By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Matt Imhof has officially announced his retirement after suffering a traumatic eye injury in June, the pitcher writes in a piece for ESPN. Imhof was selected in the second round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Phillies. The 23-year-old played in three seasons within the Phillies minor league system, posting a 13-10 record to go along with a 3.69 ERA.
I have never doubted my ability to be successful in life and I don't plan on starting now; whether it's a baseball field or a boardroom, I know my future is bright.
With that in mind, I would like to announce my retirement from the game of baseball. I know many of you want me to continue my career, and to those people I would like to say thank you. My injury is not what's stopping me. I made this choice after six months because I wanted to be sure of that. The truth is I need a change of pace after 20 years of doing the same thing.
Imhof was taking part in a routine stretching regimen after a game at Brevard County when a piece of equipment malfunctioned and he was struck in the right eye, a moment the pitcher described as surreal, because you know you're "screwed" and there's nothing you can do about it.
I saw a flash of silver and then felt the metal hook smash into my face. Everything went numb as I hit the ground screaming. I could feel the warmth of the blood running down my face and taste it in my mouth. I couldn't breathe. I tried to move and look around, but my vision was blurry.
Everything I thought I knew, everything I had planned for myself was gone. Baseball, my future, my vision, all of it.
After surgery, Imhof was reassured that the worst part of all of this was over and that he'd be okay following a life-altering injury. He was told that he would be able to do pretty much everything he did prior, whether he wanted to play baseball or pursue something else. In the end, Imhof will hang up his cleates, firmly believing that everything he's gained from the game of baseball helped him deal with this moment and will continue to do so as he moves forward with strength.
Our field coordinator with the Phillies, Doug Mansolino, used to say the difference between baseball players and other people is that baseball players get up. We play a hard game. We get knocked down. But we always get back up.
So that's what I did.
In the ESPN article, a must read, Imhof details the difficult process of having two surgeries, one to have his eye removed, while contemplating what is next after 20 years of life centered around baseball. He had to relearn basic things, from walking up and down stairs to playing catch and even how to drive. Imhof mentions that he had to keep his head on a swivel while he was at San Francisco International Airport in August and kept banging into people because of the vision adjustment.
Whatever his future holds, Imhof has a firm grasp of what he's capable of after experiencing a terrifying injury that he won't let define him. We'd like to wish Matt all of the best in his future and thank him for his time with the Phillies organization.
