Tyler Glasnow, who was born in Newhall and played prep baseball at Hart, was traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Tampa Bay Rays at the MLB trade deadline on Tuesday.
The deal will send the right-handed pitcher and Austin Meadows to Tampa in exchange for Chris Archer.
Glasnow was drafted by the Pirates in the fifth round of the 2011 MLB Draft. He spent his first few seasons in the Minor Leagues before being called up by Pittsburgh on July 7, 2016, where he pitched 5 ⅓ innings in a loss.
Glasnow struggled in his first few years in the pros and currently holds a 3-11 record. The Pirates decided to move him to the bullpen to start the 2018 season. He’s played well so far this season in 34 relief appearances, but his new team could look to move him back into a starting role.
Whether he stays in the bullpen or moves back to the starting rotation, his former baseball coach at Hart believes a fresh start will be extremely beneficial for Glasnow.
“Tampa has always been a place where young guys go to get opportunities,” Jim Ozella said. “It’s a team that has a real good history of developing pitchers and I really think this will jumpstart his career.”
When asked if he spoke to his former player after news broke that he was traded, Ozella said he texted him saying congratulations and wondered if he’d move back to the starting rotation.
“I asked him today, does this mean you’re going back to starting?” said Ozella. “He said we’ll just have to wait and find out.”
