Anthony Thomas Slama is a relief pitcher

Relief pitcher

A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...

 for the Minnesota Twins

Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

. He is 6'3", and weighs 207 lbs., and bats and throws right-handed.

Slama was selected in the 39th round of the draft out of the University of San Diego

University of San Diego

The University of San Diego is a Roman Catholic university in San Diego, California. USD offers more than sixty bachelor's, master’s, and doctoral programs...

, where he played for the San Diego Toreros baseball team. He began his professional career in 2007 with the Rookie level Elizabethton Twins

Elizabethton Twins

The Elizabethton Twins are a minor league baseball team in Elizabethton, Tennessee, USA. They are a Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League, and have been a farm team of the Minnesota Twins since 1974. The Twins play home games at Joe O'Brien Field...

, and after only six appearances where he struck out 10 in 7.1 innings, earned a promotion to the Beloit Snappers

Beloit Snappers

The Beloit Snappers are a Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Minnesota Twins, that plays in the Midwest League.Beloit joined the Midwest League as an expansion franchise in 1982. They were a Milwaukee Brewers farm team from its beginning through 2004; they switched to the...

.

Slama spent the season with the Twins' advanced A affiliate, the Fort Myers Miracle

Fort Myers Miracle

The Fort Myers Miracle is the Class A Advanced minor league baseball affiliate of the Minnesota Twins Major League Baseball club, currently managed by Jake Mauer. Home games are played at the Lee County Sports Complex in Hammond Stadium, which has a capacity of 7,500, and opened in...

. He compiled a 2-0 record with a 0.50 earned run average

Earned run average

In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...

 and 12 saves in the first half of the 2008 season—helping Fort Myers capture the Florida State League

Florida State League

The Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...

 first-half West Division title. Along with teammates Robert Delaney

Robert Delaney

Robert Delaney is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball. He pitches right-handed, but bats lefty.Delaney attended Pascack Valley High School....

, Brian Dinkelman

Brian Dinkelman

Brian Adam Dinkelman is an American professional baseball second baseman for the Minnesota Twins. Dinkelman was born on November 10, 1983, in Centralia, Illinois. After graduating from Centralia High School in 2002, Dinkelman attended McKendree University and graduated in 2006; he was later...

, Jeff Manship

Jeff Manship

Jeffrey Michael Manship is a right-handed pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. He was the Twins' 14th round selection of the June 2006 Major League Baseball Draft.-Amateur career:...

, Wilson Ramos

Wilson Ramos

Wilson Abraham Ramos is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Washington Nationals. He is 6' tall, weighs 221 lbs., and throws and bats right-handed. He signed with the Minnesota Twins as a non-drafted free agent on July 7, ....

 and Danny Valencia

Danny Valencia

Daniel Paul Valencia is a third baseman for the Minnesota Twins.In high school, he was all-county three times and all-state twice. In college, he was Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, second-team all-conference, and on his all-regional team...

, Slama represented the Fort Myers Miracle in the 2008 Florida State League All-Star game.

For the season, he went 4-1 with a 1.01 ERA, 25 saves and 110 strikeout

Strikeout

In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....

s in 71 inning

Inning

Inning is a municipality in the district of Erding in Bavaria in Germany....

s to earn All-FSL Team honors, the Jim Rantz Award Twins' Minor League Pitcher

Pitcher

In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

 of the Year and MILB.com's "Best Class A Reliever."

He recorded the save in both division play off games against the Dunedin Blue Jays

Dunedin Blue Jays

The Dunedin Blue Jays are a minor league baseball team based in Dunedin, Florida. They play in the Florida State League, and are the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club...

, and in the Miracle's one win against the Daytona Cubs

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs are a minor league baseball team based in Daytona Beach, Florida. The team plays in the Florida State League , and is the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs major league club. The Cubs play at Jackie Robinson Ballpark; opened in 1914, the park seats 5,100 fans.The...

 in the FSL championship series. His 13.94 strikeouts-per-nine innings ranked third among all Minor League relievers, and his .173 opponents' batting average ranked eighth.

On July 20, 2010, he was called up to the majors. Alex Burnett

Alex Burnett

Alex James Burnett is a right-handed relief pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. He is six feet tall and weighs 215 lbs., and was signed in the 12th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft....

 was sent down to make room for him.

Anthony made his major league debut for the Minnesota Twins on July 21, 2010, against the Cleveland Indians

Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...

. He worked one inning, striking out two in finishing a victory.

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