Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Astros former 1st round pick suffers seizure

Catching prospect Max Sapp, who suffered a life-threatening illness over the winter, was back in the hospital Wednesday after having two seizures over a nine-hour span.

Sapp had the first seizure around 9:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday. He spent the night in the hospital and had a second seizure around 6:30 Wednesday morning.

Assistant general manager Ricky Bennett said he was waiting to hear from Sapp's mother, Missy, and didn't know many more details.

"We're still trying to gather information," Bennett said. "That's all I know right now."

The 20-year-old Sapp's ordeal began last Dec. 11, when he suffered a seizure after completing a workout. He was later diagnosed with viral meningitis and, subsequently, chronic sinus disease. He required the use of a respirator for two weeks after suffering three episodes in which he stopped breathing.

Sapp, the club's No. 1 Draft pick in 2006, suffered significant memory loss during his month-long stay in the hospital. He appeared to be recovering well over the course of the next month and had improved to the point where he started working out at the Astros' Minor League facility soon after the Major League club reported to Spring Training.

Needless to say, Sapp's latest ordeal has shocked the front office.

"He was making progress, catching bullpens, doing well," Bennett said. "He was happy, excited. This was obviously unexpected. We're back to square one and we're just focused on getting him healthy." Source: Alyson Footer

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