Tanner Bushue retires

Via What the Heck, Bobby, we find within this story from the Albany Times-Union on the ValleyCats playoff push, we find that 2009 2nd Round pick Tanner Bushue has retired from baseball.

Bushue pitched in five games in 2009 (2.42 ERA/1.03 WHIP) before stress fractures in his spine shut him down for the season, but still was good enough for Baseball America's 9th-ranked GCL prospect for 2009 and their Astros' 7th-best prospect following the season.

He spent 2010 in Lexington where he threw 133.2IP, allowing 129H/61ER, 114K:48BB for a 4.11 ERA/1.32 WHIP, which got Bushue the #3 Astros prospect ranking from FanGraphs, #5 from the Hardball Times and Keith Law, and #6 from Jonathan Mayo following the season.

Injuries saw Bushue go on and off the DL in 2011, a season where he threw just 85.1IP, 103H/47ER, 58K:17BB for a 4.96 ERA/1.41 WHIP.

In 2012 between Greeneville and Lexington, Bushue threw just 39.2IP, 59H/41ER, 44K:27BB for a 9.30 ERA/2.17 WHIP (18.82 ERA/3.00 WHIP in six games for Lexington). What happened? WTHB talked to Dave Borkowski and found that his injuries and execution were limiting his effectiveness.

In 49IP for Tri-City in 2013, Bushue allowed 40H/28ER, 40K:13BB, for a 5.14 ERA/1.08 WHIP. Best wishes to Bushue, who is still only 22, after all.

Only nine eight picks from the 2009 draft are still with the organization: Major-Leaguers Dallas Keuchel (7th Round) and J.D. Martinez (20th Round); and PreStros Jio Mier (1st Round), Telvin Nash and Jonathan Meyer (3rd Round), Brandon Wikoff (5th Round), Enrique Hernandez (6th Round), Ben Orloff (9th Round) and Erik Castro (10th Round).