The Toronto Blue Jays signed local baseball hero Dustin McGowan to a one-year contract Thursday.
On Thursday, Jay’s general manager Alex Anthopoulos gave the former first-round draft pick from Long County High School the one-year deal worth $450,000, despite McGowan having not thrown a pitch in a game since July 8, 2008 when he was forced to leave a game due to a pain in his shoulder.
McGowan, a right-hander, had surgery on his right shoulder three weeks later. He attempted to come back in 2009 but tore his right rotator cuff while pitching in a simulated game and again had to have surgery. He hopes to pitch again in 2011.McGowan was the No. 3 pitcher in the Toronto rotation before his injury and has a career 20-22 record in three seasons in the minors. His best season was 2007 when he went 12-10 with a 4.08 ERA. That June, McGowan shut down the Colorado Rockies and carried a no-hitter into the 9th inning. Rockies designated hitter Jeff Baker broke up the no-hit bid, but McGowan went on to get his first shut-out and complete game, only giving up the lone hit.
McGowan was the Jays’ first-round pick in 2000 after a stellar career at Long County High School.