Hunter Alexander Stratton (born November 17, 1996) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...

for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

(MLB). He made his MLB debut for the Pirates in 2023.

Amateur career

Stratton attended

Sullivan East High School Sullivan East High School is a 9th–12th grade public high school located in Bluff City, Tennessee, United States. History The school opened after the consolidation of Bluff City High School, Mary Hughes High School, and Holston Valley High ...

in Bluff City, Tennessee, where he finished his high school career with 168 strikeouts and was inducted into their Hall of Fame. He played two seasons of

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

Walters State Community College Walters State Community College (abbreviated as WSCC, and commonly known as Walters State) is a public community college based in Morristown, Tennessee. It was founded in 1970 and is operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The college was ...

, throwing two

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher w ...

s during his sophomore year. Following the end of his sophomore year, he was selected by the

in the 16th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.

Professional career

Stratton signed with the Pirates and made his professional debut with the Bristol Pirates of the Rookie-level

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wood bats, its season runs from J ...

, going 0–2 with a 4.81 ERA and 38 strikeouts over 43 innings. He spent the 2018 season with the West Virginia Power of the Single–A

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

with whom he appeared in 22 games (making twenty starts) and went 6–5 with a 4.16 ERA and 82 strikeouts over innings. In 2019, he pitched for the

Bradenton Marauders The Bradenton Marauders are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Bradenton, Florida, and play their home games at LECOM Park, which also serves as the ...

of the High–A

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A follow ...

where he pitched 72 innings and compiled a 5–4 record and 4.25 ERA. Stratton did not play a minor league game in 2020 due the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

. Stratton began the 2021 season with the Altoona Curve of the

Double-A Northeast AA, Aa, Double A, or Double-A may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''America's Army'', a 2002 computer game published by the U.S. Army * '' Ancient Anguish'', a computer game in existence since 1992 * Aa!, a J-Pop musical group * Dou ...

and was promoted to the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which opene ...

of the Triple-A East during the season. Over 38 relief appearances between the two teams, he went 2–2 with a 2.39 ERA and seventy strikeouts over 49 innings. After the season, he played in the Dominican Winter League for the Gigantes del Cibao. He returned to the Indians for the 2022 season. Over 46 relief appearances, he posted a 2–6 record with a 5.71 ERA and 82 strikeouts over 63 innings. Stratton returned to Triple–A Indianapolis in 2023. In 47 appearances, he registered a 4–4 record and 3.99 ERA with 74 strikeouts and 6 saves in innings pitched. On September 4, 2023, Stratton was selected to the

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. In 8 games for the Pirates during his debut campaign, he posted a respectable 2.25 ERA with 10 strikeouts across 12.0 innings of work. On November 17, Stratton was non-tendered and became a free agent. On December 8, 2023, Stratton re–signed with the Pirates organization on a minor league contract. On March 25, 2024, the Pirates announced that Stratton's contract would be selected after he made the

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

roster. In 36 appearances out of the

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...

, he compiled a 3.58 ERA with 33 strikeouts across innings pitched. On August 24, Stratton suffered a ruptured patellar tendon while attempting to cover home plate on a wild pitch that got past Joey Bart. He was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the season and was placed on the 60–day injured list the following day.

Personal life

Stratton married his wife, Lakyn, in November 2019. Their first child, Maverick, was born in March 2024.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stratton, Hunter 1996 births Living people Altoona Curve players Baseball players from Tennessee Bradenton Marauders players Bristol Pirates players Florida Complex League Pirates players Gigantes del Cibao players Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball pitchers People from Bristol, Tennessee Pittsburgh Pirates players Walters State Senators baseball players West Virginia Power players