Former Boston Red Sox prospect and relief pitcher Jordan Weems has made the 30 man opening day roster for the Oakland Athletics, as announced on Monday according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
The 27 year old right hander was signed as a minor league free agent by Oakland last winter. Weems isn’t a typical pitcher, as he was drafted by Boston as a high school catcher in 2011 and didn’t move to the mound until 2016. He didn’t pitch at all in high school. By 2018 he had moved up to Triple A Pawtucket, where he registered 15 innings but spent most of his last two seasons of minor league baseball at the Double A affiliate in Portland, Maine with the Sea Dogs. The strikeout numbers are impressive but also has a high walk rate, as to be expected for someone fairly new to pitching. At Pawtucket he allowed 10 runs and 10 walks in those 15 innings but did strikeout 15 batters.
Overall in 2018-19 at the Double A level he pitched 86 1/3 innings, allowing four homeruns with 49 walks and 100 strikeouts for a 3.96 earned run average. Weems is capable of pitching multiple innings out of the bullpen, which may work well for Oakland especially early in the season. Over the past two years on the hill he went three plus innings several times, and finished at least two frames in 26 of his 84 outings. Drafted as a catcher and also playing some first base in the minors since 2011, Weems made 1180 plate appearances hitting three homeruns and driving in 81 runs but batting just at a .207 clip. He also spent time at the other Red Sox affiliates in Greenville, Salem, and Lowell.
Former Red Sox prospect Jordan Weems poses for a picture with our very own Marc Calnan from Eastern Maine Sports at a game at Hadlock Field in Portland on August 2, 2018. Weems on Monday was added to the Oakland Athletics 30 man roster. Photo courtesy of Marc Calnan.
