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Former Oregon star Robby Ahlstrom called up by Texas Rangers
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- Former Oregon star Robby Ahlstrom called up by Texas Rangers
Another Duck is headed to the big leagues.
Former Oregon Ducks starter Robby Ahlstrom has been called up by the Texas Rangers and will join the team in St. Louis to make his MLB debut. The 26-year-old right-hander has developed into a bullpen arm in the minor leagues.
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Ahlstrom starred for three seasons with the Ducks before being selected in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees . After beginning his professional career as a starter, he quickly made a transition to the bullpen and has thrived there. Ahlstrom was traded by the Yankees to the Rangers in 2022 in a deal that included big-league catcher Jose Trevino .
In 2021, the southpaw was the ace for an Oregon team that hosted a regional in Eugene . Although the Ducks fell to LSU in the regional final, the hometown kid pitched to a 2.50 ERA in 14 starts and earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2021.
Oregon has had several hometown heroes wear the uniform over the years. Ahlstrom grew up in Eugene and went to North Eugene High School before enrolling at Chemeketa Community College in Salem in 2017. Former Oregon head coach George Horton took a liking to Ahlstrom during a camp he participated in 2017, and in 2019, he suited up for the team he grew up rooting for.
This year, Ahlstrom has taken his game to another level, pitching to a 2.76 ERA in 29 ⅓ innings out of the bullpen while striking out 28.4% of the batters he's faced and only walking 6.9% of batters. He throws a four-seam fastball and a sinker in the mid-90s while featuring a slider and a changeup as his offspeed pitches. Ahlstrom also throws a big curveball, but not often.
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Ahlstrom is the second Duck to join the big leagues this season, following Rikku Nishida , who was called up by the Chicago White Sox last month. Ahlstrom will become the seventh active former Oregon player in MLB this season.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Ex-Oregon pitcher Robby Ahlstrom called up by Texas Rangers
