Brooks Pounders

Position: RHP
Born: 9/26/1990
Height: 6'4
Weight: 270
B/T: R/R
Acquired: Via trade from the Pirates on December 8, 2011, along with 3B Diego Goris, for 3B Yamaico Navarro (KCR). Originally drafted in the second round of the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft (PIT).

Most Recent Stats at Time of Debut
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 4-1 with a 2.80 ERA in 19 games, seven of them starts, with Omaha (Triple-A), striking out 78 while walking 28 and allowing 51 hits in 64 .1 IP and limiting opposing hitters to a .216 average.

Info & MLB Debut Date
Contract purchased from Omaha July 5 when RHP Wade Davis went on the 15-day DL and LHP Tyler Olson was designated for assignment to clear a place on the 40-man roster.
MLB Debut Date: 7/5/2016

Debut Details
July 5, in an 8-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. The third of four pitchers, he allowed one run on three hits in two innings, walking one and striking out three. He also committed one balk and of 41 pitches, 30 were for strikes. He came on in the sixth inning and the first batter he faced, Devon Travis, singled to center field but was erased quickly when Josh Thole struck out swinging and catcher Salvator Perez gunned down Travis trying to steal second for a 1-2-6 double play. Ezequiel Carrera struck out swinging to end the inning. In the seventh, Josh Donaldson led things off with a single to center. After Edwin Encarnacion struck out swinging, Michael Saunders singled to center field and was replaced by pinch-runner Junior Lake, and Troy Tulowitzki followed by drawing a walk to load the bases. Kevin Pillar’s sacrifice fly to left field scored Donaldson, and, though Pounders’ balk moved Lake and Saunders to third and second respectively, Justin Smoak made the final out by flying out.

Player Notes
Pounders, who definitely lives up to his name with his physique, had been named to pitch for the Pacific Coast League squad in the upcoming Triple-A All-Star Game thanks to his fine numbers so far this season with the Storm Chasers. The third member of that Omaha team to make his big-league debut this season (following INF Whit Merrifield and OF Brett Eibner), he was leading the league in average against and strikeouts per nine innings when promoted. Carrying a career 3.75 ERA in 159 games, 81 of them starts, and a .245 average against coming into his debut, he’s coming off of a 2015 season part of which was missed due to injury in which he combined to make 15 starts scattered among four spots — the Arizona League (Rookie), Idaho Falls (Short-Season A), Wilmington (High A) and Northwest Arkansas (Double-A), going 3-5 with a 2.50 ERA and 51 strikeouts against 23 walks in 68.1 IP.