CRESTWOOD, IL – The Windy City ThunderBolts announced on Wednesday that relief pitcher Derrick Edington has had his contract purchased by the Tampa Bay Rays. Edington is the first player on the 2024 roster to have his contract purchased by a big league organization.
A third-year pro out of Davenport University in Michigan, Edington originally joined the ThunderBolts just before the start of the 2023 season. After pitching in the United Shore League as a starter his rookie year, he attended the Frontier League tryout in April, 2023, and was the Bolts’ first round selection – second overall.
Edington struggled at times during his first season in Crestwood but over the course of the year, settled in to become the most reliable reliever on the team and one of the best in the league. He threw 12 straight scoreless appearances at one point and slid into the closer’s role by season’s end, saving five games.
At the start of the 2024 campaign, Edington looked just as dominant as he did to finish 2023. He appeared in three games over the season’s first week and did not allow a run. He saved one game and struck out seven batters over 3.2 innings. In his swan song in a Windy City uniform, he entered a bases loaded jam in the eighth inning of a tie game and pitched out of it without allowing a run on Tuesday.
Edington is the 66th player in ThunderBolts history, going back to 1999, to have his contract sold to a major league organization. He is the second to join the Tampa Bay Rays, after Joshuan Sandoval, a 2022 ThunderBolt who is currently in Class A Charleston.
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