Bats Left Throws Left Earned run average 2.05 Height 1.88 m Salary 507,500 USD (2016) | Win–loss record 0–1 Strikeouts 39 Weight 91 kg | |
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Current team Los Angeles Dodgers (#75 / Pitcher) Similar Ross Stripling, Andrew Toles, Pedro Baez, Josh Fields, Luis Avilán Profiles | ||
Grant A. Dayton (born November 25, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB)
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Dayton was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 11th round of the 2010 MLB draft out of Auburn University. He was traded to the Dodgers on July 15, 2015, in exchange for Chris Reed.
Amateur career
Dayton attended Bob Jones High School in Madison, Alabama. He pitched two no-hitters in high school, in 2005 and 2006 and as a senior was 7–3 with a 2.39 ERA and struck out 115, earning him first team all-state honors.
As a redshirt freshman for the Auburn Tigers he was 7–2 with a 3.89 ERA and became the staff ace. He was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball. As a sophomore, he was 2–6 with a 5.92 ERA in 13 starts and led the team in strikeouts with 69. In 2010, he was 8–3 with a 4.36 ERA as a Junior and led Auburn into the NCAA Regionals.
Miami Marlins
Dayton was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 11th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft. After one game with the Gulf Coast Marlins, he was assigned to the Jamestown Jammers of the New York–Penn League, where he was 1–1 with a 1.88 ERA in 17 appearances. In 2011 with the Greensboro Grasshoppers of the South Atlantic League, he appeared in 49 games with a 3.15 ERA and a 7–1 record. In 2012 he began the season with the Jupiter Hammerheads of the Florida State League where he was 2–5 with a 2.85 ERA in 31 appearances (including six starts) with 71 strikeouts. He credited his success that season to pitching coach Joe Coleman and on August 13 he was promoted to the Double-A Jacksonville Suns of the Southern League. He appeared in seven games for the Suns at the end of the season and then played for the Phoenix Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League.
Dayton received an invitation to major league spring training with the Marlins in 2013 but suffered a stress fracture in his pitching elbow and underwent surgery in February which kept him out of action until May 20. He was 4–4 with a 2.37 ERA in 30 games for the Suns that season.
Dayton was added to the Marlins 40 man roster after the 2013 season. He split the 2014 season between the Suns and the AAA New Orleans Zephyrs of the Pacific Coast League. In 50 games he had a 3.12 ERA and a 2–3 record and 79 strikeouts. He was designated for assignment by the Marlins on April 24, 2015 but remained in the organization and pitched in 25 games for New Orleans, with a 2–1 record and 2.83 ERA.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Dayton was traded by the Marlins to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 15, 2015, in exchange for former first-round pick Chris Reed. The Dodgers assigned him to the AAA Oklahoma City Dodgers. He struggled with Oklahoma City (9.26 ERA in nine games) and was demoted to the AA Tulsa Drillers of the Texas League where he had a 2.53 ERA in eight games.
Dayton had his contract purchased by the Dodgers and he was called up to the majors on July 21, 2016. He made his major league debut the following day against the St. Louis Cardinals by pitching two scoreless innings of relief in extra innings. In 25 games, he pitched 26 1⁄3 innings with a 2.05 ERA. He pitched in four games of the 2016 National League Division Series, allowing three earned runs in 1 2⁄3 innings and pitched another 1 2⁄3 innings over three games in the 2016 National League Championship Series, allowing no earned runs.