Lucas William Bradley Harrell (born June 3, 1985) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He has played in

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(MLB) for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

, Texas Rangers, and

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

. Harrell has also played for the

LG Twins LG Corporation (or LG Group) (), formerly Lucky-Goldstar from 1983 to 1995 (Korean: ''Leokki Geumseong''; ), is a South Korean multinational conglomerate founded by Koo In-hwoi and managed by successive generations of his family. It is ...

of the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

High school

As a

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

, Harrell led Ozark High School to its first state championship in 2004 over Mary Institute and the Saint Louis Country Day School. That same year Harrell went 10–1 with a 1.09 ERA. Harrell had three hits in the State Championship game against MICDS. In the semi-final game at the state championship, Harrell was 2–3 with a double and go-ahead home run to lead off the 6th inning. He also threw a complete game as Ozark scored a 2–1 victory over nationally ranked

Sikeston, Missouri Sikeston is a city located both in southern Scott County and northern New Madrid County, in the state of Missouri, United States. It is situated just north of the " Missouri Bootheel", although many locals consider Sikeston a part of it. By way ...

. Harrell also played on the Ozark state championship

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team in 2003.

Professional career

Chicago White Sox

Harrell was drafted out of high school by the

in the 4th round (119th overall) of the 2004 Major League Baseball draft. Harrell began his professional career for the Rookie League Bristol White Sox in . Making 9 starts in 13 appearances, he had a 3–5 record with a 5.59

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

. In 2005, Harrell advanced to the Single-A

Kannapolis Intimidators Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties, in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte and is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The city of Kannapolis was incorporated in 1984. The ...

. He went 7–11 with a 3.65 ERA. His 26 starts and 11 losses led the Intimidators, was tied for 3rd on the team in wins, and was third on the team in

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

(85). In , Harrell split the season between the Single-A

Winston-Salem Warthogs Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

and the Double-A Birmingham Barons. Making a combined 20 starts, he went 7–4 with a 3.18 ERA. Harrell was also a

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

midseason All-Star. In 2007, Harrell missed the entire season following right shoulder surgery. On November 20, 2007, the White Sox purchased Harrell's contract, protecting him from the Rule 5 draft. Harrell made his MLB debut on July 30, 2010, pitching six innings and allowing only one run in a 6–1 win over the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

and immediately returned to the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

. On May 29, 2011, Harrell was recalled to take the spot of

Tony Peña Antonio Francisco Peña Padilla (; born June 4, 1957) is a Dominican former professional baseball player, manager and coach. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Pirates, Cardinals, Red Sox, Indians, White Sox, and Astros. ...

, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list.

Houston Astros

Harrell was claimed off waivers by the

on July 8, 2011. His first start with the Astros was on September 2 against the Brewers. He finished the 2011 season with a 4.50 ERA, 15 strikeouts, a 0–2 record, and a 1.72 WHIP. Lucas Harrell 2013 (2)

On April 2, 2012 Harrell was declared a starting pitcher in the team's Opening Day rotation. In his first start of the season, he threw seven scoreless innings and allowed three hits while striking out four against the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

. Harrell also got his first major league hit, a bunt that hugged the third-base line and stayed fair. On June 27, 2012 he recorded his first shutout and complete game in a 1–0 win over the

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. Not since

Taylor Buchholz Taylor Buchholz (born October 13, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Biography Buchholz stands 6 feet 4 inches tall, and weighs 220 lbs. He bats and throws right-handed. He grew up and lives in Springfield, Pe ...

in 2006 had an Astros rookie pitcher recorded a shutout. Harrell finished with team bests in wins (11), innings pitched (193.2), ERA (3.76) and in WHIP (1.35). Lucas Harrell on July 30, 2013

In 2013, Harrell pitched poorly throughout the season. At one point he was demoted to the bullpen but was placed back in the rotation by the end of the season. Harrell finished with a league high 17 losses accompanied by a 5.86 ERA in 36 games (22 starts). He also finished with a league high 88 walks. On April 16, 2014, the Astros designated Harrell for assignment. He was outrighted to the minor leagues on April 22.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On April 28, 2014 the Astros traded Harrell to the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. The Diamondbacks released Harrell on August 24, 2014. His stats were poor, after starting out well in his first few starts in Reno, Harrell declined gradually over the course of the next few months. In over 100 innings pitched, Harrell had 77 walks against 67 strikeouts and registered a WHIP of 1.80 in 22 games for the Aces.

LG Twins

On November 25 2014, Harrell signed with the

Detroit Tigers

On March 7, 2016, Harrell signed a minor league contract with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. Harrell appeared in six games between the AAA and AA minor league Detroit Tigers system.

Atlanta Braves

Harrell was acquired by the Braves on May 21, 2016. On July 2, the Braves called him up to make a spot start. Harrell pitched six innings, yielding one run on five hits in his first major league start since April 15, 2014, and earned his first win since August 14, 2013.

Texas Rangers

On July 27, 2016, the Braves traded Harrell and

Darío Álvarez Darío Rafael Álvarez Espinal (born January 17, 1989) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Guelph Royals of the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Atlanta Brave ...

to the Texas Rangers for

Travis Demeritte Travis Timothy Demeritte (born September 30, 1994) is an American professional baseball second baseman and outfielder who is currently a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves. Career Texas Rangers ...

. Harrell made his Rangers debut on July 31, 2016, and earned a win. On October 28, Harrell rejected an outright assignment to the minor leagues and became a free agent.

Toronto Blue Jays

On January 30, 2017, Harrell signed a minor league contract with the

that included an invitation to spring training. On July 1, Harrell was called up by the Blue Jays. He was designated for assignment on July 17. On October 6, Harrell elected free agency.

International career

In 2009, Harrell was called up to play in the Baseball World Cup with

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

. Harrell and the USA Baseball team won the World Cup and the Gold Medals.

Scouting report

Harrell is an extreme ground ball pitcher, relying on a 91 MPH

two-seam fastball A two-seam fastball is a pitch in baseball and softball. It is a variant of the straight fastball. The pitch has the speed of a fastball and can also include late-breaking action caused by varying the pressure of the index and middle fingers on t ...

. In 2012, he averaged 57% ground ball outs, ranking in the top 5 in the major leagues. He also throws an upper 80's slider, a curveball and a changeup.Exploring the Arsenal – Lucas Harrell
Retrieved September 29, 2013.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harrell, Lucas 1985 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in South Korea Atlanta Braves players Baseball players from Missouri Birmingham Barons players Bristol White Sox players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Dunedin Blue Jays players Erie SeaWolves players Gwinnett Braves players Houston Astros players Kannapolis Intimidators players KBO League pitchers LG Twins players Major League Baseball pitchers Oklahoma City RedHawks players People from Ozark, Missouri Sportspeople from Springfield, Missouri Texas Rangers players Toledo Mud Hens players Toronto Blue Jays players Winston-Salem Warthogs players