The Athletics have signed right-hander Robert Dugger to a minor league deal, according to Dugger’s MLB.com profile page. Dugger has been assigned to the team’s Arizona Complex League affiliate, indicating that Dugger could be undergoing a mechanical overhaul or simply be getting some Spring Training-esque ramp-up before his next assignment higher up the minor league ladder.
Dugger returns to North American baseball after a brief and unsuccessful stint in the Korea Baseball Organization. After signing a one-year, $750K deal with the SSG Landers over the offseason, Dugger posted a 12.71 ERA over six starts and 22 2/3 innings before being released at the end of April.
Despite those rough numbers, the 28-year-old Dugger could now provide the A’s with some rotation depth, given his more recent track record in the Pacific Coast League. The righty had a 4.31 ERA over 146 1/3 Triple-A innings with the Rangers’ top affiliate in 2023, which stood out as a particularly solid number in a very hitter-friendly league. A 22.6% strikeout rate and 9.5% walk rate weren’t overly impressive, but providing quality innings in the PCL is no small feat, and the Athletics surely have interest in seeing what Dugger can do at their own PCL team at Triple-A Las Vegas.
Dugger is a veteran of four Major League seasons, posting a 7.17 ERA across 86 2/3 innings with the Marlins, Mariners, Rays, and Reds from 2019-22. Never a hard thrower or a big strikeout pitcher, Dugger has relied on control to get good results, though his walk rates have been pretty modest over his last three minor league seasons.
Huh? Ok yeah go A’s…
I swear somebody makes this exact comment on every post about the A’s.
99.99 percent of Americans can’t tell you 1 Oakland a’s
Mason Miller is making headlines
No better closer in mlb right now
Wait, the brother from 45 Kids and Counting, or whatever that show was? Ya know, Jim Bob’s kid?
Well, honestly, I think supporting children is good. Give ‘em encouragement to offset the beatings, right? But it’s not totally necessary. I mean, at like….5 they could probably figure it out.
Oh wait, did you mean…? Oops.
He’s been facing kids his whole life, time to get him in the Show.
Donn’t need the “a’s”, don’t want the “a’s”.
Interesting how as soon as the “a;s” decided to run from Oakland like cowards, house values right around the stadium skyrocketed and how now all sorts of A-List movie actors are moving in right by the stadium, They knew the area was golden, they were just waiting for the rot (the “a’s”) to finally run from town.
Funny how that worked out.
Trojan. You are smoking something illegal.
Tell that to Depp, Cruise, Bezos, Watson, Johanson, Costner, etc.
is this satire? how’s it possible that a major league team is ruining industrial Oakland?
Want the A’s. Need the A’s.
Don’t want Fisher or Oakland politicians.
They can jump off the Bay Bridge.
He was born in Tucson when I lived in Tucson . I could’ve walked past him at the El con mall at some point in his life . I did walk past this pitcher once on 4Th avenue . I looked at him and thought that guy could pitch mlb baseball . He was going into this bar called The Hut . Then I would see him take the mound for the Mariners vs the A’s . Ray Fosse said his nickname was The Bartender . I said ahhh it’s him.