Oakland A’s Call Up Dan Straily

Dan Straily is the minor league strikeout leader.  He’s actually the leader in strikeouts regardless of the level of play.  In 138 1/3 innings-pitched, Straily has 175 strikeouts.  He has pitched at both Double-A Midland and Triple-A Sacramento.  The A’s have decided to call up the young right-hander to make a start against the

Toronto Blue Jays today.

Straily has started 22 games this season, has a record of 8-6, and boasts a slim ERA of just 2.60.  In his eight starts at Triple-A, Straily has a strikingly low 1.36 ERA.

As the A’s continue their surprising battle for a Wild Card or Division crown, Straily should help improve the pitching staff.  Oakland already has the fourth-best team ERA in the league.  Straily could help improve upon that.  He will almost certainly help the A’s improve on their strikeout totals.  The A’s are 28th in baseball in team strikeouts.

Straily, if successful, may be one of the great Billy Beane stories.  He was drafted in the 24th round of the 2009 draft out of Marshall University.  No one outside of Oakland expected him to do much.  But here he is, leading all of baseball in strikeouts and set to make his Major League debut.  If Straily can stick around with the club, help them make the postseason, and make the postseason roster himself, it will be an incredible story.

Straily has done what young pitchers should do – continue to get better.  He has lowered his ERA in each year of minor league ball.  In 2009 his ERA was 4.12, in 2010 it jumped back to 4.32, but in 2011 it dropped to 3,87, and finally this year, it is just 2.60.

For more on the A’s, be sure to check out Swingin’ A’s.