Ariel Miranda

Position: LHP
Born: 1/10/1989
Height: 6'2
Weight: 190
B/T: L/L
Acquired: Signed as an international free agent (Cuba) on May 28, 2015 (BAL).

Most Recent Stats at Time of Debut
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 3-7 with a 4.06 ERA in 15 starts at Norfolk (Triple-A), striking out 72 while walking 24 and allowing 72 hits in 77.2 IP.

Info & MLB Debut Date
Contract purchased from Norfolk July 3 when RHP Tyler Wilson was sent down and LHP Brian Duensing was moved from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
MLB Debut Date: 7/3/2016

Debut Details
July 3, in a 9-4 loss to the Mariners. The second of four pitchers, he came on with one on and one out in the fifth inning in relief of starter Ubaldo Jimenez and allowed three runs on four hits, striking out four without walking a batter in two innings. He inherited one runner who did not score, and of 50 pitches, 36 were thrown for strikes. Miranda retired the first big-league batter he faced, Kyle Seager, on a grounder to first base and then completed the inning by striking Adam Lind out looking. In the sixth, he fanned Franklin Gutierrez swinging and got Chris Iannetta to fly out before Ketel Marte reached on Miranda’s error, but he rectified that quickly by striking out fellow countryman Leonys Martin looking on three pitches. The seventh inning is when things got dicey for Miranda. After striking out Seth Smith looking, he gave up a single to right field to Robinson Cano followed by a ground-rule double to Nelson Cruz. Seager followed with a two-run double to center and Adam Lind’s RBI double to left brought in the third run of the inning. At that point, Brad Brach came on to relieve Miranda and got Gutierrez and Iannetta to ground out to end the threat.

Player Notes
Admittedly, Miranda’s outing got a wee bit tempestuous at the end, but overall it was an excellent debut for the Cuban defector who moved through the system at spritely speed since signing in 2015 (and if you can’t figure out why I’m using these strange terms, it’s time to brush up your Shakespeare!). Miranda spent his first seven seasons playing in the Cuban National Series (though admittedly we’re counting his one-third of an inning in his 2007 debut as a season because he was signed) before defecting and signing with the Orioles. In 2015, his stateside debut, he combined between the Gulf Coast League, Frederick (High A) and Bowie (Double-A) to go 6-3 with a 3.60 ERA in 14 starts, striking out 71 batters in 70 innings and walking 26 while allowing 57 hits. A starter during his career so far, he can serve as reliever or starter in the big leagues, adding to his value. He had posted a combined 3.78 during his time in Cuba and throws a low-90s fastball, a slider and a forkball.