Ryan Weathers finished his first summer in pro ball at low Single-A Fort Wayne. His return trip might not last too long.
The No. 7 overall pick last summer, the 19-year-old Weathers struck out nine over five shutout innings on Thursday night as the TinCaps won their opener, 3-0, after visiting Lansing.
Weathers threw 55 of his 75 pitches for strikes and scattered six hits without walking a batter in the longest start of his career. The nine strikes nearly doubled his previous career high.
The left-hander started seven games last year, including three games in a surprising promotion to the Midwest League, where Weathers posted a 3.