Quick Facts
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Biography
Thomas Ryan Pressly (born December 15, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). Originally selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 11th round of the 2007 MLB Draft, he was selected from the Red Sox by the Minnesota Twins in the 2012 Rule 5 draft. Pressly made his MLB debut with the Twins in 2013. The Twins traded him to Houston in 2018.
Career
Amateur career
Pressly attended American Heritage Academy in Carrollton, Texas, for his first three years of high school. He starred as a pitcher and shortstop for the school's baseball team, leading the conference in 23 different offensive categories. As the school considered ending its baseball program, Pressly transferred to Edward S. Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas, for his senior year. In addition to baseball, Pressly played American football as a defensive back. During a football game, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee when he was tackled following an interception. His knee required surgery, jeopardizing his baseball career.
Pressly committed to attend Texas Tech University after receiving a scholarship to play college baseball for the Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball team.
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox drafted Pressly in the 11th round, with the 354th overall selection, of the 2007 MLB Draft. Pressly signed with Boston for a $100,000 signing bonus rather than attend college. Pressly worked as a starting pitcher for the Red Sox in minor league baseball, but was converted into a relief pitcher in 2012. As a relief pitcher for the Portland Sea Dogs of the Class AA Eastern League, he pitched to a 2.93 earned run average with 21 strikeouts in 27 ⁄3 innings pitched.
Minnesota Twins
After the 2012 season, the Minnesota Twins selected Pressly from the Red Sox in the Rule 5 draft. Pressly made the Twins' Opening Day roster. He made his major league debut on April 4, pitching a scoreless inning, in which he struck out Torii Hunter. Pressly appeared in 49 games, going 3-3.
Pressly played for the Twins for six years as a relief pitcher. He had a stint in the minor leagues in 2014 and a few brief ones in 2015 and 2017 as well. He appeared in 72 games in 2016, compiling a 6-7 record with a 3.70 ERA.
In 2017 he was 2-3 with a 4.70 ERA in 57 relief appearances.
Houston Astros
The Twins traded Pressly to the Houston Astros for minor leaguers Jorge Alcalá and Gilberto Celestino on July 27, 2018. In 26 regular season games pitched with the Astros, Pressly had a 0.77 ERA and walked only three batters. Houston's focus on analytics has largely been credited for his post-trade success.
Before the 2019 season, Pressly signed a two-year contract extension with the Astros worth $17.5 million. In 2019 he was 2-3 with three saves and a 2.32 ERA in 55 relief appearances in which he pitched 54 ⁄3 innings and struck out 72 batters (11.9 per 9 innings), and tied for the major league lead in holds (31).
