Pitcher Drafted by MLB Oakland A’s

This year’s Major League Baseball draft featured two Chargers: an outfielder named Fields and a pitcher named Pitcher.

Published: June 13, 2011 | @Cypress Online
I dig this lede. Perhaps it’s a no-brainer decision to play on the players’ names, but I still like the execution.

Sophomore Travis Pitcher, a 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher, was selected by the Oakland A’s with their final pick in last week’s Major League Baseball draft. He joins fellow Charger Arby Fields, who was selected by the San Diego Padres (see story below).

Pitcher started in Cypress College’s home opener on February 8, striking out six and allowing no earned runs while garnering a no decision in his only start of the season. He had nine appearances for the Chargers, finishing with an 0-1 record, seven strikeouts and a 4.82 ERA in 9.1 innings of work.

At Placentia’s El Dorado High School, Pitcher earned the Golden Hawks’ Cy Young award as a senior, finishing the season with a 7-2 record and a 2.86 ERA.

Columnist John McGrath of The New Tribune (Tacoma, WA) mentioned Pitcher in his draft recap:

And, finally, in this, the year of the pitcher, the A’s used their last-round pick – the 1,516th selection of the draft – on a Cypress College pitcher whose last name is Pitcher.

Travis Pitcher.