Ryan Strieby NEWS

Ryan Strieby

Ryan Kristoffer Strieby (born August 9, 1985 in Seattle, Washington) is a first baseman in the Detroit Tigers organization.

Ryan played high school baseball at Mountlake Terrace High School in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. He then attended Edmonds Community College and was drafted after his freshmen year by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He decided to pursue college and after his sophmore season at Edmonds, left for the University of Kentucky.

After leading the University of Kentucky to the 2006 SEC Championship, he was drafted in the fourth round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft. In the same year, he was named the SEC Player of the Year.

In 2008, he broke the Lakeland Flying Tigers franchise record for home runs in a season with 29, and is in contention for the Florida State League Player of the Year Award.[dated info]

For the 2009 season, Ryan is playing for the Erie SeaWolves. He debuted with two HRs in his first game with the AA team.

Prospect Chronicles: 10 Detroit Tigers Who Could Make an Impact in 2010

Johnny Lawrence
Featured Columnist
Correspondent - BLEACHER REPORT

10. Ryan Strieby, 1B/DH, Age 24

Highest Level: AA (Erie)
Acquired: 2006 (Fourth Round)
40-Man Roster: No

Strieby isn't expected to crack the lineup every day for the Tigers, but he has the potential to jolt the offense like Clete Thomas and Avila did recently.

Stuck at a position where the Tigers are loaded, Strieby may find difficulty fitting on Detroit's roster before September. However, with fragile Carlos Guillen expected to play full time, injury could free up the designated hitter role, increasing the need for an impact bat.

Strieby stroked 64 homers the past three season, the highest total of any prospect currently in the Tigers system.

Strieby powers way to top prospect status
BECK'S BLOG
Posted on March 7, 2010 at 10:15 PM

The first thing that stands out about Ryan Strieby is that he's big, really big. He's every bit of his listed size of 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds. Dontrelle Willis gave him the nickname Polar Bear while they were working while they were working out at the same performance complex in Arizona this winter.

Strieby's bat lives up every bit to his size. His two home runs so far this spring -- one in the exhibition win over Florida Southern that didn't count in the stats, the other in Sunday's loss to the Blue Jays -- have both been big, wind or no wind. Whenever he connects to the ball, it seems to be with authority.

"I mean, I'm a pretty big guy," he said, "so I guess I should have pretty good power."

He doesn't mean that to brag. He says it unassumingly. He considers himself a hitter rather than a power hitter, but he hits the ball hard so often.

"I guess a lot of people view me as a power hitter," he said, "but I really don't try to hit the ball out of the park. Try to stay up the middle and hit line drives. A lot of times, I hit the ball with backspin and it carries out of the yard."

He hits with enough power that it's hard not to notice him. He certainly has caught the Tigers' attention, even before Sunday's homer.

Manager Jim Leyland uses the term "top prospect" maybe a little more loosely than others, but he nonetheless does it with a purpose. A top prospect, by his definition, has a chance to be an everyday player in the big leagues. Strieby fits the category of top prospect.

He has the talent to hit regularly in the big leagues. Now he has to have the health to go with it. He might finally be at that point again.

The start of Strieby's injury problems came down the stretch of his breakout 2008 season. He hit 29 home runs at Class A Lakeland, pounding the ball in what is historically a pitcher's league with big ballparks, when he fractured the hamate bone in his left wrist down the stretch. He recovered in time for Spring Training last year in minor league camp, but had some more problems that shelved him there. He bounced back healthy early in the season, only to have his hand problems come back.

It sapped some of the power out of his frame. He had moved from spacious Joker Marchant Stadium to the cozy surroundings of Erie's Jerry Uht Park, what should've been paradise for a right-handed power hitter in the summer, yet his power just about vanished once the weather warmed up. He hit 19 home runs for the season, and 12 of them came in April and May. He could still hit for average, mind you, but the power wasn't there.

With the hand bothering him, he said, he couldn't turn on a pitch the way he usually does.

"When the hand's feeling good, I can turn on [the ball] a little bit more," he said. "The pitch away is a little bit easier. When the hand's hurting, I can go with that. But when the hand was hurting on the top side, getting my hand through on the inside pitch, that's what was causing that pain was that movement. That's what was making it difficult to get through the inside pitch.

Doctors found a bone fragment in his hand and almost immediately operated. He lost not only the tail end of his regular season, but his assignment to the Arizona Fall League. His good friend and Erie teammate Casper Wells made a return trip there in his place and thrived.

Now, after going through the rigors of performance training over the winter, they're both thriving in camp. Strieby is turning on pitches, and Leyland is catching a glimpse of what he hopes could be a homegrown power hitter if he develops further at Triple-A Toledo, where he's likely to see time.

"To be healthy, that's the main thing," Strieby said. "Coming in, I'm just happy with how my hand's felt so far. That's the No. 1 priority, to get through Spring Training healthy, especially after hurting it last year and not knowing exactly what was wrong with it, trying to play through the pain."

Ruffin one of seven Tigers to go to AFL


By Jason Beck / MLB.com

08/31/10 10:09 PM ET

MINNEAPOLIS -- Chance Ruffin's first professional pitches will come in the Arizona Fall League. The 48th overall pick in June's First-Year Player Draft was named as one of seven Tigers to the AFL rosters.

Joining him will be fellow pitchers Matt Hoffman, Brendan Wise and Brooks Brown, slugging prospect Ryan Strieby, shortstop prospect Cale Iorg and Class A infielder Francisco Martinez.

Ruffin was the Tigers' second pick in the first round, a compensation pick Detroit received for losing reliever Brandon Lyon to Houston in free agency. He'll be following in the footsteps of Andy Oliver, a first-rounder last year who went to the AFL and used it as a springboard to Double-A Erie this spring and eventually to Detroit's rotation in June.

Like Oliver, the Tigers decided Ruffin was advanced enough as a prospect to warrant the call. Unlike Oliver, Ruffin is a reliever, having been tested in the bullpen at the University of Texas.

"The thing is, he has to be advanced enough to pitch at that level," said Tigers assistant general manager Al Avila.

Strieby was on track to take his bat to the AFL last year before a season-ending wrist injury kept him out. Another injury to left hand cut short his season at Triple-A Toledo this year, too, but he's expected to be ready by the time league play begins Oct. 12. He batted .245 for the Mud Hens this year, with 15 doubles, 10 home runs and 49 RBIs -- a sharp drop from his .303 average, 19 homers and 58 RBIs a year ago at Double-A Erie.

Iorg got back to Arizona for a second year on the strength of a late-season surge that had him batting .295 in 11 games for Triple-A Toledo with four doubles, one homer and eight RBIs. A strong fall campaign could get him the 40-man roster spot and Spring Training invite he needs to compete with Danny Worth for the future at shortstop in Detroit.

Strieby ready to shake wrist injury
By Jason Beck / MLB.com | 01/28/11 6:30 PM EST

DETROIT -- Ryan Strieby understands the frustration, because he feels the same thing.

After back-to-back injury-shortened seasons and a drop down the Tigers' prospect ranks, why wouldn't he be frustrated? Why would he want to be sitting around at Triple-A Toledo in late summer, watching friends and teammates on television getting their chances in Detroit?

He has wanted an answer for his wrist injuries more than anyone else, or at least a solution that can keep him on the field and at the plate rather than on the disabled list. He's hoping he has finally found it.

It might not be the perfect solution, and it might not even leave him pain-free. But it's about as much good news as he has had on the injury front in three years.

"Really frustrating," he admitted at TigerFest last week. "Really frustrating. All you can do is stay positive, I guess. It's been tough."

The positives are difficult to come by, but Strieby is a positive kind of guy, which is what makes his frustration so telling.

"Having another year of experience under my belt, I guess, learning how to deal with it better," he said.

When he's healthy, Strieby is a 6-foot-5 masher, the kind of classic power hitter the Tigers have rarely produced out of their farm system in recent years. His 29 home runs at Class A Lakeland in 2008 not only defied the trend for the Florida State League as a pitchers' league, it provided a statement season for him two years after the Tigers drafted him in the fourth round in 2006 -- the same year they drafted Brennan Boesch and Scott Sizemore. He would've had a 30-homer season if not for a left wrist sprain that ended his season in early August.

He was on pace to repeat his power output at Double-A Erie in 2009, homering 12 times through the end of May, when his wrist acted up again. That sprain cost him just over a week on the DL, but it never quite seemed to heal. He was unable to get through a month on the active roster the rest of the season, and his healthy stretches were well shorter than that.

When he was active, though, he was a dangerous. His .303 average and .991 OPS were easily his career bests, while his 19 homers and 18 doubles meant nearly half of his hits went for extra bases.

"I'd sit out, come back, sit out, come back," he said. "Usually I'd sit out for like a week and then I'd come back. I'd hit like two home runs in two days, and then I'd be out the next day because I'd feel it. And it was just like, 'How could he be hurt? He just hit two home runs in two games!'

"But it's a crazy injury. I can't explain it. I'd swing for a couple days and then it starts killing me."

After offseason surgery, his 2010 season, by contrast, never really got going. He was part of the teamwide offensive funk that grounded the Mud Hens in April, going 7-for-42 with nine strikeouts in 11 games before his wrist forced him to the DL for a month. He played regularly from late May through the end of July, and looked progressively better as a hitter, until the wrist felled him again.

The Tigers wanted to figure out Strieby's wrist problems once and for all. So did Strieby. Team doctors checked him out, then so did Arizona-based hand specialist Dr. Don Sheridan. The end result was that he didn't need surgery, that rest should solve it, but they couldn't guarantee he'd ever get past it.

That's not unprecedented news. Baseball players in particular have struggled long term with such injuries, including former Tiger Gary Sheffield. But it's awfully tough news for a 25-year-old prospect one step shy of the big leagues.

"It's one of those things where they said, 'You might not ever be completely asymptomatic at all times,'" Strieby said. "But I just want to keep it at the point where I can be 85, 90, 95 percent. So I'll take my 90 percent against a lot of guys' 100."

So will the Tigers.

"I think finally he's starting to feel much better than he did at the end of the year," player development director Mike Rojas said. "He's still one of the best power hitters in the organization. Being bitten by that [injury] bug with the wrist has been tough on him."

To that end, Strieby has given himself every chance to get close to 100 percent. Until the holidays, he rested his left hand in offseason workouts -- no lifting, no grabbing, no catching.

"I pretty much let it rest completely," he said. "I was only doing lower body and core [work]. I didn't touch any weight until after the holidays."

The Tigers, meanwhile, plan to let him get back to basics. His conversion from first base to outfield, to get him out from Miguel Cabrera's large shadow on the depth chart, will be scaled back a bit. He'll get a good amount of time at first base, where he was playing last July just before he was out. He finished with a .245 average, 10 homers, 49 RBIs and 85 strikeouts in 76 games.

He'll be in Spring Training with the big club, but it's difficult to see him in any roster battles. The biggest thing is for team officials to see him healthy. Do that, and the Tigers can worry about fitting him somewhere, in Detroit or somewhere else.

"This is a huge year for him, I believe," Rojas said. "To come in and play on an everyday basis and show he can play the whole year and be in the lineup every day, I think it's huge for him."

Strieby is positive about it -- cautious, but positive. It's in his nature, but two years of pain in his wrist has been too familiar.

"I mean, it's been such a lingering issue that in the back of my head, I've always been a little worried about it," he said. "But my hand's given me no reason to think I wouldn't be [100 percent] at this point."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Strieby swinging free so far in camp
By Jason Beck / MLB.com | 02/19/11 6:22 PM EST

LAKELAND, Fla. -- In the first bizarre fact out of the Tigers media guide, Ryan Strieby actually got cheated on his height. He's actually 6-foot-6, not 6-5 as listed, but he's been listed that way for a while.

"They shorted me," Strieby joked.

If he can slug his way into the big leagues, he'll undoubtedly loom larger. The way he looks this spring, early as it may be, suggests he's at least healthy enough to have a chance.

The first day of live batting practice at Tigertown showed no signs of the wrist issues that have plagued Strieby for the past two years. He turned on pitches and centered others and felt pain-free.

"So far, so good," he said with cautious optimism. "I feel like I swing a little bit harder."

Strieby avoided wrist surgery last fall after gathering opinions from doctors that he could heal without it, but he made adjustments to try to prevent another recurrence. He continues to undergo laser treatment and joint mobilization movements, and he has choked up on the bat slightly to take off some the pressure.

Strieby likely won't make the Tigers out of camp. Still, if he can stay healthy and in the lineup, it'll be hard not to notice him.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Tigers option Strieby to clear roster spot
By Jason Beck / MLB.com | 12/05/11 3:40 PM EST

DALLAS -- The Tigers' first move of the Winter Meetings was a subtraction, not an addition. Detroit outrighted the contract of first baseman Ryan Strieby to Triple-A Toledo, opening up a spot on their 40-man roster.

Detroit's roster filled up once it signed Gerald Laird last month. The move returns the club to 39 players, though it doesn't necessarily mean another move is on the way. This gives the Tigers some flexibility ahead of Thursday morning's Rule 5 Draft, for which Strieby will now be eligible.

The 26-year-old Strieby was a right-handed power hitting prospect a few years ago, but wrist injuries have sapped his bat speed over the last few years. He hit .255 with 19 home runs and 76 RBIs at Triple-A Toledo this past season, but he struck out 171 times in 557 plate appearances. By contrast, his previous career high in strikeouts was 101, and the last time he had at least 500 plate appearances in a season (2007 at West Michigan), he struck out just 78 times.

With Victor Martinez around, Strieby was no longer an insurance policy at first base for Miguel Cabrera. He has tried playing the outfield in the past, but shifted back to first full time in 2011.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Castellanos heads list of Tigers' Spring invites
By Jason Beck / MLB.com | 01/10/12 12:44 PM EST

DETROIT -- Tigers top position prospect Nick Castellanos is heading to Spring Training with the big club. So are Tigers Minor League Pitcher of the Year Drew Smyly and most recent top pick James McCann.

It wasn't a lengthy list of non-roster invites the Tigers released for Spring Training on Tuesday -- just 18 players long -- but it's a significant one.

The Tigers have benefited from having young prospects in Major League camp in recent years, even if only for a short stretch, and they've shown a willingness to give their youngsters that experience a year or two before they're ready to compete for a spot in Detroit. Top prospect Jacob Turner has been in camp the last couple years under terms of his Major League contract, and Rick Porcello did the same before he won a rotation spot in 2009.

Castellanos had that experience in small doses last spring, having been added to the Spring Training roster as an extra player for a few different games. Now, the Tigers' 2010 top pick will get his chance to be there day in and day out, including for his 20th birthday on March 4.

Castellanos' first pro season was a strongly encouraging one after a rough opening month. The third baseman batted .312 at Class A West Michigan, to go with 36 doubles, seven home runs, 76 RBIs and an .803 OPS. He committed 23 errors over 129 games.

Unlike Castellanos, the Tigers drafted McCann out of college last year, having selected the 21-year-old after a successful career at the University of Arkansas. He signed in time to get in 14 games between the Rookie level Gulf Coast League Tigers and West Michigan, but this will essentially be his first pro season. He'll start it out in big league camp as one of the extra catchers Detroit brings in every year to help catch the many pitchers in camp as they progress through their side sessions.

McCann will join returning catcher Omir Santos as well as fellow prospects Bryan Holaday, Rob Brantley, Patrick Leyland and Curt Casali as the extra catchers in camp to support All-Star Alex Avila and backup Gerald Laird.

Smyly pitched to McCann during his career at Arkansas before the Tigers drafted him in the second round in 2010. His first pro season last year surprised many, combining about four months at Class A Lakeland with a season-ending promotion to Double-A Erie for an 11-6 record and 2.07 ERA. He struck out 130 batters over 126 innings while allowing just two home runs out of 103 base hits.

Tigers president/general manager Dave Dombrowski has mentioned Smyly in recent days as a dark-horse candidate to compete for the open spot in Detroit's rotation, punching his ticket to spend Spring Training with the big club. He could end up being among the most intriguing players to watch in camp, whether he wins a job or not.

No other pitching prospects not on the 40-man roster were invited. Minor League free agent signings Darin Downs and Chris Bootcheck will join Smyly in camp.

Joining the trio in camp will be versatile hitter Justin Henry, who went from an infielder who can play the outfield in 2010 to an all-around everyday player who spent time at every defensive position last year except for pitcher and catcher. At the same time, he blossomed as a hitter, batting .314 with 26 doubles, 47 RBIs and 23 stolen bases between Erie and Triple-A Toledo.

Henry joins Minor League signing Eric Patterson as potential super-utility options in camp. Other infielders receiving invites include middle infielder Argenis Diaz, utility infielder Audy Ciriaco and first baseman Ryan Strieby.

All three outfielders invited to camp were Minor League free-agent signings. Jerad Head brings his Triple-A power from the Indians organization, while Quintin Berry and Matt Young are potential speed options in Toledo.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Wednesday's Tigers Q&A: First baseman Ryan Strieby
February 29, 2012 at 1:00 am
By Lynn Henning
The Detroit News

Lakeland, Fla. — If you could ignore the stubborn wrist problem that bothered him for several years, first baseman Ryan Strieby seemed to be on a northward path as he migrated through the Tigers' system.

But that all changed in 2011, even if his once-ailing wrist had healed. Strieby batted .255 in 130 games at Triple-A Toledo, with 19 home runs and 76 RBIs. And as a first baseman, it wasn't good enough to keep him on the Tigers' 40-man roster.

Strieby cleared waivers and was outrighted by the Tigers. He is back in camp, and at age 26, he still believes he has a shot at reclaiming some old status, which he affirmed during a conversation with The Detroit News.

Q. What happened last year? Your wrist seemed fine, but your numbers weren't where they had been projected to be.

A. I'd say I had an average year. I definitely expected more of myself and I know I can do more. But I've kind of put that in my rearview mirror and I'll take the positives from last year.

Q. How was your wrist? As far as pain, was that all in the past?

A. It didn't feel as good as it was supposed to. But now it feels fine — better than it felt last year. I've kind of pushed it aside. Right now, it feels better than ever.

Q. You lost your 40-man roster spot and then cleared waivers. How did you handle a couple of tough events? You had to have been surprised.

A. Yeah, a little bit. My initial reaction is that I was pretty upset, pretty disappointed. At the same time, I've seen guys in similar situations who have fought and clawed their way back to the big leagues.

Q. You had to have been shaken that no waiver claim was made.

A. Yeah, I was a little bit shocked and surprised. But what can you do? That kind of thing is out of my control. I've just got to get back and play the way I know I can.

lynn.henning@detnews.com

Twitter.com@Lynn_Henning

Strieby striving to take next step for Tigers
By Jason Beck / MLB.com | 03/07/12 6:20 PM EST

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Ryan Strieby does not take these games for granted.

When he got to Joker Marchant Stadium on Wednesday and looked at the lineup card, there he was, batting seventh and starting at first base for the Tigers. Miguel Cabrera, his previous ceiling at first base, was starting at third. Prince Fielder, the new owner of the position, was getting a day at designated hitter.

Strieby didn't make too much of it, but he tried to treat it with the same intensity as a regular season game. Strieby isn't going to win a job at first base here, no matter what he does, but he could help his own cause nonetheless.

"I'm thinking I'm trying to help this team do well in Spring Training," Strieby said, "and trying to do well for myself at the same time."

Strieby, who turns 27 in August, spent the last few years in a no-win situation, a first-base prospect on a team with a young, MVP-caliber first baseman. When they added Prince Fielder to a nine-year contract, his fate looked worse.

"I think it surprised everybody," Strieby said. "You can't blame them. If you have an opportunity to get a guy like him, it's hard to pass up. But I see him and see Cabrera, and I know what I've got to do to take that next step."

If he needed a position battle for motivation, Strieby would've been in trouble long ago. But after a few injury-riddled seasons at Triple-A Toledo and Double-A Erie, and a bump off the 40-man roster this winter, he has plenty to push him without looking at the depth chart.

Showing he can stay healthy was at the top of the list.

"I feel good," Strieby said. "I put a pretty big emphasis on coming in and feeling good this spring, on being strong. I'm pretty self-motivated, but coming off the roster motivates you even more. I guess you could say I come in with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder and I want to do well."

Strieby singled in the Tigers' first run on Wednesday, slapping a ground ball through the right side off Braves starter Brandon Beachy.

"This guy looks good this spring," manager Jim Leyland said Wednesday. "He's got a totally different look on his face. He's not in pain. He looks like a totally different Strieby."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Strieby making most of limited time in field
By Jason Beck and Paul Hagen / MLB.com | 03/25/12 5:45 PM ET

TAMPA, Fla. -- Tigers infielder Ryan Strieby went almost two weeks between starts this spring, but he certainly had no problem being visible on Sunday against the Yankees.

From his scoop to dig out Danny Worth's three-hopper of a throw across the infield to his reach to turn Duane Below's off-balance throw into an out, the 6-foot-6 Strieby looked good in the field. He also added a second-inning single off right-hander Michael Pineda.

"I had some action over there," Strieby said. "Those are all plays I expect to make on a regular basis -- nothing spectacular. But Danny's play was an unbelievable play. You can't expect him to make a good throw on that when he dives, full extension, tries to get up and throws as quick as he can. That's like a two-hopper over there. Below's [play], too, he made a good play getting over there. If he doesn't get over there, that's probably a hit."

It was a good day for Strieby, who's trying to make the best of his extra time in camp.

"It's definitely better on this side of the street," Strieby said.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.