Kings Sign Former 1st Round Draft Pick
April 22, 2010 - Frontier League (FL)
Kalamazoo Kings News Release
KALAMAZOO - The Kalamazoo Kings have signed veteran RHP and former 1st round draft pick Tyler Herron for the 2010 season. The former Cardinals & Pirates farmhand was the 46th overall selection in the 2005 draft along with fellow first rounders Justin Upton, Ryan Braun and Jacoby Ellsbury. Baseball America rated Tyler as the 2nd best high school pitcher in Florida prior to the draft.
Tyler made his professional debut two weeks after the draft with the Rookie-level Johnson City Cardinals by striking out six batters in three innings. He would go on to make 13 starts his rookie season and struck out 49 batters in 49 innings.
In 2007, Tyler really blossomed with Quad Cities of the Midwest League when he went 10-7 with a 3.74 ERA and 130 K's to only 26 BB's. He was also named to the All-Star team that summer and at the end of the year was ranked by Scout.com as the Cardinals' 6th best prospect in the entire organization.
After a tough start to 2008 and posting a 5.20 ERA, Tyler rebounded well and over his last 12 games had a 2-2 record with a 2.70 ERA and dominated the strike zone again with a 4:1 K:BB ratio.
In 2009, Tyler performed well for the Double-A Springfield Cardinals with a 4.34 ERA before finishing the season with the Pirates' Double-A affiliate.
New Kalamazoo Kings' Field Manager Jamie Keefe is excited about his new pitcher, "We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to sign a pitcher with Tyler's experience and talent."
Opening night for the Kings is Thursday May 20th on the road at the Windy City Thunderbolts. The Kings' 2010 Home Opener is Tuesday May 25th with a 7:05pm game against the Washington Wild Things. Magnet Schedules will be passed out to the first 1,000 fans courtesy of Rapid Refill.
The Kings are a part of the Frontier League, a 12-team independent professional baseball league.
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Frontier League Stories from April 22, 2010
- Kings Sign Former 1st Round Draft Pick - Kalamazoo Kings
- Crushers Host Frontier League Tryout Camp - Lake Erie Crushers
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