Oriole #908- Pedro Strop

The 908th player to wear the Orioles' uniform in a game is pitcher Pedro Strop, who (pretty much) came to the Orioles from the Rangers in an end of August trade deadline deal for the much maligned Michael Gonzalez. I say pretty much because the Rangers had placed Pedro on waivers and the Orioles somehow were able to choose him as the player to be named later (PTBNL) in the Gonzo transaction. Normally, when the Orioles make one of these late season trades, the PTBNL transforms into cash coming to the O's, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear we would receive an actual player for once.

Pedro was originally signed by the Rockies as an international free agent in 2002 to play shortstop. After he didn't have much success at the plate, they eventually converted him to a pitcher in 2006 before releasing him after the 2008 season. The Rangers then signed him and he has spent parts of the past three seasons pitching for Texas in the Majors.

So far, Pedro has been nothing but dominant since being traded to the O's and has pitched in eight games without giving up a run since his September 3rd debut. Over 7.2 innings pitched, he has only given up two hits, walked two, struck out nine, and has maintained a tidy .5222 WHIP. Those numbers will be almost impossible to keep up over time, but it's a great start nonetheless.

Pedro's only major card release to this point in his career was 2010 Upper Deck. I didn't have any cards of his so had to buy this card online and it's a little bit of a busier design than I generally would choose but it was my favorite of his cards. I can't really tell what's going on with his signature, but I like the squiggle inside the larger loop.

Keep up the great work Pedro!