A's calling up top pitching prospect | Seattle Times Newspaper

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Athletics plan to call up right-hander Dan Straily, who has more strikeouts than any other pitcher in professional baseball, to start Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Straily has 175 strikeouts in 138-1/3 innings while splitting time between Class AA Midland and Class AAA Sacramento this season. That's 21 more strikeouts than major-league leader Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals.

"I think we're all excited to watch him pitch," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "Guys like that you find a way to get into the rotation. I've seen the video, I've seen the numbers, and everybody is real excited. Tomorrow will be a very good day because of it — a lot of hype, and rightfully so."

Straily doesn't have an overpowering fastball — he averages between 90-92 mph — but complements it with a slider and changeup that helped the fourth-round pick in 2009 quickly move through the A's farm system.

Notes

• The Texas Rangers brought up top hitting prospect Mike Olt, a corner infielder, and optioned utility player Brandon Snyder to Class AAA Round Rock.

• OF Scott Podsednik, 36, declined assignment to Class AAA Reno and was released by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

• The first batch of century-old baseball cards found in an Ohio attic fetched $566,132 in brisk online and live bidding. They were expected to bring about $500,000. Heritage Auctions plans to sell most of the Ohio cards over the next two of three years through auctions and believes they could bring up to $3 million.

• The music stopped at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Fla., after a minor-league umpire ejected the music DJ for playing "Three Blind Mice" during a game between the Daytona Cubs and Fort Myers Miracle.

• RHP Alex Wimmers is the latest Minnesota Twins prospect set for Tommy John surgery.

By The Associated Press