MLB debut: Toronto Blue Jays Rowdy Tellez leads week’s debuts
Rowdy Tellez pounded out a host of extra-base hits for the Toronto Blue Jays to lead the MLB debut list 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 is led by Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Rowdy Tellez.
The big lefty hitter has been followed his entire minor league career by minor league writers and prospect writers due to his size, name, and background as a 30th round draft pick out of California high school in 2013.
With a full name of Ryan John, “Rowdy” immediately showed good balance in his plate approach in his draft season with the Gulf Coast League. His first year after draft, Tellez played with Bluefield in the Appy League to open the season, and he hit so well that he was promoted to Lansing in the Midwest League to finish the year, hitting .305/.375/.438 with plenty of doubles and 6 home runs, with many seeing Tellez’s 6’4″, 220+ pound frame and imagining more power to come.
In 2015, the plate discipline continued to shine as Tellez played between two A-ball levels, hitting .289/.347/.454 with 14 home runs. He then hit .297/.387/.530 in AA in 2016 at age 21 with 23 home runs, with many thinking he would be up to the majors next year.
Then came 2017, when Buffalo seemed to be an overwhelming obstacle for Rowdy. He hit .222/.295/.333 and he came the closest he ever came to striking out 100 times. The gap power was still there, with 29 doubles, but he managed just 6 home runs.
This season, he hit .270/.340/.425 with 13 home runs, and he got his plate discipline back in check, with just 74 strikeouts in 444 plate appearances. Then he got his call to Toronto.
Wednesday, September 5th, Rowdy made his debut for the Toronto Blue Jays, pinch-hitting, and he collected a double on his first major league at-bat. That would become a theme, as Rowdy had 3 doubles the next day and another 2 doubles the day after.
In all, Tellez’s week consisted of 5 games with 19 plate appearances, hitting .444/.474/.944 with 6 doubles and a home run.
Let’s take a look at the non-Rowdy players to make their MLB debut this week…
Hitters
Part of the biggest August deal this year, Abiatal Avelino was picked up by the Giants from the Yankees in the Andrew McCutchen deal. He made his debut on Saturday and had two plate appearances, going 0-2 with 2 strikeouts.
In the Rays system since being taken in the first round in 2013, Nick Ciuffo has worked hard to earn his debut this past week with the team. While he finished his debut 0-4, he had a very solid first week, hitting .308/.375/.538 over 16 plate appearances with a home run.
On his third organization, Ryan Cordell has been a desired commodity along the way since being drafted in the 11th round in 2013 out of Liberty University by the Texas Rangers. He made his debut for the Chicago White Sox on September 3rd as a pinch runner, scoring a run. He made a start the next day, picking up an RBI, meaning he had a run scored and an RBI without having ever officially being on base by his own doing! He finished the week 0-9.
One of the best outfield defenders in the minor leagues, Jonathan Davis worked his way up to the major leagues after being acquired by the Toronto Blue Jays. He made his debut on the 5th, going 0-3 with 3 strikeouts, and he has appeared in 4 more games, all as a defensive replacement.
Another very athletic Cincinnati Reds minor league outfielder, Gabriel Guerrero was brought to the majors after hitting .293 this season between AA and AAA. He made three pinch hitting appearances thus far, striking out in all three.
Brought up to fill a role on the bench, Angels catcher Joe Hudson made his debut on Saturday, picking up an RBI on his one at bat.
Originally a second round pick out of UCLA, Kevin Kramer has struggled to live up to the expectations of him. He made his debut on the 5th as a pinch hitter, and on the week he went 2-5 with a run and an RBI.
With plenty of hyped as the 14th overall pick in 2013, Reese McGuire was watched for years, but he didn’t quite pan out as expected, though he did make the major leagues this season with a solid backup profile. He picked up a double in his debut on the 6th and finished the week with a .333/.429/.500 line over 3 games.
After challenging all season long for the International League home run title, the Tigers finally called up outfielder Christin Stewart. He made his debut Sunday as a pinch hitter, going 0-1 against the Cardinals.
After being taken in the 3rd round in 2015, Blake Trahan made it up to the majors 2 days before his 25th birthday with the Cincinnati Reds. He hit .245/.327/.302 in AAA this season with good glove around the infield. His first game was on Monday, September 3rd, and he went 1-3. On the week, he finished with 5 games played, 6 plate appearances, going 2-6 and scoring a pair of runs.
Pitchers
Dean Deetz was brought up this week to a playoff atmosphere with the Houston Astros, and he pitched to that environment, tossing 2/3 of an inning on September 5th without allowing a hit or a walk, striking out one.
Acquired from the Brewers for Neil Walker last season, Eric Hanhold is a big reliever that missed a lot of time this year, but was very good when on the mound, earning his time to the big leagues. He made his debut with a scoreless appearance on September 4th and finished the week with 2 1/3 innings and 2 runs allowed.
Undrafted free agent DJ Johnson had been through plenty of ups and downs through his career, with the Rockies being his 5th organization, and he was able to save 18 games this season for the Colorado AAA affiliate. The 29-year-old made his debut Sunday, collecting 2 strikeouts in the 2 hiters he faced in the 5th inning.
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Once a big signing out of Cuba by the Arizona Diamondbacks, Yoan Lopez has found his stride as a reliever for the Diamondbacks this season, earning a call-up for the final few weeks of the season, but his debut did not go as planned. Lopez did not record an out on Sunday against the Braves, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits, including 2 home runs, allowing the Braves to take a 4-3 deficit and blow the game out of the water in the 9th inning, leading to a 9-5 Diamondbacks loss.
Long and lanky righty Kyle McGowin made his debut for the Washington Nationals on September 5th, allowing a solo home run in one inning of relief.
A big righty on his third organization, Luis Ortiz earned his way to the big leagues, though in a new role coming out of the bullpen, where he struggled in his first game on September 7th, allowing 3 runs over 2/3 of an inning against the Rays for the Orioles.
With incredibly wicked stuff from the left side, C.D. Pelham has plenty of interest if he can simply keep the ball in the zone as he has shown plenty of issues with his control. Interestingly, in 2 1/3 innings, he only walked one, allowing 2 runs and striking out 2 over the week.
Certainly the most highly-regarded prospect on the list this week, Kyle Wright became the first 2017 draftee to make the major leagues. He was the 5th overall pick last June, and he worked his way up to the majors for a debut against the Red Sox on September 4th for the Braves. He finished the week with 3 innings pitched, allowing one run and striking out 3.
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While not every player can start his career ripping doubles for the Toronto Blue Jays like Rowdy Tellez, there were plenty of exciting weeks this week and more to come!