Three Atlanta Braves pitchers lead the dozen players who made their MLB debut this week!
With plenty of players to make their MLB debut each week from now until the end of the season, we at Call To The Pen will start a weekly piece to review those players who debuted in the past week.
This week was highlighted by three Atlanta Braves pitchers who made their debuts in the team’s four-game split with the Washington Nationals.
Wes Parsons, RHP; Adam McCreery, LHP; Chad Sobotka, RHP
Three Atlanta Braves pitchers made their debuts in the heat of a pennant race this week coming out of the bullpen as Wes Parsons, Adam McCreery, and Chad Sobotka each made their season debuts.
Parsons is a great long-term story, as he was originally undrafted coming out of Jackson State Community College. He was a player who got ranked int he Braves system before the team began rebuilding, and the 25-year-old persevered through multiple years in the minor leagues. Probably best suited for a role as a long relief/spot starter type, Parsons came in on August 9th in relief after an injury to starter Anibal Sanchez and wasn’t brilliant, but he did give the Braves 5 innings, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks, striking out 3 to at least keep the bullpen fresh.
In the same game, Adam McCreery made his MLB debut. A huge 6’9″ left, McCreery doesn’t have premium velocity, but with a unique arm angle and his big body hiding the ball from hitters, McCreery has become a very effective reliever with Braves tutelage in the minors. He was hit hard in his debut Thursday, however, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and no walks, but also striking out two in his inning of work.
Called up after Parsons and McCreery were used so heavily Thursday, Chad Sobotka is another towering pitcher, listed at 6’7″. The righty made his debut to finish off the Atlanta Braves 10-1 win over Milwaukee, tossing a perfect inning with a strikeout.
So who else got their first shot last week?