NewsMovin' On Up: Chacin gets first taste
Top Rockies pitching prospect solid in big league debut
By Bailey Stephens / MLB.com
07/31/09 10:00 AM ET
The ultimate goal for every Minor Leaguer is to reach the Major Leagues. Every week, Movin' On Up will take a look at prospects who have reached that goal and made their big league debut.
Though it was only a matter of time before Jhoulys Chacin and his powerful arm made it to the Major Leagues, few expected it to happen this soon.
Nevertheless, one of Colorado's top prospects made the jump to the Majors from Double-A Tulsa on July 25, debuting at the back end of a lopsided, 8-2 victory over the Giants. The 21-year-old rookie tossed a scoreless ninth inning, striking out two in the process.
Chacin walked Edgar Renteria before uncorking a wild pitch that allowed Renteria to reach second. A quick mound visit by Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitski seemed to calm the young hurler, who escaped the inning unscathed.
Despite his success in the ninth inning Saturday, don't expect Chacin to work the end of ballgames often. The Rockies have said they want to ease the prospect into the big leagues by putting him in a middle-relief role.
His promotion wasn't a complete surprise as his name was mentioned as a possible candidate to replace Rockies set-up man Manny Corpas, who had surgery to remove bone chips in his pitching arm. Also, with the uncertainty surrounding Jason Marquis' blister issues, the club needed another arm at the Major League level.
Despite skipping Triple-A, Chacin certainly has the credentials for the Majors. Since signing as a non-drafted free agent in 2004, the right-hander has impressed at every level in which he's played. He turned lots of heads in 2008 while splitting time between Class A Asheville and Class A Advanced Modesto, going 18-3 with a 2.03 ERA and 160 strikeouts over 28 starts.
Over five Minor League seasons, he has been the recipient of many accolades, including three All-Star selections as well as being named MLB.com's Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year in 2008, and he pitched a scoreless inning for the World team at last month's Futures Game in St. Louis.
The following players also made their Major League debuts between July 24-30:
Mitch Atkins, RHP, Chicago Cubs
CALLED UP: July 29 from Triple-A Iowa when the Cubs optioned RHP Jeff Stevens.
DEBUT: July 29 in a 12-0 barrage over Houston. Atkins pitched a hitless frame in relief.
NOTES: Since being drafted out of Northeast Guilford (N.C.) High School in the seventh round of the 2004 Draft, Atkins has gone from being stellar at times to mediocre at others. After struggling mightily in the lower levels of the Minor Leagues, Atkins rebounded to post strong numbers in 2008 (17-7, 4.00 ERA) between Double-A Tennessee and Iowa. Billed as a middle-of-the-rotation starter or a reliever, Atkins has gotten stronger every season and now finds himself pitching out of the Cubs' bullpen.
Tommy Everidge, 1B, Oakland Athletics
CALLED UP: July 28 from Triple-A Sacramento after 1B Daric Barton was placed on the 15-day disabled list.
DEBUT: July 28 in a 9-8 win over Boston. Everidge batted seventh, going 1-for-6 with a two-out RBI double off Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon.
NOTES: With injuries tearing through A's first basemen, Everidge is getting his chance. He had moved slowly but steadily through Oakland's Minor League system until this year. His breakout season came in 2008 at Double-A Midland, when he slugged 22 home runs and led all Oakland Minor Leaguers with 115 RBIs. Beginning 2009 back at Midland, Everidge picked up where he left off, batting .306 with eight homers and 53 RBIs, and he didn't slow down after a promotion to Sacramento on June 9. He continued to tear through opposing pitching, hitting .382 with nine home runs and 32 RBIs. And with Barton struggling, it was only a matter of time before Everidge got the call.
Casey Fien, RHP, Detroit Tigers
CALLED UP: July 25 from Triple-A Toledo after the Tigers optioned Eddie Bonine.
DEBUT: July 26 in a 5-1 loss to the White Sox. Fien escaped a bases-loaded jam en route to a hitless 2 1/3 inning debut.
NOTES: The right-hander has made a relatively quick ascent to the Majors, which is good news for Tiger fans. He has performed consistently out of the 'pen since being selected in the fourth round of the 2006 Draft. In 33 games with Toledo this season, Fien sported a 3.61 ERA to go with 51 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings. Last season was a big year for Fien as he shined at both Double-A Erie and Triple-A. Over one particularly impressive stretch last June, Fien did not allow a run in 11 straight appearances, striking out 15 in 10 1/3 innings.
Robert Mosebach, P, Los Angeles Angels
CALLED UP: July 24 from Triple-A Salt Lake when the Angels optioned Terry Evans to the Bees.
DEBUT: July 25 in an 11-5 win over Minnesota. Mosebach pitched a scoreless ninth inning, allowing two hits.
NOTES: Mosebach has been a strong prospect for the Angels since being taken in the ninth round of the 2005 Draft. In 2008 as a Texas League All-Star, he compiled a record of 9-12 with a 4.62 ERA as a starter. He really began to shine this season with Arkansas and quickly moved up to Salt Lake. Between both leagues, he has a 4-1 record and 1.47 ERA. After three big league appearances, Mosebach was sent back to Triple-A, but if he keeps eliminating PCL hitters like he has, Mike Scoscia could be forced to find a place for him.
Bud Norris, RHP, Houston Astros
CALLED UP: July 29 from Triple-A Round Rock to replace RHP LaTroy Hawkins, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with shingles.
DEBUT: July 29 in a 12-0 loss to Cubs. The 24-year-old allowed one run on three hits in three innings of mop-up duty.
NOTES: Selected in the sixth round of the 2006 Draft, Norris has been highly touted in the Astros system from the beginning. His 12-25 career record is somewhat deceiving as he sported a 2.63 ERA to go along with 112 strikeouts in 19 Triple-A starts prior to his promotion. Norris really impressed scouts in the 2008 Arizona Fall League, where he was named to the All-Prospect Team. Despite pitching out of the rotation for the majority of his Minor League career, Norris projects nicely into a relief role with a fastball that touches the upper 90s. It remains to be seen if he will stay in Houston for the rest of the season once Hawkins returns, but if not he won't be gone too long.
Michael Saunders, OF, Seattle Mariners
CALLED UP: July 25 from Triple-A Tacoma after outfielder Wladimir Balentien for designated for assignment.
DEBUT: July 25 in a 10-3 loss to Cleveland. Saunders went 0-for-4 but picked up his first big league hit the next night as part of a 2-for-4 outing.
NOTES: The speedy outfielder has been turning heads in the Seattle organization since he was drafted in the 11th round in 2004, and he has made steady progress every year since. Saunders was hitting .310 with 32 RBIs for Tacoma at the time of his callup. He had one of his best seasons in 2007, splitting time between Class A Advanced High Desert and Double-A West Tenn. That year, Saunders stole 29 bases and finished fourth among all Mariners Minor Leaguers with 84 RBIs. For his efforts in 2007, the Canadian was named to the Futures Game as well as the California League Postseason All-Star squad.
Chris Tillman, RHP, Baltimore Orioles
CALLED UP: July 29 from Triple-A Norfolk after the Orioles placed Rich Hill on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder inflammation.
DEBUT: July 29 in a 7-3 win over Royals. Tillman struggled a bit in his first big league start, allowing three homers in 4 2/3 innings. The highly touted right-hander, who did not factor into the decision, finished with a line of three runs on seven hits, one walk and two strikeouts.
NOTES: A rocky start did nothing to shake the excitement of the Baltimore faithful for Tillman, whose arrival signals a new beginning for Orioles pitching. Tillman has been widely regarded as one of the organization's top prospects since coming over from Seattle in the Erik Bedard trade in 2008. With a strong curve and changeup, Tillman should be a force in the Orioles' rotation for some time. While playing for Norfolk, Tillman was much stronger than his 8-6 record would indicate, posting a 2.70 ERA with 99 strikeouts. In addition, Tillman played in the Futures Game in St. Louis, starting for the U.S.
Bailey Stephens is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
