Brady Aikens tightness diagnosis happened exactly one week ago.And exactly one week ago, people who cared rolled their eyes, and some form of the phrase here we go again scrolled across their brains. On Thursday, the assumptions were confirmed that the 18-year-old needed Tommy John surgery.Aiken himself broke the news onThe Players' Tribune, and now the No. 1 overall pick in last Junes amateur draft will have a year of recovery ahead of him as he hopes to again be a top draft pick in 2015.Road to recovery starts now! @PlayersTribune http://t.co/cXcOUBVem4 pic.twitter.com/dCLkvDvkAq Brady Aiken (@bradyaiken10) March 26, 2015There is certainly precedent to think Aiken can again be some teams first draft pick with Tommy John recovery coming before he makes his professional debut. But before any of that takes place, we should revisit how he got to this point.The Houston Astros made Aiken, then 17, the third left-handed high school pitcher to ever be drafted that high last June, selecting him out of Cathedral Catholic in San Diego. And two days after that the celebrations continued after the team and player agreed to a $6.5 million signing bonus, which was $1.5 million below the assigned slot but plenty fair considering it would have tied for biggest ever given to a high school pitcher.That deal was agreed to in principle, though. It could not become a reality until Aiken passed his physical. The Houston Chronicle's Evan Drellichlater reported Aikens physical revealed that he had an abnormally small ulnar collateral ligament. In the Astros thinking, it was a precursor to Tommy John surgery.The Astros rescinded the agreed-upon offer, and as the deadline to sign draft picks approached, the team made a final offer of $5 million. Aiken declined and later enrolled at IMG Academy rather than accept a scholarship to UCLA. That move allows Aiken to re-enter the amateur draft this June.Critics, including Aikens advisor, agent Casey Closewho spoke with Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sportsslammed the Astros. The team was accused of being unethical in negotiations because it allegedly used Aikens medical reports to pressure him into signing for a lower bonus, helping the Astros to sign two other draft picks, including fifth-rounder Jacob Nix, also advised by Close.Neither player signed with the Astros, and both enrolled at IMG Academy.Now, after a 13-pitch debut for IMG, it looks like the Astros were correct in assuming Aikens elbow would lead to a major surgery, and some of the tarnish of failing to sign the No. 1 overall pickit was the third time a top pick went unsignedis now flaking off.For Aikens part, he does not regret passing on the guaranteed money when he had the chance.Since last summer, a lot of people have wondered how I could have turned down a multimillion-dollar signing bonus after being picked first in the draft, Aiken wrote for The Players Tribune on Thursday. Now, I know theyll probably be wondering about it again. I can honestly say I dont regret not signing. It was a very difficult decision, but it also was an informed decision based on circumstances only a few people know the truth about. My family and I planned for all the possible outcomes.One can only assume that this surgery was one of them. But with the procedure becoming commonplace and no longer career-threatening and hardly altering, Aiken believed the gamble of re-entering the draft was worth the risks.We do not have to look too far into the past to know that belief is accurate.Aside from all the major league pitchers who have had the surgery and returned a year later to be successful, Washington Nationals first-round pick Lucas Giolito, another California prep pitcher, had the surgery less than three months after being selected 16thoverall in 2012. He is currently the organizations top prospect, a top-10 prospect overall and dominated at Class A last year as a 19-year old.Aikens piece on The Players Tribune was predictably upbeat and optimistic, as is his tweeted photo of him in a Superman shirt with his right thumb pointed skyward. We can only assume that reflects his real attitude, and after all the Tommy John news we have received in the last handful of years, we can be expectant that Aiken will return to the mound as good as ever.Teams drafted players last year who were in the midst of Tommy John rehab, so there is no reason to think Aiken wont be selected again in 2015. What is almost a certainty, though, is that he will not recoup the lost $6.5 million signing bonus he originally agreed to, and he might not even get the $5 million he eventually passed up.Aiken is not a player who has to make decisions based on money, however. His family does not need his signing bonus to survive, and it does not rely on his athletic prowess to put food on its table. That is also why, maybe above money, Aiken wants to be comfortable with whatever organization he plays for, which was probably a veiled shot at the Astros.The money wasnt the only factor to consider. I wanted to play somewhere I felt comfortable, with a support system I felt would lay the groundwork for a successful and long career, Aiken wrote. Making sure I had that in place was worth the frustration of not being able to get on with my career sooner.Now Aiken will have to wait a little longer. And hopefully return as good as ever.All quotes, unless otherwise specified, have been acquired firsthand. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.
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