Travis MacGregor struck out 19 batters in 31.2 innings in his pro debut. He struck out 32 batters in 41.1 innings last year in short-season ball in Bristol.
So it was a huge surprise when he struck out 12 batters in 5.1 innings during his 2018 debut with the West Virginia Power on Friday night. It's not as big of a surprise that he had a good outing.
The Pirates drafted MacGregor in the second round in 2016, giving him a $900,000 bonus to break his commitment to Clemson. The deal was slightly under slot, but still a lot for a guy who wasn't ranked as a consensus top 200 draft prospect.