Ryan Merritt

Position: LHP
Born: 2/21/1992
Height: 6'0
Weight: 170
B/T: L/L
Acquired: Drafted in the 16th round of the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft (CLE)

Most Recent Stats at Time of Debut
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 3-4 with a 2.94 ERA in eight starts at Columbus (Triple-A) including one complete-game shutout, striking out 37 while walking eight and allowing 48 hits in 52 innings.

Info & MLB Debut Date
Recalled from Columbus May 23 when RHP Joba Chamberlain was placed on the 15-day DL.
MLB Debut Date: 5/30/2016

Debut Details
May 30, in a 9-2 loss to the Rangers. The third of four pitchers, he tossed 4.1 innings of one-hit shutout ball, striking out two without walking a batter. After starter Josh Tomlin gave up eight runs before the end of the fourth inning and reliever Austin Adams finished out that frame for him, Merritt came on to start the fifth. The first batter he faced, Elvis Andrus, hit a soft line drive single to right field, after which Merritt made short work of the next 12 batters he faced, throwing just 40 pitches, 32 for strikes. Andrus was erased when Ryan Rua grounded into a double play, after which Bryan Holaday grounded out. Merritt turned in a pair of one-two-three innings in the sixth and seventh, and then, in the eighth, Andrus once again reached base to lead off the inning, this time on a throwing error, only to be erased once again on a Rua double play ball, and then Holaday flew out. Merritt started the ninth by striking out Jurickson Profar before Cody Allen came on in relief to finish things off.

Player Notes
Merritt probably needed a rust remover – or at least a dust remover – when he was finally called on to make his big league debut. He had been recalled way back on May 23 and had one of the best seats in the house to watch the Indians games for a week before trotting out to the mound. Prior to his debut, Merritt had only had five outings ever out of the bullpen, making A wait not uncommon but certainly not THIS wait. A workhorse starter for the Indians in 2015 when he combined to go 12-7 with a 3.63 ERA between Akron (Double-A) and Columbus, he threw 171 innings that season, walking just 22 while striking out 105 and allowing 183 hits, posting two complete games. In 2014, he was among the High A Carolina League leaders in most categories, going 13-3 with a 2.58 ERA in 25 starts, including two complete games, and allowing 128 hits and 25 walks while striking out 127 in 160.1 IP. His WHIP has been just outstanding every season, and he’s tossed at least 130 innings in each of his three full seasons. His plus changeup highlights a four-pitch repertoire, but it’s his feel and control which carry him.