Gamboa, a knuckleball pitcher, is the 160th former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former Eau Claire Express pitcher, Eddie Gamboa, made his Major League debut for the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, September 2, 2016. Gamboa is the 160th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Gamboa, who played collegiately at UC Davis, played for the Eau Claire Express in 2007. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 21st round of the 2008 MLB Draft.
In 2007 with the Express, Gamboa was 4-1 with a 1.74 ERA in 10 appearances. He also struck out 33 batters in 46.2 innings pitched.
Gamboa spent nine seasons in the Minor Leagues before his debut with the Rays. Eight of those seasons were spent in the Orioles organization before he was signed as a free agent before the 2016 season by the Tampa Bay Rays.
Gamboa also spent three off-seasons in the Mexican Pacific League with the Mayos de Navojoa.
During his time in the Minor Leagues he appeared in 236 games and compiled a 56-56 record, 3.51 ERA and 730 strikeouts in 900.1 innings. In the Mexican Pacific League he went 14-8 with a 2.57 ERA and struck out 158 batters in 214 innings pitched.
Prior to being called up by the Rays, Gamboa had spent the entire season with the Durham Bulls of the AAA International League. Over 27 appearances he was 6-4 with a 2.68 ERA and had struck out 89 batters in 94 innings pitched.
In his Major League debut against the Toronto Blue Jays, Gamboa entered the game in the 8th inning in relief of Kevin Jepsen. Gamboa pitched a third of an inning and allowed one run on one hit while walking two and striking out one.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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, 160 former 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 (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.