Englebrook:
This past offseason, the Astros "sent me to winter ball to face some major leaguers. I was hoping they'd let me face big-leaguers in September, (but) that wasn't in their plans. So I went there, and then they did offer me a contract. I just wanted to go somewhere else, start over new, somewhere fresh and go that route."
That said, he's
"Three years ago, I hurt my AC joint at the beach. My AC joint was sticking out. It was only a first-degree separation which, with a month's rest, it clears. I went to (the Astros) and went to their doctor, and they told me it's no big deal, you'll be fine, it's just probably all in your head, it's probably always been there. So I pitched for a month with it, and then it went to a 3rd-degree separation where I needed surgery.
"That was in August '08, and I was knocking on the door then; I think I had about a 13-, 14-inning stretch where I think I only gave up like one hit; in 11 innings I didn't give up a hit. My velocity started coming around, and I had a split change that was working. And I went with what they said and then I hurt it. ... I didn't have surgery on it until November, so they wasted three months of my time. ... I (had) said, ‘I want surgery,' and they kept saying, ‘No, no, you can rehab it.' ... I missed two months beginning the next season.
