A new face to CPBL fans will take the mound on Tuesday as Zeke Spruill (史博威) makes his Taiwan debut for the Lamigo Monkeys.
Spruill, a 27-year-old from Chesapeake, Virginia, was a second-round pick of Atlanta out of high school in the 2008 MLB draft. He then spent the next five seasons working his way up the Braves minor league system before being dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks as part of the Justin Upton trade.
The 6'5", 200-pound righty then began the 2013 season in Triple-A before making his MLB debut on June 21, pitching one inning in relief. He then made a few more appearances with the Diamondbacks before being traded to Boston in December 2014. He was then released by the Red Sox in July 2015. Overall, he has a 1-3 record with a 4.24 ERA in 12 appearances at the major league level.
Spruill was then named to Team USA for the 2015 WBSC Premier12. He made three starts for the national team, going 1-0 and leading the team in innings pitched with 15.2. He gave up just five earned runs over the entire tournament while striking out 12.
He turned that impressive performance into a contract with the KIA Tigers of the KBO for the 2016 season, where he went 10-13 with a 5.33 ERA in 29 games, striking out 119 in 147 innings.
Spruill then signed with Lamigo in mid-February. He made just one official spring training appearance for the Monkeys, giving up six earned runs over four innings against the Chinatrust Brothers on March 18.
His first regular-season task won't be an easy one, as he takes on a Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions team that put up 13 runs in their season opener on Sunday. Bruce Billings will be his opponent on the mound.
Spruill, a 27-year-old from Chesapeake, Virginia, was a second-round pick of Atlanta out of high school in the 2008 MLB draft. He then spent the next five seasons working his way up the Braves minor league system before being dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks as part of the Justin Upton trade.
The 6'5", 200-pound righty then began the 2013 season in Triple-A before making his MLB debut on June 21, pitching one inning in relief. He then made a few more appearances with the Diamondbacks before being traded to Boston in December 2014. He was then released by the Red Sox in July 2015. Overall, he has a 1-3 record with a 4.24 ERA in 12 appearances at the major league level.
Spruill was then named to Team USA for the 2015 WBSC Premier12. He made three starts for the national team, going 1-0 and leading the team in innings pitched with 15.2. He gave up just five earned runs over the entire tournament while striking out 12.
He turned that impressive performance into a contract with the KIA Tigers of the KBO for the 2016 season, where he went 10-13 with a 5.33 ERA in 29 games, striking out 119 in 147 innings.
Spruill then signed with Lamigo in mid-February. He made just one official spring training appearance for the Monkeys, giving up six earned runs over four innings against the Chinatrust Brothers on March 18.
His first regular-season task won't be an easy one, as he takes on a Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions team that put up 13 runs in their season opener on Sunday. Bruce Billings will be his opponent on the mound.
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