https://theathletic.com/3240168/202...ashing-cars-to-pitching-in-the-major-leagues/ Spoiler When Roman Ocumarez read that Ronel Blanco made the Astros’ Opening Day bullpen, he cried. The 28-year-old Blanco realizing his major-league dream earlier this month led Ocumarez, formerly a high-ranking international scout for the Astros and now the Marlins’ international scouting director, to reminisce about the pitcher’s unlikely journey. The Dominican right-hander was already 22 when the Astros signed him April 27, 2016, for a $5,000 bonus. Blanco said he had tried out previously for the Yankees, Mets, Pirates and Rays to no avail. When he wasn’t training, he washed cars part time in his hometown of Santiago to help support himself and his mother, Maria. “You start thinking like, ‘This guy used to work at a freaking car wash,’” Ocumarez said. “He was 22. He had to climb the ladder, basically go to every league, earn every spot.” Even once he did get his chance to pitch professionally, Blanco wasn’t viewed as much of a prospect. Like many of the Astros’ older Dominican and Venezuelan signees from 2014 to 2017 under then-international director Oz Ocampo, he was late to become a pitcher because he was a position player first. He said he played outfield, third base and first base before he started pitching at age 18. The Astros found Blanco at age 22 through then-scout Francis Mojica, who was based in Santiago, the second-largest city in the Dominican Republic, and covered the northern part of the country for the team. Mojica saw Blanco throw up to 94 mph while scouting a program headlined by a much younger, highly touted player named Julio Rodríguez, who had the same trainer as Blanco. Rodríguez, now the celebrated rookie outfielder for the Mariners, signed with Seattle at age 16 on July 2, 2017, for $1.75 million. “That was one of the reasons why a lot of scouts saw me because a lot of people went to see him,” Blanco said through an interpreter. “Otherwise, not a lot of scouts would’ve been going there.” Mojica passed his report on Blanco along to Ocumarez, and the Astros subsequently invited Blanco south to their complex in the capital city of Santo Domingo for a tryout. Ocumarez recalls seeing him hit 92-95 mph with his fastball, flash a breaking ball and throw strikes. At that time, the Astros took a lot of fliers on low-bonus, so-called older pitchers to fill out their second Dominican Summer League team. Six years later, Blanco has joined the likes of Framber Valdez ($10,000 at age 21), Luis Garcia ($20,000 at age 20), Cristian Javier ($10,000 at almost 18) and Enoli Paredes ($10,000 at age 19) among the success stories. “When I saw this guy, I basically asked him, ‘Ronel, why aren’t you signed? Why are you still available?’” Ocumarez said. “He basically told me part of what happens right now in the scouting system. He said, ‘Ocu, when you turn 18, 19, for some of the teams, you’re old. That’s why I’m still available.’ “In the morning, he practiced baseball. And then in the afternoon, he freaking washed cars. He was basically almost out of baseball.” Blanco said he would have kept training had the Astros not signed him and that he had five more tryouts on tap. Given his age, of course, there is no guarantee any of them would have culminated in an opportunity. If baseball hadn’t panned out, he said he probably would’ve gone to school, perhaps to follow his interest in architecture. He said he enjoyed working from a young age, and his job washing cars came about because when he was younger he assisted somebody who washed cars for a living. “I still wash my own car,” said a smiling Blanco, who drives a Toyota 4Runner. On Saturday afternoon, Blanco sat by his locker in the visitors’ clubhouse at Angel Stadium, where he was surrounded by stars. As he shared details with a reporter of his remarkable path to the majors, Astros manager Dusty Baker walked by and handed him a copy of his lineup card from Friday night’s game to commemorate his debut, which he made late in the team’s 13-6 win against the Angels. Blanco pitched the final 1 1/3 innings of the game, allowing a run on consecutive two-out hits in the ninth after he got Shohei Ohtani to fly out to lead off the inning. Blanco pairs a 94-96 mph fastball with an 87-88 mph slider. He will also mix in a mid- to upper 80s changeup and a low 80s curveball. He is an imposing figure, all of the 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds at which he’s listed in the Astros media guide. He’s known for having a resilient arm, and he’s grown into better command over the years. Beginning with the Dominican Summer League in 2016, he saw every level of the minors on his way to the majors. “I remember him coming over for extended spring training, I think it was 2016, maybe 2017, with Yohan Ramirez, who has pitched in the big leagues a little bit with Seattle the last two years,” said Astros pitching coach Josh Miller, a coach in Houston’s minor-league system from 2013 to 18. “They came over as older signed guys who maybe were a little raw still, had good stuff, had good bodies, good projectability. But (they) grew into some stuff. Ronel Blanco, we knew he had the ability to be a major-league pitcher for a couple years now. But before that he was more of a middling prospect. He’s turned himself into a specimen physically and has proved resilient and his stuff’s gotten better along the way.” Benefitting from the expansion of rosters from 26 to 28 through May 1 as a result of the lockout-shortened spring training, Blanco pitched his way onto the Astros in the abbreviated big-league camp. He arrived in Florida ready to go after a standout winter for Estrellas in the Dominican Republic, where he didn’t allow an earned run in 18 innings. That came on the heels of a strong 2021 as the closer for Triple-A Sugar Land (3.40 ERA in 45 innings with strikeout and walk percentages of 31.7 and 8.9). The Rule 5 Draft is typically held in early December but wasn’t because of the lockout. Had it been held after the end of the lockout, Blanco’s winter ball performance might have gotten him selected by another team. Now that he’s on their 40-man roster, the Astros will have the option to shuttle Blanco between the majors and Triple A, as needed, for as many as three seasons before they have to risk losing him again. And who knows? Maybe he will follow in the footsteps of some of their other older international signees by continuing to defy the odds and entrench himself on their major-league roster. As he tells it, the unlikeliness of getting signed at 22 and making this journey helped fuel his ascent. “I thought about it every day,” Blanco said. “I worked basically just thinking about that, about the opportunity. I knew that this might’ve been the only opportunity I would get.”
I love Urquidy. His presents on the mound and the way he works fast and goes right after hitters. That said I don't see him ever being more than a #3-4 starter in a championship level rotation. He simply doesn't have Strikeout stuff that teams look for at the top of a rotation. He also always appears to have minor injuries a couple of times per year. Hopefully thats just part of adjusting to the workload required fir a MLB starter and is or shortly will be behind him. As a #3 or 4 He can be a huge asset but if the team deals for a TOR guy he could be the man out.
I do feel like he will have at least one really good season over the next 3 years, where he puts up production similar to his rookie numbers but over 140+ innings. Hopefully it’s this season.
Love Maldy leadership, defense, intangibles but how long can we keep him in the lineup when he’s probably the worst hitter in the league besides Cody Bellinger
We’re so spoiled with our starting pitching to have Urquidy and Garcia at 4/5. Finding them with Framber and Javier dirt cheap is one of the huge reasons we remained contenders after most of the 2017 team departed. Will be interesting to see who gets bumped once McCullers comes back, if Framber puts it together for a full season this should be the best rotation in baseball.
When Maldy walks, it's a win. But I thought about this, with 5 IP in 3 of the first 4 starts, we're actually getting similar production from our starters as we did last season, even with the shortened Spring Training. That is a positive as well. We might not be in such bad Bull Pen shape going into the All Start Break as we were last season.
I hope McCullers returns in 2021 form and is still the fifth best pitcher in the rotation because the others have stepped up their game.
I'm hoping Corey Lee is an in house answer. But don't forget Machete has plus defensive value for his ability to control the running game. It's not just the runners he guns down, but the runners who don't even try when he's behind the plate. It's a little Everett type value because of baserunners eliminated vs hits and walks.
Anyone else watching the Mariners vs White Sox game? Mariners appear to have themselves a new stud... Matt Brash is their rookie starter. He's through 5 innings with 1 ER, 2 H, and 6 K The run was also BS because Crawford booted a routine double play ball and a run scored from 3rd on the play. This dude throws 98 mph and has a little McCullers in him. Has the same overhead windup and nasty breaking stuff with better control.... This guy is exactly what we fantasize Whitley or Hunter Brown to be.
Yeah, he looked good. M's have a whole bunch of very good young talent and will be a pain in the ass soon enough.
I'm just wondering if they are having second thoughts on Framber tomorrow. With the Flu going around the club and his pitching 6.2 Innings in his first game, perhaps begin the 6 pitcher rotation. i picked up Dusty mentioning one or TWO extra days rest which would indicate a six man rotation might be under consideration. Letting Javier pitch tomorrow would set up the six man going into the long stretch of games. Just a thought.
Obviously Siri can’t keep up the power output and BABIP he’s shown in his 62 mlbpa, but even if it drops off considerably, it is looking more and more reasonable that he could sustain a line similar to Adolis Garcia’s 2021. That’d make him a 2-3 win player worth $10-20M/yr. That’s a pretty valuable guy to have, whether as a starting CF, oft-used 4th OF, or trade chip.
It was good to see Pressly ramping up to 94mph on that heater to close the game. He was giving me serious Doug Jones flashbacks in those first two outings + ST
Depth matters, especially with Brantley and Yordan not exactly being models of health. I also like Siri as a high volatility player who can single handedly steal a win or two with a loud performance (like last night). I only wish one of Chas/Siri/Myers batted lefty. I suppose it helps that Brantley/Yordan/Tucker are all lefties. Weirdly, Chas and Jake are both the unique left handed throwing, right handed batting outfielders.
The Astros just have so many good players at their position, it has been hard for them to play matchups and be flexible with positions. Dusty can play matchups if he wants with catcher, but it would be nice to have some versatility at CF/4th OF as well.
