Zac Curtis wears the face of shock after call up from A ball
For the most part, when young prospects are called up to the big leagues, it comes after getting some experience in the high minor leagues. For some, that means a little seasoning in Triple-A. For other, more high profile prospects, that can mean a promotion directly from Double-A.
Rarely though will a prospect get called up directly from A Ball. Most teams just aren’t confident those players have faced a high enough level of competition to be properly prepared for the big leagues. But that didn’t impact the Arizona Diamondbacks decision on Saturday.
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In a surprising move, they elected to call up 23-year-old left-hander Zac Curtis from the California League’s Visalia Rawhide, which is their Class A Advanced affiliate.
Curtis, who’s been in the Arizona system for three years, has not played above that level. Needless to say, he was quite surprised when learning the news on Friday night.
That’s an awesome shot that was snapped by Rawhide pitching coach Jeff Bajenaru.
Of course, Curtis thought he was being pranked at worst, with the best-case scenario being a promotion to Double-A. It was the real deal though. On Saturday, he was on his way to Chase Field in preparation for a matchup against the Colorado Rockies.
“It’s a funny feeling,” Curtis told MLB.com. “I don’t know if I’ll be as nervous as anxious. I told someone else in the outfield that I kind of have the same feeling now as I did when I got called up from Low-A to High-A for the playoffs. As soon as I delivered the first pitch, it kind of settled in. I think that’s the only nerves I’ll have. I won’t be nervous.”
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As it turns out, he didn’t have any much time to build up any nerves. The Diamondbacks threw him into the fire in the ninth inning on Saturday night, though only after closer Brad Ziegler had allowed three runs. Curtis may have quickly earned himself a bigger though. He required just three pitches to record two outs, inducing a 6-4-3 double play off the bat of veteran Gerardo Parra.
It’s difficult to really fathom the 24-hour rollercoaster ride Zac Curtis went on. The emotions, the reactions, the experiences, the travel and ultimately the results. The bottomline is, he’s a major leaguer now with a 0.00 ERA. That’s a far cry from the A-Ball pitcher he was with a 5.23 ERA. But as the old saying goes, you’re only as good as your last appearance.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
