On Sunday, Windy City ThunderBolts starting pitcher Adam Oller became the first player in the Frontier League this season to have his contract purchased by a Major League organization when he was signed by the San Francisco Giants.
Oller was off to a historically good start to the season. He signed with the ThunderBolts on January 4 and got the nod to start on Opening Night at Joliet. He allowed a run in six innings that night and, in four starts with the team, went 2-1 with a 0.67 ERA, 45 strikeouts and only two walks in 27 innings. In his last outing with the Bolts, he struck out 15 and finished with zero walks as he allowed only one earned run over eight innings in a 4-2 win over Lake Erie. He departs the Frontier League as the league’s leader in wins, WHIP (0.63) and strikeouts, 16 ahead of his nearest competitor.
This will be the second stint in affiliated ball for Oller, who was drafted in the 20th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2016 and spent three seasons with them, rising as high as Class A-Advanced Bradenton. He has a career record of 12-11 and a 3.96 ERA. He will begin his tenure with the Giants in Augusta, their Class A affiliate.
Oller is the 61st player in the 20-year history of the franchise to be picked up a Major League affiliate and the first since 2017. He is also the first player in ThunderBolts history to be signed by the Giants. He will look to become the fourth player in franchise history to make it all the way to the Major Leagues, following Chris Oxspring, Dylan Axelrod and Andrew Werner.
