The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 2014 starting rotation got a big boost today as Taylor Stanton, last season’s American Association Pitcher of the Year, has re-signed with the club.
In 2013, Stanton was 9-4 with a 2.43 ERA in 19 starts. He pitched a team-high 126.0 innings and allowed 39 runs (34 earned) on just 115 hits. Stanton struck out 108 batters, walked 29 and held opponents to a .242 batting average against him. He also picked up a victory in his only post-season start with 6.2 innings of shutout baseball against the Gary SouthShore RailCats.
Stanton’s 2.43 ERA was the best in the American Association last season, and he finished tied for second in the circuit with three complete games. He ranked eighth in strikeouts and was tied for ninth in victories.
2013 was Stanton’s first year with Fargo-Moorhead. He pitched the previous five seasons in the Seattle Mariners organization. Stanton reached the Double-A level with the Mariners in both the 2011 and 2012 seasons. He was selected by the Mariners in the 26th round of the 2008 draft out of Diablo Valley (CA) College.
“Taylor established himself as our ace last season, and we are happy we will be able to hand the ball to him every 5 days again this year,” said RedHawks Manager Doug Simunic. “He is a workhorse who can take over a game and eat innings. Taylor is a great guy to build a rotation around.”
