Andrew Heaney Appears to be Part of Los Angeles Angels’ Postseason Plans

It has been over three years since former-Cowboy Andrew Heaney has graced the mound at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium, but the lanky left-hander from Putnam City High is making quite a name for himself on baseball’s biggest stage.

Heaney was a first round selection by the Miami Marlins (9th overall) in 2012 after his dominant junior season. The left-hander posted a 1.60 ERA and went 8-2 while striking out an incredible 140 hitters, good enough to win Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and to be named to the All-Big 12 first team.

The Marlins called Heaney up to make his major league debut on June 19th of last year after less than two years in the minor leagues. Heaney dazzled in his debut holding the New York Mets to four hits and only one run allowed in a 1-0 loss. The Oklahoma City native went on to make six more appearances for the Marlins, finishing with a 0-3 record and a 5.83 ERA.

Things got rather interesting in the winter following Heaney’s debut season. On December 11, 2014 Heaney was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a seven-player deal that was headlined by speedy second baseman Dee Gordon. Later that day the Dodgers sent Heaney 30 miles south on I-5 to the Los Angeles Angels for their starting second baseman, Howie Kendrick.

After a rather eventful winter day, Heaney was finally able to settle with the Angels heading into the 2015 season. After making a first impression with the Marlins in 2014, Heaney did not break camp with the Angels and went to Salt Lake City (AAA) where he made 14 starts.

Heaney was called up on June 24th to face the then division-leader, Houston Astros. The lefty held a potent offense to only one run over six innings and struck out four hitters in a no-decision, which made for a great first impression in his Halos debut.

Heaney has now made six starts and has won every game since his Angels debut and is currently sitting at 5-0 with a 1.79 ERA.

For the first time since Jered Weaver’s debut in 2006, an Angels’ rookie has logged a quality start in his first six games, per ESPN.

Angels’ Andrew Heaney has started 6 games, lasted at least 6 innings and given up two or fewer runs in all of them. 6-1 K-BB ratio, 1.79 ERA

— Pedro Moura (@pedromoura) July 26, 2015

Love seeing @Heandog8 dealing for @Angels – fun watching him carve up MLB hitters just like he did for @OSUBaseball! http://t.co/ZPvSgSJNkT

— Wade McWhorter (@WadeMc_Dadx3) July 21, 2015

Heaney earned his fifth win on Sunday against the Texas Rangers even when he didn’t have best secondary stuff. The Rangers could not get much done against the left-hander, limiting them to two runs over six innings.

“They made Andrew work for every out this this afternoon. He made some good pitches to good hitters and got through six innings,” Manager Mike Scioscia told the Los Angeles Times after the win. “Even when he was not on top of his game, he made it work.”

After the win on Sunday, the Angels are now sitting solely atop the standings in the American League West with a little over two months left to play. Scioscia has confirmed that Heaney will be a part of the rotation for the foreseeable future, which looks like it will include a trip to the postseason.

The biggest stage Heaney pitched on for the Pokes was a relief appearance against Troy University during 2011 Nashville regional. Heaney allowed two runs in two innings for Frank Anderson’s team that bowed out after two games in the regional.

Heaney has taken the league by storm in his debut season with his small sample size dominance; he even could be put into the conversation for AL Rookie of the Year if he continues to pitch effectively through the “dog days” of summer.

Seeing a former Cowboy-star having success in the big leagues will do wonders for Josh Holliday in recruiting and Heaney is only the first of a handful of former OSU players that could make an impact on the major league level in the next few years.