Gerardo Carrillo rapidly persuaded the Dodgers that he was ready for the regular season. He’s just done one thing: rewarded their trust.
On Saturday, Class A Great Lakes blanked West Michigan, 1-0, at Fifth Third Ballpark, with the Dodgers’ 27th-ranked prospect scattering six hits over a career-high seven innings.
He just gave up one hit and struck out seven batters.
Carrillo hasn’t given up an earned run in his previous 22 innings and has only given up 10 hits in his last 20, walking three hitters and striking out 13.
Bobby Cuellar, the pitching coach, is a big fan.
In eight Midwest League starts, the right-hander needed 88 pitches, including 57 strikes, to get through seven innings and decrease his ERA to 1.43.
Carrillo spent time with the Tijuana Toros of the Mexican League before signing with the Dodgers for $75,000 in July 2016.
He pitched in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League in 2017, but only made four appearances in the Rookie-level Arizona League this year to prove to the front office he was ready for a larger challenge.
On July 13, at the age of 19, he was promoted to Great Lakes. In half of his starts with the Loons, he has kept opponents scoreless.
Carrillo can hit 97 mph with his fastball and has a changeup that overwhelms young hitters, according to MLB.com.
He is almost 6 feet tall and weighs 154 pounds. He probably wouldn’t have won Saturday, working with runners on base in each of the first five innings, but he avoided problems and finished strong, striking out four of his final seven batters.
How Tall Is Gerardo Carrillo?
Gerardo Carrillo stands at a height of 1.8 m.