pitchers and catchers on Thursday.

[hybrid]

Not that I was a big fan of the lefty, but this explains some why his velocity dropped last year (not that he was ever known for throwing hard).