The Angels have signed right-hander Chris Volstad to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, according to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez. Volstad is represented by Moye Sports Associates.
Volstad, 27, made six appearances with the Rockies' big league club this season but allowed runs in each of them, totaling a 10.80 ERA in 8 1/3 innings. He was considerably better at the Triple-A level, pitching to a 4.58 ERA in 127 2/3 innings, though his 4.0 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 ratios weren't exactly inspiring.
Originally selected by the Marlins with the No. 16 overall selection in the 2005 draft, Volstad thrice ranked on Baseball America's Top 100 Prospect list, placing 97th prior to the 2006 season, 40th prior to the 2007 season and 58th prior to the 2008 season. Unfortunately for Volstad, he's never put things together at the Major League level. In 703 2/3 career innings between the Marlins, Cubs and Rockies, Volstad has a 4.94 ERA and a 442-to-248 K/BB ratio.
