Former Royals No. 1 Pick Luke Hochevar Retires, Notable Draft Classmates Remain

Former No. 1 pick and Royals pitcher Luke Hochevar has retired from baseball, he told MLB.com on Monday. The 34-year-old right-hander underwent thoracic outlet surgery in order to ease pain in his lower neck and shoulder area in August 2016. As he attempted to rehab, he discovered he couldn't throw without pain.

When the Royals honored their World Series-winning squad last weekend at Kaufmann Stadium, Hochevar admitted he could not even throw out the first pitch without pain.

"There was just no way," he told MLB.com. "That was it. I got up to the 80 percent [recover] which you're supposed to and it just wasn't working. It was hurting just to throw. No way I could have ever gotten back to this…