Toronto Blue Jays to Sign Oakland Ballers Right-Hander
One of the main pitches that the Pioneer League's Oakland Ballers could make to potential signees is that they play in the biggest market in the league, and signing with Oakland will provide a bigger platform and a greater opportunity to be seen. The team recently announced that a fourth player has been plucked from their roster by an MLB team.
The Toronto Blue Jays are set to sign right-hander Carson Lambert to a deal, pending a physical. Lambert becomes already the fourth Ballers player to have his contract purchased by a major league
club, after Danny Kirwin, who had his contract purchased by the Boston Red Sox in April, Tyler Davis,
who went to the Chicago White Sox in the first week of June, and Elijah Pleasants, who was taken by the San Francisco Giants only last week.
Lambert is the reigning PL Player of the Week after a tremendous showing against the Rocky Mountain Vibe where he threw six scoreless innings of one-hit ball with nine strikeouts. On the season he held a 7.77 ERA in six games (four starts) spanning 24 1/3 innings. He allowed 26 hits, walked five, and struck out 29.
After going undrafted, he signed with the Cincinnati Reds last season and tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings in the Arizona Complex League, striking out seven and walking one. Lambert played with USC from 2019-2022, and then played his final season at Texas A&M in 2023. He held a 4.86 ERA in college, which spanned 84 appearances and 137 innings.
As a part of the team’s ongoing commitment to build alongside the community, the Ballers plan to
donate a portion from each player signing to local charities.
JASON BURKE
Jason is the host of the Locked on A's podcast, and the managing editor of Inside the A's. He's a new father and can't wait to take his son to his first baseball game at the Coliseum.