Clay Mortensen Re-Signs With Royals

Right-handed pitcher Clay Mortensen has re-signed with the Kansas City Royals organization according to Baseball America. He has pitched for the Storm Chasers in each of the past four seasons dating back through the 2013 campaign.

Over 73 combined outings- including 36 starts- with the Storm Chasers, Mortensen has compiled a 16-18 record and 5.24 ERA (147 ER/252.1 IP), adding 215 punchouts. The 31-year-old pitched for Omaha during their Back-to-Back Triple-A National Championships run in 2013-14. This past season he recorded a 3-5 mark and 5.65 ERA (40 ER/63.2 IP), ranking tied for second on the club in appearances behind only righty Malcom Culver (44).

After the completion of the 2016 season, Mortensen ranks near the top in several pitching categories among Storm Chasers pitchers in the Werner Park Era (since 2011). He is second in innings pitched (252.1), fourth in strikeouts (215), sixth in wins (16) and games started (36), and seventh in appearances (73). Only 2012-15 southpaw Chris Dwyer has thrown more innings (368.0) in a Storm Chasers uniform than Mortensen.

This past season, the Storm Chasers held a specialty jersey auction on Superhero Night for "Let's Go Miles", the fundraiser for Clay Mortensen's son, Miles, who has been battling Neuroblastoma, a rare form of pediatric cancer, since 2014. The funds raised that night were matched by the Brian Duensing Foundation. On June 6, 2015, a silent auction was held at Werner Park as well for "Let's Go Miles".

Mortensen was originally selected by the St. Louis Cardinals as the 36th overall pick in the first round of the 2007 MLB Draft out of Gonzaga University. He went on to be acquired by the Oakland Athletics in a July 24, 2009 trade that sent outfielder Matt Holliday to the Cardinals. The righty has also pitched for the Colroado Rockies and Boston Red Sox before being acquired by the Royals in an August 27, 2013 deal from Boston that sent outfielder Quintin Berry to the Red Sox.

He made his Major League debut on June 29, 2009 with the Cardinals against the San Francisco Giants. Over parts of five Major League seasons, Mortensen has accumulated a 6-11 record and 4.68 ERA (87 ER/167.1 IP) with 112 strikeouts in 74 appearances (13 starts). In 218 minor league outings (145 starts), the right-hander has accrued a 57-56 clip and 4.75 ERA (476 ER/901.2 IP), adding 729 punchouts.