Feature Photo: Alex Reyes, RHP, Cardinals
Our introduction this week basically wrote itself, since how often do you not only see a “first time in Major League Baseball history” moment these days, no less one that is based on the participants’ status as “debutantes” (though of course they’re not referred to as such in the ensuing news articles).
But that’s what happened on Saturday, August 13, when the Yankees promoted right fielder Aaron Judge and infielder-outfielder Tyler Austin. The two filled spots left open – again, some history being made here – by the previous day’s unconditional release of 14-time All-Star DH/3B Alex Rodriguez along with the option of RHP Ben Heller (who, by the way, joins our short list of players called up and with the team for a short while, and then sent back to the minors without getting into a game).
We’ll make an exception here this week, and while we’ll give you the capsulized rundowns of their respective debuts below, here’s what came down. In what would be an 8-4 Yankees victory over their rival Tampa Bay Rays, the newly-arrived Austin and Judge found themselves in the starting lineup at Yankee Stadium on a hot, gorgeous Saturday afternoon with almost 42,000 fans in the stands, with Austin playing first base and batting seventh and Judge in right field, batting eighth.
With Rays starter Matt Andriese on the mound, the bottom of the second started with a Starling Castro strikeout and a 4-3 groundout by Gary Sanchez.
Austin stepped up to the plate for his first big league at-bat and Andriese quickly got him to 0-2 before he took two pitches out of the zone and then fouled off a third. On the sixth pitch, Austin lined a homer just over 330-feet away to right field to put the team on the board.
Judge, the next batter, also went to an 0-2 count quickly before taking a pitch out of the zone and, on the fourth pitch he saw, cranking a 440-foot monster shot to center field, cementing his status as the organization’s most dangerous power-hitting prospect.
The duo became the first-ever pair of teammates for ANY MLB franchise to hit their first major league home runs in their first big league at-bats. In fact, only once before in MLB history have two players in a game achieved that, and they were opponents – one from the Phillies’ Heinie Mueller, and one from the Dodgers’ Ernie Koy – back in 1938.
So raise a glass to Austin and Judge, who took literally minutes before they earned spots of undying fame in one of the most vaunted organizations in all of baseball.
And now let’s move on to the batch of 11 players who made their debut this week:
American League Debuts
JANDEL GUSTAVE, RHP, ASTROS
Ht/Wt: 6’2”/160 B/T: R/R BORN: October 12, 1992
ACQUIRED: International free agent sign (Dominican Republic) May 25, 2010. (See player notes for details because this is a little more complicated than it sounds).
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 2-2 with a 3.71 ERA in 41 games at Fresno (Triple-A), striking out 52 while walking 18 in 51 innings, giving up 43 hits.
PROMOTED: Recalled from Fresno on August 8 when OF Carlos Gomez was designated for assignment.
DEBUT: August 11, in a 15-7 win against the Twins. The last of three pitchers, he allowed one run on three hits in one inning, throwing one wild pitch. Coming on in the bottom of the ninth in relief of reliever Tony Sipp, he gave up a single to left field the first big-league batter he faced, Juan Centeno, before recording his first out when Robbie Grossman flied out to left. With Brian Dozier at bat, Gustave’s wild pitch allowed Centeno to move to second base, and he scored on Dozier’s subsequent double to center field. Trevor Plouffe made the second out of the inning when he lined out to center, before Max Kepler’s infield single advanced Dozier to third to put runners at the corners. However, Kennys Vargas grounded out to second to end the inning.
PLAYER NOTES: So, yeah, technically, Gustave’s acquisition by the Astros circles back to their signing him out of his home country of the Dominican Republic back in May of 2010 and he has never played for another organization. He has, however, been under the “control” of the Red Sox, Royals and Padres without ever throwing a pitch for any of those organization. To wit: After seeing limited time in the Dominican Summer League in 2010 and 2011, and 10 games of action in his stateside debut with the Astros in the Gulf Coast League in 2012, he moved slowly and steadily through the ranks, posting a 2.68 ERA in 10 starts at Greeneville (Short-Season A) in 2013, striking out 49 batters in 43.2 IP, and going 5-5 with a 5.01 ERA in 23 games, 14 of them starts, at Quad Cities (Class A) in 2014, fanning 82 batters and walking 29 in 79 innings. That offseason he became eligible for the MLB Rule 5 Draft and on December 11 he was selected in that draft by Boston and traded to the Royals. He spent most of 2015 spring training with Kansas City but when it was clear he would not stick with the club, as required by the Rule 5 rules, he was placed on waivers and claimed by San Diego on March 26. The Padres, however, could also not rationalize keeping him up in the majors and on April 3, 2015, he was returned to the Astros, where he’s been ever since. Armed with an elite fastball that has touched 100 but also with some control issues that he’s been addressing, he skipped past High A and went 5-2 with a 2.15 ERA in 46 games out of the pen for Corpus Christi (Double-A) with the Astros in 2015, collecting 20 saves in his new closer role in the system, and striking out 49 while walking 25 in 58.2 innings.
TEOSCAR HERNANDEZ, OF, ASTROS
Ht/Wt: 6’2”/180 B/T: R/R BORN: October 15, 1992
ACQUIRED: Signed as an international free agent (Dominican Republic) on February 17, 2011.
CURRENT SEASON STATS: .307 with 10 homers, 53 RBIs and 34 steals in 107 games between Corpus Christi (Double-A) and Fresno (Triple-A) with 28 doubles and a .459 SLG.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Fresno August 12 when OF Preston Tucker went on the 15-day DL.
DEBUT: August 12, in a 5-3 win against the Blue Jays. The starting center fielder, he batted eighth and went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a home run, and a walk. In his first big-league at-bat in the first inning, he grounded into a force out at second base with the bases loaded to end the inning. In the third inning, he drew a leadoff walk against starting pitcher Francisco Liriano. After moving to second on a walk by George Springer and then to third on an infield single by Alex Bregman, Hernandez scored the Astros’ first run of the game on a two-out two-run single by Carlos Correa. In the fourth inning, he flew out to center field. In the sixth, still with Liriano on the mound, he blasted a two-out home run to left field. In the seventh inning, he hit a one-out infield single.
PLAYER NOTES: Hernandez, who already ranked as having the best outfield arm in the organization as well as possessing that elusive and appealing combination of power and speed, showed the Astros what he could do in terms of adjustments when he raised his batting average over 100 points between 2015 and 2016. In ’15, at Corpus Christi, he batted just .219 with 17 homers, 48 RBIs and 33 steals. IN 2014, between Lancaster (High A) and Corpus Christi, he’d hit .292 with 21 homers, 85 RBIs, and 33 steals. Still just 23, the sky is the limit for the true center fielder.
TYLER AUSTIN, INF/OF, YANKEES
Ht/Wt: 6’2”/220 B/T: R/R BORN: September 6, 1991
ACQUIRED: Drafted in the 13th round of the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft (Heritage H.S., Conyers, GA).
CURRENT SEASON STATS: .294 with 17 homers and 78 RBIs in 107 games between Trenton (Double-A) and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Triple-A), with 34 doubles, a .392 OBP and a .524 SLG.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre August 13 along with OF Aaron Judge when RHP Ben Heller was sent down and 3B Alex Rodriguez was granted his unconditional release, and RHP Conor Mullee was transferred from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
DEBUT: August 13, in an 8-4 win against the Rays. The starting first baseman, he batted seventh and went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI including a homer along with a stolen base. In his first at-bat against Rays starter Matt Andriese in the second inning, he hit a two-out solo home run to left field, a 330-foot shot that barely cleared the wall but he touched them all for the first run of the game. In the fourth inning, he struck out swinging. In the sixth inning, he hit a one-out single to right field and with two outs, stole second base for his first steal. In the eighth inning, he struck out swinging.
PLAYER NOTES: You can see the details of Austin’s and Judge’s historic debuts in the introduction to this package. Now in his seventh pro season, Austin brings a career .287 average into his MLB debut, though that first “season” consisted of just two at-bats at the minor league complex in the Gulf Coast League. In 2011, between the GCL and Staten Island (Short-season A), he combined to hit .354 with six homers, 36 RBIs and 18 steals, and batted .322 with 17 homers, 80 RBIs and 23 steals in 110 games in 2012 between (deep breath) the Gulf Coast League, Charleston, S.C. (Class A), Tampa (High A) and Trenton. Injuries slowed his ascent as he appeared in only 85 games in 2013, then returned to Trenton to hit .275 in 105 games in 2014, with both power and speed falling off as he managed just nine homers and 47 RBIs. In 2015, he hit a combined .240 with six homers, 35 RBIs and 11 steals in 94 games between Trenton and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
AARON JUDGE, OF, YANKEES
Ht/Wt: 6’7”/275 B/T: R/R BORN: April 26, 1992
ACQUIRED: Drafted in the first round (#32 overall) of the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft (Fresno State University).
CURRENT SEASON STATS: .270 with 19 homers and 65 RBIs in 63 games at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Triple-A) with 18 doubles for a .489 SLG.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre August 13 along with that of INF/OF Tyler Austin when 3B Alex Rodriguez was granted his unconditional release and RHP Ben Heller was sent down, while RHP Conor Mullee was transferred from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
DEBUT: August 13, in an 8-4 win against the Tampa Bay Rays. The starting right fielder, he batted eighth and went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI, including a homer. In his first at-bat against Rays starter Matt Andriese, with two outs and no one on he blasted a monster 440-foot homer to center field, moments after fellow debutante Tyler Austin had started HIS big league career off with a homer as well. In his second at-bat in the fifth inning, he led the frame off with a single to center field and after moving to third base on a single by Jacoby Ellsbury, he scored on a three-run homer by Aaron Hicks. In the sixth inning, with one out, he popped out to second base. In his last at-bat of the night, in the eighth inning, he struck out looking.
PLAYER NOTES: You can see the details of Judge’s and Austin’s historic debuts in the introduction to this package. Judge missed some time early this season with a knee injury but is healthy now, or the club would not have rushed him to the majors. He is way too valuable a commodity in that system to take any chances. Considered one of the top prospects in the system thanks to his prodigious power and strong outfield arm, he was shifted from center field to right field early on in his career to better fit the profile and brings a .278 career average and .473 career SLG into his MLB debut. After missing the 2013 pro season due to a torn quad suffered during workouts at the minor league complex after signing, his rise has been swift and steady. In 2014, he combined between Charleston, S.C. (Class A) and Tampa (High A) to bat .308 with 17 homers and 78 RBIs, then combined between Trenton (Double-A) and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2015 to hit .255 with 20 homers and 72 RBIs.
2080 NOTES: Judge was ranked No. 67 on 2080 Baseball’s Preseason Top 125 Prospect Rankings List where we had this to say about him: “There aren’t too many bodies floating around pro ball like Aaron Judge’s. His natural strength and a power-oriented swing work with his body to create a player with a lot of raw power that should translate to in-game power.” In addition, we had two Prospect Spotlight reports on Judge earlier this summer, here and here.
National League Debuts
JASON HURSH, RHP, BRAVES
Ht/Wt: 6’3”/200 B/T: R/R BORN: October 2, 1991
ACQUIRED: Drafted in the first round (#31 overall) of the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft (Oklahoma State University).
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 3-2 with a 1.83 ERA in 38 games between Mississippi (Double-A) and Gwinnett (Triple-A), striking out 45 while walking 26 and allowing 48 hits in 64 innings, limiting batters to a .210 BAA.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Gwinnett August 12 along with the recall of RHP Akeel Morris when RHP Brandon Cunniff was sent down and RHP Roberto Hernandez was designated for assignment.
DEBUT: August 13, in a 7-6 loss to the Nationals. The second of three pitchers, he allowed one run on three hits in one inning, striking out one and throwing one wild pitch. Coming on to start the sixth inning in relief of last week’s debutante, Rob Whalen, Hursh surrendered a full-count single to center field to the first big-league batter he faced, Jayson Werth. After striking out Brian Goodwin, Hursh threw a wild pitch that advanced Werth to second, allowing him to score on Danny Espinosa’s one-out single to right field. Espinosa moved to second on an infield single by Pedro Severino and both runners advanced a base on a ground out by pitcher Reynaldo Lopez, but Trea Turner’s ground out to second base ended the threat and the inning.
PLAYER NOTES: After undergoing Tommy John surgery as a sophomore at Oklahoma State, Hursh returned strong with his sinking fastball in the middle 90s, a changeup and curveball to show he was healthy in time for the 2013 draft. Initially he struggled in his early pro outings, giving up 151 hits in 148.1 IP while striking out just 83 in 27 games at Mississippi as a starter in 2014, and posting a 5.18 ERA in 34 games between Mississippi and Gwinnett in 2015. The decision was made (though it had been pondered since his signing) to move him from starter to reliever midway through the ’15 campaign, and the shift has clearly paid off, as his pre-debut numbers reflect. He has great makeup that should help boost him as a back end of the bullpen guy down the road.
ALEX REYES, RHP, CARDINALS
Ht/Wt: 6’3”/175 B/T: R/R BORN: August 29, 1994
ACQUIRED: Signed as an international free agent (Dominican Republic) on December 3, 2012
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 2-3 with a 4.96 ERA in 14 starts at Memphis (Triple-A), striking out 93 while walking 32 and allowing 63 hits in 65.1 IP.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Memphis August 9 when RHP Michael Wacha was placed on the 15-day DL.
DEBUT: August 9, in a 7-4 loss to the Reds. The last of five pitchers, he fanned one in one shutout hitless inning. He came on for Zach Duke to start the ninth inning and struck out the first batter he faced, Adam Duvall, on a foul tip. The next batter, Tony Renda, grounded out to first base and the final batter, Ivan de Jesus, grounded out to second.
PLAYER NOTES: While we have learned (or been schooled by our readers) that you can perhaps take the pitch speeds listed in the MLB play-by-play with a little bit of salt, it’s certainly not impossible to believe what they show for Reyes’ 11-pitch debut: Two pitched clocked over 101 mph and another three over 99. The guy throws sheer heat. Reyes is considered to be the top prospect in the organization and that’s hard to argue with. He’s not only got that blistering fastball, but a power curveball and a changeup in progress as well. Despite his debut in relief, it’s hard not to see him as the ace of a starting rotation in the not-too-distant future. In 2015, splitting his time among the Cards’ Gulf Coast League club, Palm Beach (High A) and Springfield, he combined to go 5-7 with a 2.49 ERA in 22 starts, striking out 151 batters in just 101.1 IP, walking 49 while allowing 70 hits and limiting opposing hitters to a .197 average at the age of 21. In 334.1 career innings coming into his debut, he’d fanned 449 batters and walked just 170, scattering 269 hits and limiting hitters to a .220 average. This year he was activated in late May after serving a 50 game suspension for using a “drug of abuse” (marijuana). The two-time Futures Game participant has an interest story of how he got to the Cardinals. Born and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey, an area not known for its baseball or for bringing out scouts in droves to watch the talent, he was considered a prospect but more as an infielder than a pitcher. His family could not afford to sign him up to go through the increasingly pricey domestic “showcase and travel ball” route and instead, in 2011, he went back to his family’s native Dominican Republic to live with his grandmother, and gained the residency requirements needed to qualify to sign as an international free agent while also seeing more time on the mound.
2080 NOTES: Reyes checked in at No. 8 on 2080 Baseball’s Preseason Top 125 Prospect Rankings List where we had this to say about him: “An upper-90s fastball and a potential 70-grade curveball gives us plenty of confidence to put Reyes up this high, though we’d like to see some improvement in his command, and a more consistent delivery, to add polish to his profile this season.”
LUKE WEAVER, RHP, CARDINALS
Ht/Wt: 6’2”/170 B/T: R/R BORN: August 21, 1993.
ACQUIRED: Drafted in the first round (#27 overall) of the 2014 MLB First-Year Player Draft (Florida State University).
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 7-3 with a 1.30 ERA in 13 starts between Springfield (Double-A) and Memphis (Triple-A), striking out 92 batters while walking 12 and allowing 65 hits in 83 IP.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Memphis August 13 when OF Matt Holliday was placed on the 15-day DL.
DEBUT: August 13, in an 8-4 win against the Cubs. The starting pitcher he did not get the decision, allowing two runs on four hits over four innings, walking three and striking out three. Of 85 pitches, 50 were for strikes. He struck out the first big-league batter he faced, Dexter Fowler, looking, and then struck out Kris Bryant swinging, collecting two of his three strikeouts on the first two batters he saw in the bigs. He then got Anthony Rizzo to ground out to first base for a quick first inning. In the second, Ben Zobrist got things started with a double to right field and scored on a two-run homer by Addison Russell to left. After Jason Heyward flew out to right field, Willson Contreras drew a walk and was joined on the bases by Javier Baez, who singled. Kyle Hendricks hit into a fielder’s choice but hit the ball right back to Weaver, who threw out Contreras at home to save the run. Though Fowler then walked to load the bases, Bryant’s groundout to shortstop ended the threat. In the third, Rizzo led off with a single but was erased when Zobrist grounded into a double play. Though Russell drew a walk, Heyward’s ground out to second base completed the inning. In the fourth, Contreras grounded out to first base and Baez did the second to second, before Hendricks struck out swinging to end Weaver’s evening. Fellow Cards debutante from this week, Alex Reyes, came on for the next three innings of one-hit shutout ball and was beneficiary of the win when the Cards piled on their runs towards the end of the game.
PLAYER NOTES: The promotion of Alex Reyes and pending promotion of Weaver were announced by the Cardinals basically simultaneously, even though Weaver’s debut was still four days away at the time, to the delight of any Cardinals fans who had been paying even the slightest bit of attention to what was going on in the minors. Here they had not one but two pitchers who could clock 100 mph at any given time. Weaver, who brings a 15-9 record and 1.78 career ERA in 38 starts into his first big league outing, has missed some time with a fractured left (non-pitching) wrist. But once Reyes, who was also a starter in the minors, made his debut out of the bullpen the night he was called up, it became obvious that it would be Weaver, at least for now, taking injured Michael Wacha’s spot in the rotation. Coming off an outing at the 2016 Futures Game, Weaver comes off a 2015, his first full season, in which he went 8-5 with a 1.62 ERA in 19 starts, fanning 88 and walking 19 in 105.1 IP.
2080 NOTES: Like his teammate Reyes, Weaver also landed on 2080 Baseball’s Preseason Top 125 Prospect Rankings List, at #116, where we had this to say about him: “Weaver was highly productive in 2015 as he showed a plus fastball and a changeup that could get to plus with more development. His slider needs work but if it plays to average he can be a solid #4 starter.”
AUSTIN BRICE, RHP, MARLINS
Ht/Wt: 6’4”/205 B/T: R/R BORN: June 19, 1992
ACQUIRED: Drafted in the ninth round of the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft (Northwood High School in Pittsboro, North Carolina).
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 4-7 with a 2.93 ERA in 28 games, 13 starts, between Jacksonville (Double-A) and New Orleans (Triple-A), striking out 83 and walking 29 in 95.1 IP while allowing 81 hits.
PROMOTED: Recalled from New Orleans August 9 along with LHP Chris Narveson when RHP A.J. Ramos went on the DL, LHP Hunter Cervenka was sent down, and LHP Cody Ege was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
DEBUT: August 12, in a 4-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox. The fifth of six pitchers, he tossed one perfect innings, striking out two. Of 11 pitches thrown nine were for strikes. He came on to pitch the eighth inning, striking out the first batter he faced, Adam Eaton, swinging. Tyler Saladino followed by grounding out to shortstop before Melky Cabrera struck out swinging.
PLAYER NOTES: The Hong Kong-born Brice has a ton of tools in his arsenal, notably what Baseball America considers the best slider in the Marlins system, a mid-90s fastball and a plus curveball, but has been struggling with consistency which is what has held him in the minors for six seasons plus before now. A hard thrower, he continues to work out the kinks with that consistency issue and certainly that debut inning was a good sign. In 2015, at Jacksonville, he was 6-9 with a 4.67 ERA in 25 starts, striking out 127and walking 69 while allowing 114 hits in 125.1 IP. The previous summer at Jupiter (High A) he was 8-9 with a 3.60 in 25 games, fanning 109 and walking 55 while giving up 114 hits in 127.1 IP.
T.J. RIVERA, SS, METS
Ht/Wt: 6’1”/190 B/T: R/R BORN: October 27, 1988
ACQUIRED: Signed as an undrafted minor league free agent by the New York Mets on June 12, 2011.
CURRENT SEASON STATS: .349 with 11 homers and 80 RBIs in 97 games at Las Vegas (Triple-A), with 26 doubles for a .513 SLG.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Las Vegas when OF Brandon Nimmo was sent down.
DEBUT: August 10, in a 3-2 12-inning loss to the Diamondbacks. The starting third baseman, he batted sixth and went 1-for-5. In the second inning, in his first at-bat, he grounded out to the pitcher. In the fifth inning, he flied out to center field. In the eighth inning, he grounded out to third. In the 10th inning, he hit a leadoff single to center. In the 12th inning, he made the final out of the game, flying out to center field.
PLAYER NOTES: Thomas Javier Rivera is a New York City native who graduated from Lehman High School in the Bronx. Undrafted out of Troy State, Rivera signed with the crosstown rivals shortly after the draft and has made them look smart, bringing a career .318 average over five seasons into the bigs with him. He’s also hit over. 300 in two winter ball seasons in the Puerto Rican League with Mayaguez. In 2015, Rivera batted .325 with seven homers and 48 RBIs to go with 27 doubles between Binghamton and Las Vegas, hitting over .300 at both stops, coming off of a 2014 campaign during which he’d combined between St; Lucie (High A) and Binghamton to hit .349 with five homers, 75 RBIs and 29 doubles.
GABRIEL YNOA, RHP, METS
Ht/Wt: 6’2”/160 B/T: R/R BORN: May 26, 1993
ACQUIRED: Signed as an international free agent (Dominican Republic) on May 28, 2010.
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 10-5 with a 4.42 ERA in 23 starts at Las Vegas (Triple-A), striking out 72 while walking 36 and allowing 159 hits in 138.1 IP.
PROMOTED: Recalled from Las Vegas August 13 when SS Jose Reyes was activated from the DL and RHP Logan Verrett and INF Matt Reynolds were sent down.
DEBUT: August 13, in a 3-2 11-inning win against the San Diego Padres. The last of six pitchers on the night, Ynoa got the win with one perfect inning in which he struck out one. Of 13 pitches, nine were for strikes. Coming on to start the top of the 11th in relief of Erik Goeddel, he got the first big-league batter he faced, Christian Betancourt, to pop out to second base. Nick Noonan then flew out to left field before pinch-hitter Adam Rosales struck out swinging. When the Mets’ Neil Walker scored with one out in the bottom of the 11th on a fielder’s choice by Wilmer Flores, Ynoa was the late-night pitcher of record for the W.
PLAYER NOTES: Signed as a free agent by the Mets just two days after his 17th birthday, Ynoa is a control artist who has consistently had one of the lowest walks-to-innings-pitched ratio in the system. Partly as a result of that constantly being over the plate, his hits-to-innings-pitched is not quite as flashy but he gets the job done. In 2015 at Binghamton (Double-A), he was 9-9 with a 4.14 ERA in 25 games, striking out 82 while walking just 31 in 152.1 IP, allowing 157 hits, after combining to go 11-4 with a 4.07 ERA in 25 starts between Binghamton and St. Lucie (High A) in 2014, striking out 106 while walking just 25 in 148 innings, but allowing 169 hits. His best season came in his first full summer at Savannah (Class A) in 2013 when he went 15-4 with a 2.72 ERA in 22 starts, striking out 106 and walking just 16 in 135.2 IP, and giving up just 123 hits. He throws a fastball in the low 90s, a changeup and a slider.
MATT CARASITI, RHP, ROCKIES
Ht/Wt: 6’3”/205 B/T: R/R BORN: July 23, 1991
ACQUIRED: Drafted in the sixth round of the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft (St. John’s University).
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 0-2 with a 1.96 ERA and 31 saves in 44 games between Hartford (Double-A) and Albuquerque (Triple-A), striking out 48 while walking nine and allowing 30 hits in 46 innings.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Albuquerque August 12 when RHP Gonzalez Germen was designated for assignment.
DEBUT: August 12, in a 10-6 loss to the Phillies. The third of four pitchers, he allowed two runs, one of them earned, on four hits in two innings, walking one and striking out two. Out of 32 pitches thrown 20 were for strikes. Coming on to start the sixth inning in relief of reliever Scott Oberg, he got the first batter he faced, Peter Bourjos, to fly out to left field, and retired pinch-hitter Taylor Featherston on a line-out to center. Cedar Hernandez then hit a two-out single to center after which Odubel Herrera reached base on an error by first baseman Daniel Descalso, allowing Hernandez to advance to third. With runners at the corners and two outs, Aaron Altherr singled to right field to score Hernandez before Carasiti struck Maikel Franco out looking. In the seventh, Ryan Howard and Cameron Rupp got things started with back-to-back singles and Freddy Galvis drew a walk to load the bases with no outs. Bourjos grounded into a 4-6-3 double play which scored Howard before pinch-hitter Jimmy Paredes struck out looking to end the inning and Carasiti’s night.
PLAYER NOTES: The St. John’s product began his pro career as a starter, but after two rough years, including a 2013 campaign at Asheville (Class A) when he went 2-10 with a 7.94 ERA in 20 starts, he was moved to the bullpen and the success was almost immediate. In 2014, he returned to Asheville to go 6-2 with a 3.08 ERA in 46 games, striking out 76 in as many innings, when posted a 3.02 ERA with 22 saves in 49 games at Modesto (High A) in 2015, fanning 57 and walking 22 in 56.2 IP. His 2016 has been a high-water mark by far, though.
