Arms Race: Melotakis Transferred to Marlins

CLEBURNE, Tex. (June 8, 2021) – The Cleburne Railroaders announced Tuesday that the contract of left-handed pitcher Mason Melotakis has been transferred to the Miami Marlins organization.

The southpaw quickly entrenched himself as one of the American Association’s premium late-inning relievers in 2021, posting a 1.63 ERA over the course of 10 appearances spanning 11.0 innings. Melotakis struck out 15, walked just two, and allowed only seven hits for an opponent batting average of .167. He struck out at least one batter in all 10 outings, and picked up multiple strikeouts in half of his appearances.

Melotakis becomes the sixth player in Railroaders franchise history to have his contract transferred to a Major League organization, and the fourth this season. He joins right-handed pitchers Cortland Cox (Los Angeles Angels - 2017), Steve Pastora (Milwaukee Brewers - 2019), Nick Gardewine (Arizona Diamondbacks - 2021), Logan Verrett (Seattle Mariners - 2021) and Michael Mariot (Cincinnati Reds - 2021).

Melotakis arrived in Cleburne with six seasons of professional experience, having pitched at the Triple-A level for parts of two campaigns. A native of Grapevine, Texas, Melotakis was drafted by the Twins in the second round of the 2012 MLB Draft out of Northwestern State. He recovered from Tommy John surgery to reach Triple-A with the Twins in 2017, and later with the Colorado Rockies in 2018. The 29-year-old originally signed with the Railroaders on March 20, 2020, and then again with the club on March 31, 2021.

After an off day on Monday, the Railroaders return to action with a three-game road series against the Sioux Falls Canaries. First pitch of Tuesday’s series opener is scheduled for 7:05 PM.

For information on partnerships, season tickets, group outings, and party packages, call the Railroaders main office at (817) 945-8705, or visit the Railroaders official website at www.railroaderbaseball.com.