Blue Jays claim RHP Matt West from Rangers

The Blue Jays have claimed Matt West off waivers from the Texas Rangers. Cory Burns gets DFAed to make room for him.

West is a right-handed pitcher (though he was drafted as a third baseman) and was a 2nd round pick by the Rangers in the 2007 draft. He played mostly third base for his first three seasons in the Rangers system hitting .241/.344/.364 before going over to pitching in 2011.

Since 2011 he's pitched in 83 minor league games, all but 2 as a reliever, putting up a 4.07 ERA in 104 innings with 37 walks and 113 strikeouts. Last year he made 33 appearances at Triple A Round Rock, with a 4.15 ERA, 16 walks, 54 strikeouts in 43.1 innings. And he had a cup of coffee in the majors, pitching 4 innings for the Rangers, giving up 6 hits, 3 earned, 1 walk with 3 strikeouts.

He has a "mid-90's fastball' and a slider. Sounds like more depth for Buffalo, but, if he pitches well there, we might see him.

Fangraphs had a little bit on him, back in 2012:

Moved to the mound in 2011, the right-hander immediately became a contender for the Rangers' Top 15 prospects list after flashing mid-90s heat and an innate ability to control the ball. His success as a hurler in pro ball should come as no surprise when considering his Baseball America scouting report prior to the 2007 draft stated: "West was known mostly for his arm strength coming into 2007..." Unfortunately he recently suffered a sprain elbow ligament that he is now trying to treat with rest and rehab. More often than not, though, pitchers suffering from this injury end up having Tommy John surgery. West, 23, has the ceiling of a high-leverage reliever.