Earlier on Thursday, we learned Rangers infielder Jurickson Profar needs shoulder surgery and will miss the entire 2015 season. That comes after he missed the entire 2014 season with a shoulder strain and numerous setbacks. Surgery was recommended in September but it doesn't matter. He would have missed the season anyway. It was worth trying to rehab the injury.Needless to say, this is a devastating blow for both Profar and the Rangers. Yes, there's a chance Profar would not have beaten out Rougned Odor for the second base job anyway, but that doesn't really matter. Profar, who turns 22 today, is going to miss his age 21-22 seasons due to injuries, and those are critical development years. 
As pointed out by Dan Syzmborski and Dan McLaughlin, D'Angelo Jimenez and Jay Payton were two highly touted prospects like Profar who missed substantial time in their early 20s, and it derailed their development:• Jimenez hit .327/.392/.492 in 126 Triple-A games as a 21-year-old in 1999 and Baseball America ranked him as the 89th best prospect in the game before the 2000 season. He suffered a back injury in a car accident in January 2000, missed just about the entire season, and was never the same. He hit .262/.333/.393 in Triple-A in 2001 and spent parts of eight seasons in MLB as a non-descript utility player.• Payton, the 29th overall pick in the 1994 draft, dealt with numerous injuries from 1996-99, including two Tommy John surgeries and shoulder surgery. (Baseball America ranked him as the 21st best prospect in the game prior to 1996.) He played only 229 games from 1996-99, including zero in 1997. Payton did reach the big leagues for good in 2000 and had some solid years with the Mets, but he fell well short of his ultimate ceiling.Both Jimenez and Payton missed time in the early formative years of their careers and never recovered. The good news is both did go on to have big league careers after their injuries -- Jimenez played 634 games from 2001-07 and Payton played 1,231 games from 2000-10 -- but these guys were projected stars (or at least above-average players) who became role players after getting hurt.That doesn't mean Profar is now destined for a career as a role player, of course, but it goes to show how tough it is from missing this much time in your early 20s. This is development time he won't get back. Baseball, especially hitting, is a repetition sport, and he's not getting those reps. Missing two straight years like this is very difficult to overcome.As for the Rangers, they're losing a player for two years. Not just any player either, a player who was ranked as the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball a few years ago. Someone everyone expected to be a star. They're also losing two of Profar's cheap pre-arbitration years, which is a huge part of the value of young players. Those years are gone and they're not coming back.The Rangers and their fans can take solace in the fact that it is not impossible to come back from what Profar is going through. Just look at ex-Ranger Josh Hamilton. He did not play at all from ages 22-24 -- literally zero games -- but returned to the game and became a superstar anyway. He's an extreme outlier obviously, but it can be done. Profar has superstar skills too.For now, the Rangers and Profar just need to focus on getting healthy. Have the shoulder surgery, attack the rehab, then worry about getting back to baseball. There's not much else they can do. Profar has a major uphill climb ahead of him now. Missing two straight years at this age is a massive obstacle on the path to success.Mike Axisa/CBS Sports
As pointed out by Dan Syzmborski and Dan McLaughlin, D'Angelo Jimenez and Jay Payton were two highly touted prospects like Profar who missed substantial time in their early 20s, and it derailed their development:• Jimenez hit .327/.392/.492 in 126 Triple-A games as a 21-year-old in 1999 and Baseball America ranked him as the 89th best prospect in the game before the 2000 season. He suffered a back injury in a car accident in January 2000, missed just about the entire season, and was never the same. He hit .262/.333/.393 in Triple-A in 2001 and spent parts of eight seasons in MLB as a non-descript utility player.• Payton, the 29th overall pick in the 1994 draft, dealt with numerous injuries from 1996-99, including two Tommy John surgeries and shoulder surgery. (Baseball America ranked him as the 21st best prospect in the game prior to 1996.) He played only 229 games from 1996-99, including zero in 1997. Payton did reach the big leagues for good in 2000 and had some solid years with the Mets, but he fell well short of his ultimate ceiling.Both Jimenez and Payton missed time in the early formative years of their careers and never recovered. The good news is both did go on to have big league careers after their injuries -- Jimenez played 634 games from 2001-07 and Payton played 1,231 games from 2000-10 -- but these guys were projected stars (or at least above-average players) who became role players after getting hurt.That doesn't mean Profar is now destined for a career as a role player, of course, but it goes to show how tough it is from missing this much time in your early 20s. This is development time he won't get back. Baseball, especially hitting, is a repetition sport, and he's not getting those reps. Missing two straight years like this is very difficult to overcome.As for the Rangers, they're losing a player for two years. Not just any player either, a player who was ranked as the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball a few years ago. Someone everyone expected to be a star. They're also losing two of Profar's cheap pre-arbitration years, which is a huge part of the value of young players. Those years are gone and they're not coming back.The Rangers and their fans can take solace in the fact that it is not impossible to come back from what Profar is going through. Just look at ex-Ranger Josh Hamilton. He did not play at all from ages 22-24 -- literally zero games -- but returned to the game and became a superstar anyway. He's an extreme outlier obviously, but it can be done. Profar has superstar skills too.For now, the Rangers and Profar just need to focus on getting healthy. Have the shoulder surgery, attack the rehab, then worry about getting back to baseball. There's not much else they can do. Profar has a major uphill climb ahead of him now. Missing two straight years at this age is a massive obstacle on the path to success.Mike Axisa/CBS Sports
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