Ryan Westmoreland

Ryan Michael Westmoreland

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 195 lb.
• High School Portsmouth (RI) High School

• Born April 27, 1990 in Newport, RI USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Ryan Westmoreland was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 5th round of the 2008 amateur draft; at the time, he was the rare prospect born and raised in Rhode Island. He gave up a scholarship offer from Vanderbilt University in order to sign with his hometown team. His signing bonus was $2 million. In his first pro season, which came a year later in 2009, he was with the Lowell Spinners of the New York-Penn League. He batted .296/.401/.484 in 60 games, with 15 doubles, 7 homers and 35 RBIs. He was mostly a designated hitter although he also played a few games in the outfield, but the plan was to have him become a first baseman. After the season, Baseball America named him the #1 prospect in the NYPL, ahead of future major leaguers such as Alex Colomé and Jason Kipnis. The Sox believed that they had a future star on their hands; however, the future would turn out otherwise.

On March 4, 2010, just a couple of weeks after the start of spring training, he had to leave the team for medical reasons as he was not feeling well. the next day, he was diagnosed with a cavernous malformation in the brain, a congenital condition whose effects were similar to that of a stroke. He had to undergo surgery, lasting five hours, on March 16th, and was never able to play again. He attempted to rehabilitate from the surgery after the 2011 season but suffered a setback and had to undergo a second surgery in July of 2012. While he was still hoping for a comeback, it proved to be impossible and he announced his retirement on March 6, 2013, three years after the original diagnostic. The Lowell Spinners retired uniform number 25 in his honor the following summer, the first time the team had thus honored a former player. He had to undergo a number of follow-up surgeries afterwards, but was able to lead a relatively normal life, marrying his long-time girlfriend and having a daughter.

Further Reading

• Michael Silverman: "Eight years later, Ryan Westmoreland eases into life away from baseball", Boston Herald, March 17, 2018. [1]