Feature Photo: Dan Altavilla, RHP, Mariners
In what may be a Les Debutantes first, this week’s introduction is about two players who did NOT make their big league debuts this week.
The “big trade” that came down on August 25 – the Dodgers acquiring catcher Carlos Ruiz from the Phillies (and $$) in exchange for nine-year veteran backstop A.J. Ellis, minor league RHP Tommy Bergjans, and the proverbial player to be named later – certainly did not, in and of itself, move the needle on the Debutante Richter Scale. At least, you wouldn’t think so.
But, in fact, the swap provided a few awesome moments, the ones we don’t generally write about or even see.
Because when major league players get traded, they have to, you know, actually get to their new teams. They have to clean out their lockers. They have to pack. They have to start letting people know they’re leaving (first and foremost their wives and kids – and if they have wives and kids, well, living on the fly after a trade is a column – or a book – in itself). And, of course, they have to get to wherever the heck their new team is playing as quickly as possible.
No matter what, odds are that for at least one game, two teams are going to be playing one man down. If they’ve traded a pitcher or an infielder or an outfielder, they have a little more luxury – maybe they’ll bring up a 13th (or even 14th) pitcher, or a backup shortstop, or another hot-hitting outfielder, someone to use as an extra bat or pinch-runner. But if they’ve just traded catchers? They almost HAVE to bring up another catcher. You can’t go into a game with just one catcher unless there is no other choice. What if a flight is delayed or a connection is missed? You simply always have to have another catcher ready on the bench.
So, in this case, for brief shining moments, both the Phillies and the Dodgers brought up catchers who would be on hand in case they were needed while Ruiz and Ellis were on route to their new destinations. There was no guarantee that either player would get into a game (spoiler alert: neither one did).
Thus it was that top Phillies catching prospect Jorge Alfaro found himself in a Phillies uniform in the visiting dugout at the Mets’ Citi Field on Friday night while nine-year minor league veteran Shawn Zarraga was decked out in Dodger Blue for a home game against the Cubs, the first Dodgers player to ever wear the number 73.
- Fun Fact No.1 of this week’s package: Zarraga becomes the third player this year to be the first Dodger to wear a given uniform number, joining RHP Ross Stripling (68) and LHP Julio Urias (78).
So, that first call to the big leagues. It’s something. It’s everything. And in this case, the situations were pretty different for the pair in question.
In the Phillies’ case, while they awaited the arrival of Ellis, it was pretty much a no-brainer. Their ‘catcher of the future’, Jorge Alfaro was acquired (along with fellow uberprospects outfielder Nick Williams (OF, Triple-A Lehigh Valley, International League) and Jake Thompson (RHP, Phillies, called up on August 6), as well as Jerad Eickhoff (RHP, Phillies) and two other players from the Rangers a year ago in the megadeal for LHP Cole Hamels, and is pretty much a lock to be recalled when minor league playoffs wrap up, so why not bring him up and let him get his cleats dirty, if only for a day, before Ellis, ‘the catcher for now’, got to town. It wasn’t a call that he wondered if the day would ever come. It was just a matter of when, not if. This is not to say that Alfaro wasn’t happy. I’m sure he was. But it couldn’t have come as a huge shock to him.
But for the Dodgers, as they awaited Ruiz, well, let’s just say they made Shawn Zarraga VERY VERY VERY happy. Like, this happy.
So, as said before, neither got into the game that night. Ellis and Ruiz arrived at their new posts on time. Both Alfaro and Zarraga are now back in the minors with Triple-A Lehigh Valley and Oklahoma City, respectively. I think it’s a no-brainer that we will be writing/reading Alfaro’s real debut next week or the week after, since rosters expand to 40 men by the time the next “Les Debs” column is published.
I hope we will also be writing about Zarraga’s debut. But, just because, I want to give a little extra love to Zarraga NOW. Just to be safe.
WHEN Shawn Zarraga makes his big league debut (optimism prevails) he will become just the sixth Aruban-born player in the majors and the first Aruban-born catcher.
I could watch that above clip of Zarraga in the dugout giving high-fives and hugs to everyone he knows (and probably several people he doesn’t know) over and over and over again. And I know a lot of people with the Dodgers and Brewers (where he spent the first seven years of his minor league career after being drafted in the 44th round in 2007) are happy for him, because veteran minor league catchers are hard-working men. They almost always get invited to spring training, arriving early to serve as mitts with bodies attached, lined up in a pretty little row to catch the dozens of pitching prospects that are always on hand – that’s why they call the magic day “when pitchers and CATCHERS report.” But no one really cares about the catchers beyond the elite tier level. They just have to have enough of them to give the PITCHERS someone to throw to before they cull the herd, so generally every minor league catcher gets an invite if he’s healthy.
And the obviously affable and durable Zarraga has been there year after year, patiently waiting his turn. He brought a career .284 average into what would have been his debut, so he’s not exactly a light-hitting backstop, and has topped the .300 mark twice in that time.
Right now, he has one fellow Aruban playing in the majors – Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts. Before Bogaerts, you had to go back to the late 1980s/early 1990s to find an Aruban on a major league roster, during a period when Aruban superscout Chu Halabi brought the Orioles a quartet of players who all made it to the bigs – pitchers Sidney Ponson, Calvin Maduro and Radhames Dykhoff and outfielder Eugene Kingsale. How big a deal was it for an Aruban player to make it to the majors? Let’s put it this way: Of that quintet, only Dykhoff, who appeared in just one big league game, has not been made a Knight of Order of Orange-Nassau, an honor bestowed by Dutch royalty for “everyone who has earned special merits for society”.
So I think Sir Shawn would have a nice ring to it.
But on to the actual six guys who made their big-league debuts THIS week. And don’t forget – as if you could – that come September 1, this list should start getting even longer as rosters expand to 40!
American League Debuts
DAN ALTAVILLA, RHP, MARINERS
Ht/Wt: 5’11”/200 B/T: R/R BORN: September 8, 1992
ACQUIRED: Drafted in the fifth round of the 2014 MLB First-Year Player Draft (Mercyhurst College).
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 7-3 with a 1.91 ERA with 16 saves in 43 games at Jackson (Double-A), striking out 65 in 56.2 IP, while walking 22 and allowing 40 hits.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Jackson August 27 when pitcher RHP/LHP Pat Venditte was recalled along with 1B Dae-Ho Lee and RHP Tom Wilhelmsen went on the 15-day DL while OF Nori Aoki and INF Mike Freeman were sent down.
DEBUT: August 27, in a 9-3 loss to the White Sox. The last of three pitchers, he tossed one perfect inning. Of nine pitches thrown, seven were for strikes. Coming on to start the bottom of the eighth, the first big-league batter he faced, Melky Cabrera, grounded out to third base, as did the second, Jose Abreu. The last batter of the inning, Todd Frazier, struck out swinging.
PLAYER NOTES: The third Mercyhurst alumni to make it to the majors, following in the footsteps of former pitchers John Costello and David Lee, Altavilla boasts a fastball in the low 90s and a slider that Baseball America ranked tops in the Mariners’ farm system, along with a solid changeup. Converted, for now at least, from starter to reliever in 2015, he posted a 6-12 record with a 4.98 ERA in 2015 at Bakersfield (High A) in his first full season, striking out 124 in 28 starts over 148.1 IP, walking 53 while allowing 138 hits. In his pro debut at Everett (Short-Season A) in 2014, he was 5-3 with a 4.36 ERA in 14 starts, striking out 66 in as many innings pitched, and walking 32 while allowing 74 hits.
- Fun Fact No. 2: If Mercyhurst College sounds at all familiar, it may be because it was the site of the local talent show contest where The Wonders first play in the movie “That Thing You Do!”
ALEX WIMMERS, RHP, TWINS
Ht/Wt: 6’2”/210 B/T: L/R BORN: November 1, 1988
ACQUIRED: Drafted in the first round (#21 overall) of the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft (The Ohio State University)
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 2-2 with a 3.97 ERA and 11 saves in 45 games between Chattanooga (Double-A) and Rochester (Triple-A), striking out 56 and walking 25 in 56 .2 IP while allowing 52 hits.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Rochester August 26 along with LHP Andrew Albers when RHPs Jose Berrios and Tyler Duffey were sent down.
DEBUT: August 26, in a 15-8 loss to the Blue Jays. The last of six pitchers on the night, he tossed a perfect eighth inning, striking out two. Of 15 pitches, nine were for strikes. Coming on to start the eighth in relief of Ryan O’Rourke, the first big-league batter he faced, Darwin Barney, grounded out to shortstop. Justin Smoak struck out looking on a full count before Ezequiel Carrera struck out swinging.
PLAYER NOTES: If it seems odd that a first-round pick would take seven seasons to make it to the majors, keep in mind that Wimmers has battled arm trouble over the years, undergoing Tommy John surgery and subsequent surgery to repair nerve damage in his forearm. He threw just 15 innings in his pro debut in 2010 and saw minimal time in 2011, 2012 and 2013 before finally getting his sea legs in 2014. That summer, he combined between Fort Myers (High A) and New Britain (Double-A) to go 4-3 and post a 3.96 ERA, the lone season he had an ERA under 4.00, striking out 97 while walking 31 and allowing 90 hits in 84 innings. In 2015, at Chattanooga (Double-A), he was 8-4 with a 4.53 ERA in 30 games (18 starts), striking out 100 and walking 43 in 115.1 IP, allowing 117 hits. He’s combined for a 4.24 ERA in those seven seasons and had dipped pretty far down on the prospect charts before finally getting his long-awaited call-up.
BEN HELLER, RHP, YANKEES
Ht/Wt: 6’3”/205 B/T: R/R BORN: August 5, 1991
ACQUIRED: Via trade from the Cleveland Indians on July 31, 2016, along with OF Clint Frazier, RHP J.P. Feyereisen and LHP Justus Sheffield in exchange for LHP Andrew Miller. Originally drafted by the Indians in the 22nd round of the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft (Olivet Nazarene College in Illinois).
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 3-3 with a 1.69 ERA and 13 saves in 49 games among Akron (Double-A/Indians), Columbus (Triple-A/Indians) and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Triple-A/Yankees), striking out 55 and walking 14 in 48 innings while allowing 26 hits.
PROMOTED: Recalled from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on August 26 when RHP Anthony Swarzak went on the 15-day DL.
DEBUT: August 26, in a 14-4 win against the Orioles. The third of four pitchers, he tossed one hitless inning, making one error. Of 16 pitches thrown, 11 were for strikes. Coming on to start the eighth inning, he retired the first batter he faced, Francisco Pena, on a fly out to right field. The next batter, Nolan Reimold, popped out foul to the catcher. Hyun Soo Kim reached base on a fielding error by Heller, but the next batter, Manny Machado, grounded into a 6-4 force play to end the inning.
PLAYER NOTES: This was actually Heller’s second trip to the majors, but the first time he got into a game. He’d been recalled two weeks earlier, along with pitcher Luis Cessa, but was returned to the minors two days later to clear a spot for outfielder Aaron Judge (himself a debutante). Deemed by Baseball America to have the best fastball in the Indians’ farm system coming into the 2016 season, Heller also brings a good slider into his mix and brought a career 2.72 ERA into his big league debut. He split the 2015 summer between Lynchburg (High A/Indians) and Akron, going 0-2 with a 4.02 ERA in 41 games, striking out 58 while walking just 14 in 40 .1 IP and allowing 35 hits.
2080 NOTES: You can read Reggie Yinger’s early-season scouting report on Heller here.
National League Debuts
VICENTE CAMPOS, RHP, DIAMONDBACKS
Ht/Wt: 6’3”/230 B/T: R/R BORN: July 27, 1992
ACQUIRED: Via trade from the Yankees on July 30, 2016, in exchange for RHP Tyler Clippard. Originally signed as an international free agent (Venezuela) on May 14, 2009 (SEA).
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 10-5 with a 3.26 ERA in 24 starts, including one shutout, among Tampa (High A/Yankees), Trenton (Double-A/Yankees), Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Triple-A/Yankees) and Mobile (Double-A/Diamondbacks).
PROMOTED: Recalled August 25 from Mobile along with RHP Silvino Bracho when RHP Dominic Leone and LHP Steve Hathaway were sent down.
DEBUT: August 27, in a 13-0 loss to the Reds. The second of three pitchers, he allowed three runs, two of them earned, on four hits over 5.2 IP, walking two and striking out four. Campos came on to start the third inning after starter Zack Godley gave up nine runs in two innings. Campos got things started with a 1-2-3 inning, getting the first batter he faced, Ramon Cabrera, to pop out to shortstop before striking out Anthony DeSclafani looking and Billy Hamilton swinging. He gave up his first run when the leadoff batter in the fourth, Zack Cozart, homered to center field. With two outs, the Reds rallied again with back-to-back singles by Brandon Phillips and Scott Schebler, followed by an error by left fielder Michael Bourn on a ball hit by Eugenio Suarez which allowed Phillips to score before Cabrera lined out to end the inning. Campos kept things scoreless for the next three innings before the eighth when, with two outs, Adam Duvall blasted a solo homer to left field, marking the end of the rookie’s night as fellow new arrival Bracho came on in relief.
PLAYER NOTES: Campos, who was known as Jose Campos during his earlier years (his name is Jose Vicente Campos) is a big, strong pitcher with a plus fastball in the middle 90s, a curveball, and a changeup. His rise through the minors was interrupted when he underwent Tommy John surgery which cost him all of the 2014 season and part of 2015 as well. Originally signed by the Mariners, he spent all of his first three pro seasons in short-season ball in the Venezuelan Summer League and then stateside in Everett, before being dealt to the Yankees on January 23, 2012, in a multi-player deal in which he and RHP Michael Pineda were traded for C Jesus Montero and RHP Hector Noesi. In 2015, as he slowly worked his way back, he went 3-8 with a 6.29 ERA in 13 starts in rehab, striking out 45 and walking 10 in 54.1 innings.
ROBERT GSELLMAN, RHP, METS:
Ht/Wt: 6’4”/205 B/T: R/R BORN: July 18, 1993
ACQUIRED: Drafted in the 13th round of the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft (Westchester High School, Los Angeles, CA).
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 4-5 with a 3.99 ERA in 20 starts between Binghamton (Double-A) and Las Vegas (Triple-A), striking out 88 and walking 33 while allowing 113 hits over 115 innings.
PROMOTED: Recalled from Las Vegas August 22 when LHP Steven Matz went on the 15-day DL.
DEBUT: August 23, in a 7-4 win against the Cardinals. The second of seven pitchers on the night, he got the win, allowing two hits in 3.2 IP and not allowing a run (though he did give up both of his inherited runners from injured starter Jon Niese), walking three and striking out two. He hit also hit a batter. After Niese surrendered two walks and an RBI single to Brandon Moss before leaving the game with one out in the first and two runners on (Matt Carpenter, who had walked, and Moss), Gsellman was brought into emergency “start relief.” The first batter he faced, Yadier Molina, hit an RBI double to center on the first pitch he saw, scoring Carpenter, and Moss came home on a groundout to third base by Jhonny Peralta before Gsellman struck out Jedd Gyorko swinging for the third out. Gsellman did not have the luxury of any 1-2-3 innings, but neither did he allow a run in his next three innings of work, and, in fact, he only allowed one more hit, a single to Molina with one on and two outs in the third. In his final inning of work, he showed he could pitch out of a jam. After walking Gyorko to lead off the frame, he fanned Randall Grichuk swinging and got pinch-hitter Kolten Wong on a fly out to left field, but then hit Tommy Pham with a pitch. But he ended the threat by getting Stephen Piscotty to line out to shortstop, marking the end of his night as reliever Josh Smoker came on to start the fifth. For his troubles, and because he was the pitcher of record when the Mets took the lead for good, Gsellman was awarded the win.
PLAYER NOTES: The son of former Phillies minor league catcher Bob Gsellman, who played four seasons in that system after being drafted in the 23rd round of 1984, the younger Gsellman certainly had a good baseball mind to pick as he grew up a pitcher. The organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year when he combined between St. Lucie (High A) and Binghamton to go 13-7 with a 2.89 ERA in 24 starts, striking out 86 and walking 37 in 143 .1 IP while giving up 126 hits, he’s known for his sinker in the low-to-middle 90s, a curveball, and a changeup, as well as good command and poise and maturity on the mound. He also has what has become the signature “awesome hair” of Mets pitchers. A starter throughout his career, he seems penciled into the Mets’ bullpen upon promotion, but as the injuries to Mets’ starters seem to be piling up quickly (as Niese’s early exit emphasized) plans can change. In his first full season, 2014, Gsellman went 10-6 with a 2.56 ERA in 20 starts at Savannah (Class A), including four complete games, striking out 92 while walking 34 in 116 innings and giving up 122 hits.
STEPHEN CARDULLO, INF/OF, ROCKIES
Ht/Wt: 6’0”/200 B/T: R/R BORN: August 31, 1987
ACQUIRED: Signed as a minor league free agent on January 6, 2016. Originally drafted by the Diamondbacks in the 24th round of the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft (Florida State University).
CURRENT SEASON STATS: .308 with 17 homers and 72 RBIs along with 26 doubles in 115 games at Albuquerque (Triple-A), posting a .522 SLG.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Albuquerque August 26 when INF Ben Paulsen was sent down and RHP Scott Oberg was transferred from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
DEBUT: August 26, in an 8-5 loss to the Nationals. The starting first baseman, he batted second and went 0-for-3 with a walk. In his at-bat against Gio Gonzalez, batting in the first inning with one out, he lined out to center field on a 2-0 count. He struck out swinging with two outs in the third inning. He drew a leadoff walk in the fifth but was erased on a double play hit into by Carlos Gonzalez. In the eighth, with two out and one on, he flew out to center field.
PLAYER NOTES: Cardullo’s story is the kind we just love here at “Les Debs.” So, you’ve never heard of him? Here’s why. After being a heralded starter at Florida State, he played in just 20 games at Missoula (Short-Season A) in 2010, hitting only .172, he returned to Missoula in 2011 and got the job done, hitting .288 with 10 homers, 14 doubles and 38 RBIs for a .525 SLG in 61 games in 2011 before being released at season’s end. The next four season were spent in the lower rungs of the independent leagues, where he played in the Frontier League in 2012 and then with the Rockland Boulders of the Canadian-American Association from 2013 through 2015. He batted .331 with nine homers, 76 RBIs and 23 steals in 93 games there in 2015 and caught the eye of the Rockies, who signed him to a minor league contract during that offseason. So, his 2016 campaign at Albuquerque was, in essence, the first time he’d ever played for an affiliated full-season team. Ever. And Rockies writers can’t be blamed for summing up his pre-season chances of having a big-league impact in ’16 as … well, nil. None. Not at all. Non-existent. And yet… here he is.
- Fun Fact No. 3: When Cardullo stepped to the plate in the top of the first inning on August 26, he became the 200th player to make his major league debut in 2016.
