Phillies' Matt Imhof Retires After Losing Right Eye

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Phillies prospect Matt Imhof is retiring from baseball after losing his right eye, he announced in a first-person story for ESPN.com.

"I know many of you want me to continue my career, and to those people I would like to say thank you," Imhof wrote. "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, 23, suffered the freak accident last June and posted a positive message on his Instagram account shortly afterwards.

Related: Phillies' J.P. Crawford Ranked No. 4 SS Prospect For 2017

Imhof was the Phillies' 47th overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft. He pitched for four of the Phillies' minor-league affiliates in two and a half seasons. Imhof recorded a 3.91 ERA in 53 innings for High-A Clearwater in 2016.