Chase Whitley learned on Friday that he was claimed on
waivers by the Tampa Bay Rays and would be switching his home. Despite staying
in the AL East Whitley will throw his home games in front of the crowd in
Tropicana Field rather than in the Bronx inside Yankee Stadium so I thought now
would be as good of a time as any to recap the quick, yet eventful, Yankees
tenure that Whitley had with the team.
Whitley was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 15th
round of the 2010 MLB First Year Players Draft out of Troy University and
immediately began his professional career with the Staten Island Yankees.
Whitley, then, was a closer for the club and made the All-Star Game for the New
York-Penn League. Whitley earned the promotion to High-A Tampa in 2011, skipping
Charleston all-together, and finished the season in Double-A with the Trenton
Thunder. By 2012 Whitley was out of the closer’s role and into middle relief
for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders, a minor league affiliate
stop that he would stay at for the 2013 season as well. At the end of the 2013
season though the team decided to transition Whitley into being a starting
pitcher instead of a relief pitcher and Whitley continued working on the
transition into the 2014 season.
Whitley wasn’t long for the minor leagues after switching to
a starting pitcher and made his Major League debut on May 15, 2014 against the
cross-town rival New York Mets inside Citi Field. Whitley lasted just 4.2
innings in that start but allowed just two hits and two walks while striking
out four. Whitley also collected his first career hit in the game when Whitley
roped a single off Mets starter Jacob deGrom. deGrom also recorded his first
hit and was making his Major League debut in the same game. Whitley took the no
decision in a game that the Yankees went on to win 1-0 which propelled him to a
4-3 record and a 5.23 ERA in 12 starts. Whitley was on the Yankees radar.
Whitley was back in Triple-A to start the 2015 season but
was called up on April, 27. Whitley started the next day and experience elbow
pain that he attempted to pitch through to help the club. Whitley lasted until
May 14 before being removed from a start and being diagnosed with a tear in his
ulnar collateral ligament. Whitley had Tommy John surgery that essentially
ended his 2015 season and will keep him out for much of the 2016 season. That
2016 season will have to come with the Tampa Bay Rays, not the New York
Yankees, after the Yankees tried to sneak him off their 40 man roster.
Good luck in Tampa Chase and thank you for the memories.
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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)