Trystan Magnuson
Trystan Stewart Gwyn Magnuson
- Bats Left, Throws Right
- Height 6' 8", Weight 205 lb.
- School University of Louisville
- High School duPont Manual High School
- Debut May 17, 2011
- Final Game August 15, 2011
- Born June 6, 1985 in Vancouver, BC, CAN
Biographical Information[edit]
Trystan Magnuson made his minor league debut in 2007 and reached the majors with the Oakland Athletics in 2011. He is the great-nephew of former NHL defenseman Keith Magnuson [1].
Magnuson was redshirted as a college freshman at the University of Louisville in 2003. In 2004, he allowed 6 runs in 3 1/3 IP for Louisville. During his sophomore season, he improved to 5-5, 3.72. He had a 4-2, 3.69 record as a junior in 2006. In his senior season, 2007, Trystan became a reliever and put in a great campaign at 3-3 with 9 saves and a 1.77 ERA. He had 59 strikeouts to 11 walks and held opponents to a .194 average. In a weird twist of the rules, Louisville's only College World Series appearance in school history in 2007 worked against Magnuson. As a fifth-year senior, he would have been a free agent if his school's season had ended before the draft.
Magnuson was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the first round (56th overall) of the 2007 amateur draft. He was the third Canadian picked that year, following Phillippe Aumont and Kyle Lotzkar. The pick was compensation for the loss of Ted Lilly to free agency. He was signed by scout Steve Miller and made his professional debut with Class A Lansing Lugnuts in 2008. He went 0-9 (on a 76-64 team) with a 5.40 ERA in 24 starts, striking out 49 and walking 35 in 81 2/3 innings. His longest outing was five innings, a feat he accomplished four times that season. He posted a 3.70 ERA at home.
In 2009, the right-hander was 4-1 with a save and a 2.77 ERA in 38 games for the Dunedin Blue Jays and tossed 10 shutout innings for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, going 1-0, giving up 4 hits, striking out 7 and walking 1.
He joined Team Canada for the 2009 Baseball World Cup. Team Canada finished 3rd in the Tournament, winning a Bronze Medal, their first Medal ever in a Baseball World Cup. He was named to the All-Tournament Team as the best relief pitcher in the tournament. Magnuson had gone 4-0 with no runs and only four hits in 9 2/3 innings. He tied the World Cup record for wins - 18 other hurlers had won four but Trystan was the first since Chien-Fu Kuo Lee in 1990. Magnuson's wins were against Mexico, Taiwan, the Netherlands and Puerto Rico (that one coming in the Bronze Medal game). Three of those teams finished in the top eight with Mexico placing the lowest at 13th.
Magnuson pitched for the World team in the 2010 Futures Game. He joined fellow Canadians Brett Lawrie and Philippe Valiquette on the World squad. In the 6th inning, he relieved Stolmy Pimentel with a 5-1 deficit and two outs. He began by walking Desmond Jennings, who stole second and scored on a Grant Green single. Lonnie Chisenhall drew a five-pitch walk and Mike Trout singled to load the bases. Eric Hosmer flew out, the only time Hosmer was retired in five at-bats in the game. In the 7th, he got Austin Romine to fly out then gave way to Valiquette. For the season, he went 3-0 with 5 saves and 10 walks against 63 strikeouts in 73 1/3 IP for New Hampshire, posting a 2.58 ERA. On November 17th, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics along with Danny Farquhar in return for OF Rajai Davis. He started 2011 very well with the Sacramento River Cats (0-1, 3 Sv, 1.56, 19 K, 8 H, an uncharacteristic 9 BB in 17 1/3 IP).
He made his major league debut with the A's on May 17, 2011, pitching the 9th inning in a 14-0 romp over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Relieving Craig Breslow, he allowed a leadoff single to Jeff Mathis. Peter Bourjos and Erick Aybar both grounded out, then Hank Conger fanned to end the game. Overall, he had a 6.14 ERA in 9 appearances, making three trips to Oakland from the minor leagues. He missed the last two months of the season with shoulder tendinitis, then was the victim of a numbers crunch when the A's had to set their off-season roster with six players coming off the 60-day disabled list. He was thus designated for assignment and placed on waivers. The Blue Jays were happy to claim him back a day later, buying his contract from the A's. Because of his injury the previous season, he started 2012 back at Dunedin in Class A, where he went 0-4, 5.40 in 13 games. He was much better at AA New Hampshire, however, posting a 1.72 ERA in 31 1/3 innings, with 5 saves.
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