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LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers have signed right-handed pitcher Mickey Storey to a minor league contract, and a source confirms he will likely begin the Dodgers chapter of his career in Double-A Tulsa.
Storey, 29, was pitching for the Somerset Patriots in the independent Atlantic League, going 4-0 with a 0.93 ERA in five starts, with 23 strikeouts and four walks in 29 innings. He will join the Drillers' starting rotation.
Somerset tweeted Storey's deal on Saturday, though the Dodgers haven't yet officially announced the deal.
Congratulations to ace RHP Mickey Storey on signing with the @Dodgers. Storey was 4-0 with an 0.93 ERA in 5 games. pic.twitter.com/oquSN3Jh8k
— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) May 23, 2015
Though now a starter, most of Storey's professional work has come out of the bullpen, with 245 of his 250 appearances through 2014 in relief. He pitched 29 games in relief in parts of two seasons (2012-13) with the Astros and Blue Jays, with 40 strikeouts (a 27.4-percent strikeout rate) and 11 walks in 34⅓ innings.
It is unknown when Storey will pitch for Tulsa. Their rotation has been jumbled a bit with rain outs on Sunday and Monday.
Storey was originally drafted in the 31st round in 2008 by the Athletics, and pitched four seasons in their system, during Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi's tenure in Oakland.
"Guys slip through the cracks sometimes, and we've had guys before that have had really good numbers like that," Patriots manager Brett Jodie told Mike Ashmore of MyCentralJersey.com last week. "But I think it's just them wanting to see he's healthy, but he's showing that right now, especially through starting … where he's throwing extended pitch counts and extended innings, and really showing that durability to teams."