McKirahan is the 126th former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former La Crosse Loggers pitcher Andrew McKirahan made his Major League debut for the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, April 12, 2015. McKirahan is the 126th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
McKirahan, who played collegiately at Texas, played for the La Crosse Loggers in 2009. McKirahan was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 21st round of the 2011 MLB draft.
In 2009 with the Loggers, McKirahan made 14 appearances in relief and had a 2.81 ERA over 16 innings pitched. He also struck out 16 batters.
McKirahan began his Minor League career in 2011 with the Cubs affiliate in the Rookie Arizona League. After 11 appearances he was promoted to the Boise Hawks of the short-season A Northwest League. McKirahan made four appearances with the Hawks and combined to go 0-2 with 23 strikeouts and a 1.62 ERA over 16.2 innings pitched between the two teams.
In 2012 McKirahan started the season in the Lo A Midwest League with the Peoria Chiefs. He made nine appearances and was 0-0 with a 1.80 ERA with 11 strikeouts in ten innings pitched. He also saved two games. His season was cut short by an arm injury that required him to have Tommy John surgery.
Following his surgery the previous season McKirahan was able to pitch again in 2013. He began his season again with the Cubs Rookie affiliate in the Arizona League and made two appearances before returning to Boise. Following five appearances with Boise he was promoted to the Kane County Cougars of the Lo A Midwest League. Over 21 games between the three teams he was 3-0 with a 2.79 ERA to go along with 37 strikeouts in 29 innings pitched.
The 2014 season saw McKirahan pitch again for multiple teams. He began the year with the Daytona Cubs in the Hi A Florida State League before being promoted, after 23 appearances, to the Tennessee Smokies of the AA Southern League. McKirahan went 2-4 with a 2.08 ERA over 44 appearances. He also saved ten games and had 57 strikeouts in 65 innings pitched.
Following the 2014 season McKirahan was acquired by the Marlins in the MLB Rule 5 Draft but was waived at the end of Spring Training. The Braves then claimed McKirahan and added him to their opening day roster.
In his Major League debut, versus the New York Mets, McKirahan entered the game with one out in the 8th inning. He pitched 1.2 innings and allowed only one hit.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 21 year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (BOS) and Ben Zobrist (OAK). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com.