MESA, Ariz. – Former Auburn pitcher Calvin Coker has been added by the Oakland Athletics to the Mesa Solar Sox roster of the Arizona Fall League.
The Arizona Fall League is comprised of six teams across a pair of divisions and features many of the top prospects in professional baseball. Over the years, the league has produced 278 MLB All-Stars, 17 MVPs, six Cy Young Award winners and 29 Rookies of the Year.
"It's an amazing opportunity to be in the fall league in my first year in pro ball," Coker said. "The competition is going to be fun, and spending a few days in Triple-A let me know what this kind of competition is going to be like. It's still baseball, though. The bases are still 90 feet away and the mound is 60 feet, 6 inches. It all comes down to locating pitches and being consistent."
Coker led Auburn in appearances in each of his two seasons on The Plains, finishing his career with a 6-5 record and 4.31 ERA in 60 appearances, including one start. The Kyle, Texas, native struck out 95 batters in 110.2 innings and turned in nine saves.
After being drafted by Oakland in the 15th round of the 2018 MLB First Year Player Draft, Coker made six appearances, including one start, at three different levels for the Athletics. He ultimately posted a 3.97 ERA and earned three saves while striking out 27 batters in 22.2 innings of work.
Coker made his Triple-A debut with the Nashville Sounds on Sept. 1 and earned a save after turning in a scoreless inning in the regular season finale two days later.