Nate signed with the Rays in February 2017 in part due to the club's reputation in handling pitchers recovering from Tommy John surgery… with help from the club's training staff, he achieved his goal of being physically ready to return by the end of the 2017 season, and the Rays exercised his 2018 option... His future in the big leagues began to materialize in 2011, when he added a slider while with Double-A Chattanooga…his fastball velocity also improved year-after-year from there... Nate grew up in Alvin, Texas, and the city's claim to fame is Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, whose name and likeness are ubiquitous…although the two attended the same high school, Nate had never met him until 2016, when the Yankees visited the Astros…Ryan once sent him a signed baseball during spring training congratulating him on his achievements.
2017
Spent the entire season rehabbing from a second Tommy John surgery…is attempting to become the 32nd player to pitch in the majors after two Tommy John surgeries, and only the 12th pitcher to start a major league game after doing so…could become the third to pitch for the Rays after two Tommy John surgeries, following Al Reyes and Lance Carter, and the first to start a game for the Rays.... On Sep 9, returned to strike out a pair in a scoreless inning of a rehab start…threw 10 pitches (9 strikes) in Game 4 of the Southern League Finals for Double-A Montgomery... Also made a relief app in the postseason for Triple-A Durham, pitching a scoreless inning in Game 2 of the Governors' Cup against Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre (Yankees).
2016
Made 24 apps (21 starts) for the Yankees…moved to the bullpen after going 6-6 with a 5.54 ERA (91-IP, 56-ER) in 16 starts through July 1…returned to the rotation on July 19 and went 2-2 with a 3.46 ERA (26-IP, 10-ER) in 5 starts before his season-ending injury. According to FanGraphs, averaged 97.1 mph on his fastball, 2nd hardest in the majors (min. 100 IP) to NYM Noah Syndergaard (98.0)…according to PITCHf/x, threw 36 pitches of at least 100 mph…topped out at 101.4 mph. Won 5 straight starts from May 7-29 and 6 straight decisions from April 25-May 29. Went 5-0 with a 3.25 ERA (36-IP, 13-ER) over 6 starts in May, tied for the AL lead in wins. Had at least 7 SO in 7 consecutive starts from Aug 19, 2015-April 20, 2016, tied for the longest streak in Yankees history with CC Sabathia (2011, 2009), Mike Mussina (2003) and Ron Guidry (1978). Yielded 4 ER or more in 6 straight starts from June 3-July 1 before moving to the bullpen…made 3 apps in relief, his first action out of the bullpen since his rookie season in 2011. On April 25 at TEX, had the longest no-hit bid of his career before allowing a leadoff, 7th-inning single to Nomar Mazara. On May 18 at ARI, yielded a leadoff double to start the game before retiring his final 18 BF…was the first Yankees pitcher to go at least 6 IP and allow 1 baserunner or fewer since Mike Mussina lost his perfect game after 26 BF on Sep 2, 2001 at BOS. On July 10 at CLE, went 4.1 IP out of the bullpen to tie for the longest relief app by a Yankee in 2016…didn't allow a run in the 11-7 win. Placed on the 15-day DL on Aug 12 (retroactive to Aug 11) with a right elbow tendon injury…was the second straight year his season was cut short by a right elbow injury.
2015
Went 14-3 with a 4.20 ERA (154.1IP, 72ER) in 27 starts in his first season with the Yankees before he was shut down for the season following his 9/5 start with right elbow inflammation…set a career high in wins, nearly doubling his career win total entering the year (went 15-35 from 2011-14)…the Yankees went 18-9 in his 27 starts...Finished tied for eighth in the AL in wins…recorded a career-high 3.1 WAR (FanGraphs), 12th among AL pitchers…his 3.42 FIP was ninth-best in the AL (min. 150.0IP)…posted a 3.81 xFIP...His .824 winning percentage led the AL and ranked second in the Majors (min. 15 decisions) to Los Angeles-NL's Zack Greinke (.864, 19-3)…he and Greinke were the only two pitchers who made at least 25 starts in 2015 and took three losses or fewer…posted the fourth-highest winning pct. among Yankees pitchers with at least 15 decisions in a season in the expansion era (since 1969), behind Ron Guidry-1978 (25-3, .893), Ron Davis-1979 (14-2, .875) and Roger Clemens-2001 (20-3, .870)...Posted a career-long nine-game winning streak and 13-start unbeaten streak from 6/20-8/30…marked the longest winning streak in the AL and tied for the second-longest in the Majors in 2015…had a 3.32 ERA (78.2IP, 29ER) during the streak…marked the longest single-season winning streak by a Yankee since Ivan Nova won 12 straight decisions from 6/10-9/20/11…his 13-start streak of non-losing starts was the longest in the AL in 2015 and tied for the second-longest in the Majors behind San Diego's James Shields (14 starts)…was the longest by a Yankee since Nova's 20-start unbeaten streak from 6/10/11-4/27/12...Went 5-1 with a 3.22 ERA (78.1IP, 28ER) in 13 home starts…was unbeaten in his first 12 home starts before taking a loss in his final start of the year on 9/5 vs. Tampa Bay…his 12-start home unbeaten streak was tied for the secondlongest in the Majors behind Houston's Dallas Keuchel (18 straight), and the second-longest season-opening streak in the Majors (Keuchel-18)…was the longest home unbeaten streak by a Yankee since CC Sabathia (21 straight) from 7/18/09-9/2/10 and the longest to begin a season since Sabathia's first 14 starts of 2010...Went 9-2 with a 5.21 ERA (76.0IP, 44ER) in 14 road starts…was tied for second in the AL and tied for fifth in the Majors in road wins…marked the most road wins by a Yankee since CC Sabathia (11) in 2011…set a career high by winning his final seven road starts beg. 6/26, going 7-0 with a 4.24 ERA (40.1IP, 19ER) during the streak…marked the longest streak of consecutive winning road starts in the Majors since Kansas City's James Shields (seven straight) from 7/26-9/27/13…was tied for the fifth-longest such streak by a Yankees pitcher since 1914 and the longest since Sabathia (seven straight) from 5/8-7/16/11…opponents batted .327 (103-for-315) against him on the road, fifth-highest average in the Majors...Opponents batted .285 (175-for-615), eighth-highest in the Majors (min. 600AB)…his .339 opponents' BABIP was the second-highest in the AL (min. 600AB), behind only Drew Hutchison (.343)…held opponents to a .244 (78-for-320) BA over his final 14 starts after they batted .329 (97-for-295) in his first 13 starts...Allowed just 10HR in 154.1IP…his 0.58 HR per 9.0IP ratio was the lowest in the AL and eighth-lowest in the Majors (min. 150.0IP)…was the third-lowest HR per 9.0IP ratio by a Yankees pitcher since 1998 (Chien-Ming Wang: 0.41 in 2007 and 0.50 in 2006)…permitted 3HR in 108.2IP over his final 19 starts beginning 5/25…did not allow a HR over a career-high eight consecutive starts from 6/16-7/26, tied for the fourth-longest homerless starts streak in the Majors in 2015…marked the longest homerless streak by a Yankees pitcher since Hiroki Kuroda (eight straight) from 7/7-8/17/13...His 7.17 run support average (154.1IP, 123RS) was the second-highest in the Majors (min. 150.0IP), this after he had the lowest RSA in the Majors in 2014 (2.70)…departed with the lead in 21 of his 27 starts…received at least 13R of support in three starts…Houston's Dallas Keuchel (twice) was the only other pitcher who received 13R more than once in 2015…was the second Yankees pitcher since 1974 to receive at least 13R in three-or-more starts in a season, joining David Wells, who had four such starts in 2002...Won 7-of-9 day starts, tied for third-most day wins in the AL...Per Fangraphs' PITCHf/x data, his fastball averaged 96.7 mph, the Major's second-highest velocity (min. 150.0IP) behind the Mets' Noah Syndergaard (97.1 mph)...Per MLB Statcast, excluding Aroldis Chapman, threw the Majors' six fastest pitches (and nine of the top 12), ranging from 101.6 to 102.4 mph...Opponents were 3-for-4 on SB attempts in 2015, one more SB than he had allowed in 2013 and 2014 combined…had a career-high streak of 33 consecutive starts without a SB snapped with Jose Altuve's SB on 6/26 at Houston (dating back to 2014)…was tied for fourth in the AL with four pickoffs...Won all seven starts vs. AL Central opponents, defeating all five clubs while going 7-0 with a 3.13 ERA (46.0IP, 16ER)…since the division was created in 1994, only three other pitchers (all Yankees) have won every start vs. the AL Central in a season while making at least seven starts: Chien-Ming Wang (8-0 in 2007), CC Sabathia (7-0 in 2012) and Roger Clemens (7-0 in 2001)...Made 16 starts following a Yankees loss (team record: 11-5)...Recorded a season-high 9K in his second start of the season on 4/15 at Baltimore…made his 6/20 start vs. Detroit on three days' rest…was the first Yankees pitcher to make a start on three days' rest following a start since Mike Mussina on 5/24/08 vs. Seattle…threw a season-high 8.0IP on 7/26 at Minnesota (8H, 2ER, 1BB, 5K) and 8/24 vs. Houston (4H, 0R, 3BB, 7K)…made his 100th career start on 7/31 at Chicago-AL...Went 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA (18.2IP, 4ER, 3BB, 20K) in five games (four starts) in spring training.
2014
Went 6-14 with a 4.37 ERA (199.2IP,97ER) in 33 starts with Miami, establishing career highs in games started, innings pitchedand strikeouts (142)... Had a run support average of 2.70, the lowest such mark in the Majors among pitchers with atleast 20 starts…had 11 starts withzero runs of support…only Ryan Vogelsong (12) had more in the Majors... Allowed 1BB-or-less in 22 of his33 starts, trailing only JordanZimmermann (25) and Bartolo Colon (24) for most such startsamong NL pitchers... Struck out a career-high 10 batterson 5/5 vs. the Mets (7.0IP)... Lost a career-high eight straightdecisions from 8/13-9/27.
2013
Started season on disabled list with right shoulder inflammation, and after coming off DL on June 18, posted 4-6 record and career-best 3.39 ERA (106.1 IP/40 ER) in 18 starts for Miami. Made five rehab starts between Single-A Jupiter and Double-A Jacksonville, going a combined 1-1 with a 4.36 ERA (20.2/10). Made first start with Miami on June 18 at Arizona, allowing two runs on three hits over 6.0 innings. Tossed at least 6.0 innings in nine of first 10 starts, going 2-2 with a 2.82 ERA (60.2/19) in that span. Held opponents to two-or-fewer earned runs in 13 of his 18 starts. Allowed career-high 11 runs, nine of which were earned, on August 16 vs. San Francisco. Allowed 12 hits in 3.0-inning outing. Despite taking five consecutive losses over an eight-start span from July 20 - August 27, held opponents to three-or-fewer runs six times, garnering just six total runs of support from offense (1.17 RSA). Over career, has lowest run support average among all Major League starters (min. 45 starts since 2011) at 2.83. Josh Johnson ranks second at 3.35. Tossed career-high 8.0 innings on September 1 at Atlanta, holding Braves scoreless on seven hits. Fared considerably better on road, going 2-2 with 2.80 ERA (54.2/17) in nine starts, compared to a 2-4 mark and 4.01 ERA (51.2/23) in nine starts at Marlins Park. Drove in first career run with a first-inning RBI single against Washington on July 12 at Marlins Park. Tied career high with eight strikeouts on August 10 at Atlanta.
2012
Began season in Dodgers' organization prior to coming to Miami in July 25 tradethat sent INF Hanley Ramirez to Los Angeles. Made nine appearances (eight starts) with Double-A Chattanooga prior to beingrecalled by Dodgers on May 29. With Lookouts, allowed more than one run in just three of eight starts, including fourruns in consecutive starts on May 2 at Huntsville and May 8 vs. Montgomery. Struck out nine in a 6.0-inning outing on April 14 at Jacksonville. Allowed two runsand five hits while walking just one. Made season debut with Dodgers against Milwaukee on May 29, allowing two runson four hits with one walk and five strikeouts in 7.0 innings. Opened campaign with season-long five-game losing streak, covering seven startsfrom May 29-June 30, which was matched later in year. Five of seven outings werequality starts, but only received three runs of support overall during skid (41.0 IP). Was receiving 1.44 runs of support per 9.0 innings at time of trade from Los Angelesto Miami, lowest mark in Majors by more than a full run (Edinson Volquez was secondat 2.59). Mark improved to 2.87 by end of season, but was still lowest in Majorsfor a pitcher making at least 22 starts. Earned win in first start with Marlins on July 28 vs. San Diego. Held Padres to onerun on five hits, while walking two and striking out five over 5.1 innings of work. Startwrapped up best month of season, finishing July with a 2-1 mark and a 2.61 ERA(20.2/6) in four starts. Set new career high with eight strikeouts on September 25 at Atlanta. Totaled 20strikeouts over final three starts, his most ever compiled over three consecutivestarts. In that same span, posted a 2.25 ERA (20.0/5). Set a career high with six walks on August 8 at Mets, but still managed to hold Mets scoreless over 5.0 innings. In five careerstarts in which he has issued four-or-more walks, has a 2-1 record and 1.23 ERA (29.1/4), and his teams are 4-1.
2011
Saw his first big league action in 2011, going 1-2 with a 3.63 ERA (14 ER/34.2 IP) in 10 games (six starts) with Los Angeles...the Dodgers went 7-3 in games that he appeared in...Set a career high with 137.2 combined innings pitched this season with Los Angeles and Double-A Chattanooga...Made six starts before being moved to the bullpen following his Sept. 3 start at Atlanta...went 1-2 with a 3.09 ERA (11 ER/32.0 IP) and limited opponents to a .225 batting average as a member of the rotation...Had his contract purchased from Double-A Chattanooga on Aug. 6 and made his big league debut that night at Arizona, picking up the win in the Dodgers' 5-3 victory...also notched the first hit of his career in his debut, singling in his first at-bat off Joe Saunders...Started his big league career by pitching at least 5.0 innings, allowing two or fewer runs and less than five hits in each of his first four starts...according to Stats, LLC, only three others since 1946 have opened their careers in similar fashion with four or more starts by that criteria: Matt Cain (6 GS, Aug. 29-Sept. 25, 2005), Felix Hernandez (4 GS, Aug. 4-20, 2005) and Dave Morehead (4 GS, April 13-May 12, 1963)...Appeared out of the bullpen for the first time on Sept. 12, 2011 with a scoreless inning against the D-backs...allowed three runs over 2.2 innings in four relief outings...Opened the season with Double-A Chattanooga and at the time of his promotion, was 6-5 and ranked second in the league a 2.63 ERA and a .203 opponents' batting average in 20 games (19 starts)...Selected as a Southern League midseason and postseason All-Star...also honored with the May Dodger Pride Award for Chattanooga, going 2-2 with a 2.70 ERA in five starts in the month...At Double-A, limited left-handed hitters to a .188 batting average, while right-handers hit just .215...averaged just under a strikeout per inning pitched with 99 strikeouts in 103.0 frames.
2010
Represented the 66ers on the California League Midseason All-Star Team...Won the May Dodger Pride Award for Inland Empire, going 1-2 with a 2.97 ERA (12 ER/36.1 IP) in six starts, including his five-hit complete game shutout on May 31 at Lancaster (Astros)...Allowed just three home runs in 98.1 combined innings...Entered the season rated as the Dodgers' No. 13 prospect by Baseball America.
2009
Registered a 1.48 ERA (11 ER/67.0 IP) over his final 16 games (nine starts) after May 21 with Single-A Great Lakes...Posted a 2.32 ERA (8 ER/31.0 IP) in 10 relief appearances...Made one postseason appearance, allowing an unearned run in 1.0 inning in Game 3 of Great Lakes' first-round series against Western Michigan.
2008
Struck out nine in 8.0 innings with the GCL Dodgers in his pro debut...Made the jump to Rookie-advanced Ogden for the final week of the season, and made one appearance, working 2.2 scoreless innings vs. Orem.
