The Diamondbacks acquire LHP Robby Scott from Reds

Originally undrafted, Scott signed with the Red Sox in August 2011, after playing indie ball for the Yumas Scorpions under Jose Canseco. He pitched for them in each of the last three seasons. 2017 was his most active, appearing 57 times with an ERA of 3.79, with a K:BB of 31:13 over 35.2 innings. As that innings tally suggests, there was a fair amount of the left-hander being used as a LOOGY: almost half (27) of his outings involved him recording fewer than two outs. Last season was less impressive, with an 8.10 ERA over nine outings, though he pitched much better in the minors. At Triple-A Pawtucket, he had a 1.86 ERA in 48.1 IP, with a 63:21 K:BB ratio. He was especially tough on lefties, holding them to a .148 average.

Scott was selected off waivers by the Reds from the Red Sox on December 10, and has now been moved on to the Diamondbacks. That brings our 40-man roster to 39 at the present time. He’ll certainly compete for an Opening Day roster spot, with the other left-handed relievers currently on the roster being Andrew Chafin, T.J. McFarland and Jared Miller. He’ll probably get on well with Chafin, being another outdoorsy type. In particular, Scott enjoys diving for lobsters: “My grandfather was a huge fisherman. My mother was born and raised in Miami. They lived on the water. They had a boat. And we just kind of picked it up from there.” Not sure how many lobsters will be found on Lake Pleasant... :)

For local interest, here’s some more about his brief time with Yuma - less than a month. It ended unexpectedly, after one inning of a spot start. He remembers being told by Canseco, “I’ve got to take you out.” As Scott protested, Canseco interrupted him. “The Red Sox just purchased your contract. They want you off the field.” Said Scott, “I’ve never given the ball up so easily. ‘All right, here!’ and I ran off the field.” One of his team-mates there was Tony Phillips, an 18-year veteran in the majors who was the first Oakland player to hit for the cycle, bit was 52 years old when he played for Yuma. Scott assumed he just worked at the stadium, “Then that night he went 3-for-4 with two doubles.”

Welcome to Arizona, Mr. Scott.