Justin Michael Slaten (born September 15, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Slaten made his MLB debut in 2024.

Justin Slaten
Boston Red Sox – No. 63
Pitcher
Born: (1997-09-15) September 15, 1997 (age 26)
Longview, Texas, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
March 30, 2024, for the Boston Red Sox
MLB statistics
(through April 21, 2024)
Win–loss record1–0
Earned run average0.63
Strikeouts11
Teams

Biography edit

Amateur edit

Slaten attended Hallsville High School in Hallsville, Texas.[1] As a senior, Slaten went 6–5 with a 1.49 earned run average (ERA) and 105 strikeouts in 75 innings pitched.[2] Undrafted out of high school, he attended The University of New Mexico to play college baseball for the New Mexico Lobos. In his freshman season of 2017, Slaten went 2–2 with a 3.71 ERA and 27 strikeouts over 33+23 innings. He struggled in his sophomore of 2018 to a 2–9 record with a 7.02 ERA over 66+23 innings. During the summer of 2018, Slaten played for the Eau Claire Express of the Northwoods League, going 7–1 with a 1.58 ERA and 70 strikeouts over 57 innings.[3] In his junior season of 2019, Slaten went 5–5 with a 2.51 ERA and 98 strikeouts over 82+13 innings.[4]

Texas Rangers edit

The Texas Rangers selected Slaten in the third round of the 2019 MLB draft and he signed with them.[5][6] Slaten split his professional debut season of 2019 between the AZL Rangers of the Rookie-level Arizona League and the Spokane Indians of the Low–A Northwest League, going a combined 0–2 with a 6.06 ERA and 22 strikeouts over 16+13 innings.[7] He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He spent the 2021 season with the Hickory Crawdads of the High-A East, going 4–8 with a 6.01 ERA and 110 strikeouts over 82+13 innings.[8]

Slaten spent the 2022 season with the Frisco RoughRiders of the Double-A Texas League, going 1–6 with a 6.93 ERA and 64 strikeouts over 50+23 innings.[9] Slaten returned to Frisco to open the 2023 season, going 4–3 with a 3.16 ERA and 76 strikeouts over 51+13 innings.[10][11] He was promoted to the Round Rock Express of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League in September and posted a 1–0 record with a 1.08 ERA over 8+13 innings. Following the 2023 season, Slaten played for the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League.[12]

Boston Red Sox edit

On December 6, 2023, the New York Mets chose Slaten with the seventh selection in the Rule 5 draft,[13] and traded him to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for minor-league left-handed pitcher Ryan Ammons and cash considerations.[14] Slaten was added to Boston's Opening Day roster,[15] and made his major-league debut on March 30.[16]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Graham, Mike (June 23, 2016). "Hallsville Baseball Star Justin Slaten Commits To New Mexico". ETSN.fm. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  2. ^ "Justin Slaten". University of New Mexico Lobos athletics. February 3, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  3. ^ Erickson, Nick (August 11, 2018). "Eau Claire Express: Slaten etched name near the top of team record books in several categories". Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  4. ^ "Longview native Justin Slaten drafted by Texas Rangers in third round of MLB draft". June 4, 2019.
  5. ^ Hague, Nathan (June 4, 2019). "MLB Draft: Hallsville's Justin Slaten selected in third round by Texas Rangers". Tyler Morning Telegraph. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  6. ^ Coleman, Michael (June 10, 2019). "Former Hallsville Bobcat Justin Slaten chats after being drafted to Texas Rangers". KLTV. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  7. ^ Nichols, Dave. "Justin Slaten adjusts to pro ball; Spokane Indians edged by Eugene". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  8. ^ Grant, Evan (March 3, 2022). "Rangers' top prospects: Improved fastball could be the key for Justin Slaten to stick as a starter". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  9. ^ Newberg, Jamey. "Texas Rangers 2022-23 offseason prospect rankings: Part 1 (Nos. 72 through 55)". The Athletic. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  10. ^ Newberg, Jamey (August 28, 2023). "Texas Rangers 2023 midseason prospect rankings: Part 1 (Nos. 72 through 43)". The Athletic. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  11. ^ Hague, Nathan (June 26, 2022). "Where Are They Now: Slaten enjoying baseball journey". The Marshall News Messenger. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  12. ^ Postins, Matthew (September 23, 2023). "Rangers Select Prospects for Arizona Fall League". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  13. ^ Cerullo, Mac (December 6, 2023). "Red Sox acquire RHP Justin Slaten from Mets". The Boston Herald. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  14. ^ Abriano, Danny (December 6, 2023). "Mets acquire minor league LHP Ryan Ammons for Rule 5 pick Justin Slaten". SNY. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  15. ^ "Red Sox's Justin Slaten: Makes roster". cbssports.com. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  16. ^ Bigley, Zach (March 31, 2024). "Justin Slaten makes MLB debut". milb.com. Retrieved April 20, 2024.

External links edit