Cam Bedrosian, top Angels pitching prospect, has elbow surgery; will be out for 12-15 months

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Cam Bedrosian, a hard-throwing right-hander who was a first-round pick of the Angels in June, underwent “Tommy John” surgery to reconstruct his elbow ligament earlier this month and will be sidelined for 12 to 15 months.

“We’d love to have him back so we can continue his development, but at his age, it’s a minor setback,” said Abe Flores, the team’s director of player development. “If he was 28, it would be more dire. It’s not like there’s no one his age who hasn’t had it before. We’d rather address it now than later.”

Former Angels pitching prospect Nick Adenhart underwent the same procedure after he graduated from high school and recovered to reach the major leagues at age 21. Adenhart was killed in an automobile crash in April 2009.

Bedrosian, the 19-year-old son of former major league pitcher Steve Bedrosian, was the 29th overall pick in last year’s draft out of East Coweta High School in Georgia. His fastball has been clocked between at 92 and 95 mph, and he has an excellent overhand curve.

Bedrosian pitched in four games for the Angels’ rookie-league team in Arizona last season, going 0-2 with a 4.50 earned run average, with 10 strikeouts and seven walks in 12 innings. He suffered an elbow strain toward the end of the season and aggravated the injury in extended spring training camp.

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