Casey Lawrence
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Position:
RHP
Born:
10/28/87
Height:
6'2"
Weight:
170
B/T:
R/R
Acquired:
Signed as a non-drafted free agent on June 15, 2010 (TOR).
Most Recent Stats at Time of Debut
| 2016 Season Stats: Went a combined 8-12 with a 4.17 ERA in 28 starts between New Hampshire (Double-A) and Buffalo (Triple-A), striking out 108 batters and walking 37 while giving up 179 hits in 162 innings. |
Info & MLB Debut Date
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Contract purchased from Buffalo April 8 when RHP Dominic Leone was optioned to Buffalo and RHP Bo Schultz was transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day DL. MLB Debut Date: 04/08/17 |
Debut Details
| April 8, in a 3-2 11-inning loss to the Rays. The last of four pitchers on the night, he went two-thirds of an inning, allowing one run on one hit, walking three and striking out one. He started the 11th inning in relief of reliever and RHP Jason Grilli. After giving up a double to right field to Mallex Smith, the first batter he faced, Lawrence recorded his first out when Tim Beckham bunted Smith over to third. Lawrence then issued the "new style" of intentional walks to both Corey Dickerson and Kevin Kiermaier to load the bases with one out. After Evan Longoria struck out on a foul tip for the second out of the inning, Lawrence walked Brad Miller on a full count to end the game (and in this case, no one can use the argument of an ensuing lack of control after two intentional walks). Overall, Lawrence threw 14 pitches, eight of them for strikes. |
Player Notes
| Just a week into the season and we already have one of our feel-good stories for the month. Lawrence has managed to overcome all the odds to make it up to the big leagues before the first week of the 2017 season had ended. Originally signed by the Jays back in 2010 as an undrafted senior out of Division III Albright University (PA), he quickly got on the radar that summer by posting a combined 7-2 record and 2.33 ERA in 16 games between Auburn (Short-Season A) and Lansing (Class A), limiting opposing hitters to a .221 average and striking out 61 while walking 12 in 77 1/3 innings. He combined for a 3.04 ERA the next summer between Lansing and Dunedin (High A) before falling into a sort of "no man's land" holding pattern, seeing time between Double-A and Triple-A for the next several years. Now in his eighth year with the Jays, he had a fine spring training as a non-roster invitee, posting a 3.86 ERA in 16 1/3 innings and making it through to one of the last cuts on March 28 before being reassigned. He's always been a starter and always been a workhorse as a control pitcher with a two-seam and four-seam fastball, changeup, slider and curveball. |