Geraldo Carrillo – Moving on Up
This definitely has turned out to be a different summer which is also slipping away very quickly. Starting on Friday we will be wearing masks for indoor activities. My best friend since the sixties has just completed 20 radiation treatments for prostate cancer and we are under a heat wave with very high humidity. Baseball has resumed at the MLB level, at least temporarily, and as fans we should be
This definitely has turned out to be a different summer which is also slipping away very quickly.
Starting on Friday we will be wearing masks for indoor activities. My best friend since the sixties has just completed 20 radiation treatments for prostate cancer and we are under a heat wave with very high humidity.
Baseball has resumed at the MLB level, at least temporarily, and as fans we should be grateful for whatever season we can experience. I don’t get too concerned about a game-by-game situation unless it is the final game of the season – a championship game. What I do miss the most, and perhaps this is heresy, is minor league ball and following the kids through the Dodger farm system. With no minor league ball, it has become increasingly more difficult for me to contribute to LADT. As mentioned before , when the minor league season went belly up it pretty much took most of my baseball oxygen with it.
Having said that, there is a bit one can do to provide a column once in a while, although out of the context of minor league games. Thinking back, guys like Caleb Ferguson, Zach McKinstry and Victor Gonzalez come to mind. That is, players who were far from high profile as they started their professional baseball careers. Players who one would not expect to have achieved what they have done with Ferguson a 38th round selection, McKinstry a 33rd round selection and Gonzalez a $100,000 international signing. I would like to add Geraldo Carrillo to that group. I had hoped to do it within the context of a season and game situation. However, here goes.
Right-hander Gerardo Carrillo was signed by the Dodgers as an international free agent on July 5, 2016. The native of Guadalajara, Mexico received a signing bonus of $75,000. He has climbed into the 17th slot in the Dodgers 2020 Prospect Rankings, now ahead of the aforementioned Victor Gonzalez (21) and Zach McKinstry (20) as well as ahead of fellow prospects Edwin Uceta (25), Michael Grove(19), Brett de Geus (29) AND Andre Jackson (30).
He began his professional career in the Dominican Summer League during the 2017 season recording a 2.79 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP in 14 appearances, 10 of them starts. He struck out 32 over 48.1 innings while walking 14.
Carrillo started the 2018 season in Arizona in rookie ball after spending time in extended spring training. After only 4 appearances in rookie ball he was promoted to low A. He started 9 games with the Great Lakes Loons and posted an ERA of 1.65 in his 49 innings of work. He gave up 35 hits, walked 15 and struck out 37. His best game was his second to last start as he went 7 shutout innings, giving up 6 hits, walking 1 and striking out 7.
In 2019, Carrillo pitched as a 20-year-old for the High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. In 23 games (21 starts), he went 5-9 with a 5.44 ERA, 86 strikeouts and 51 walks, along with a 1.60 WHIP over 86 innings. He finished the season strongly however, with his longest and arguably his best outing of the year. He tossed seven solid innings, allowing two earned runs, with a walk and a season-high 11 strikeouts in a win August 24 at the Inland Empire 66ers.
In fact, over his final three starts of the 2019 season, Carrillo finished 3-0, struck out 25, walked four, while giving up three earned runs (1.62 ERA) over 16 ⅔ innings. The 25/5 strikeout to walk ratio was noticeable in those three games as control has been the main concern with Carrillo as a young, developing pitcher.
To dig a bit deeper into his progress, in the second half of the 2019 season over 37.1 innings pitched, he posted a 3.86 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP along with 41 strikeouts and 13 walks. Again, drawing attention to the strikeout to walk ratio during the second half of the season elevated his prospect status that already was under the radar.
Carrillo was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League following his 2019 regular season. Against better competition he posted a 2.22 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP along with 25 strikeouts and 13 walks over 24.1 innings pitched. His 24.1 innings pitched were the most by a member of the Glendale Desert Dogs team. The league average for pitchers was 23.2 year-of-age while Carrillo turned 21 at the beginning of fall league play. On October 25, 2019 he was named the AFL Pitcher of the Week.
So what was it that moved Carrillo up on the Dodgers prospect chart? It is what was noticeable when he was a Loon. Perhaps what was most noticeable about Carrillo was his composure on the mound pitching to batters often a few years older than him. He did not seem to get rattled under pressure and pitched with a confidence that bellied his age and experience. Veteran pitching coach Bobby Cuellar was impressed with Carrillo on the hill.
“Right now, his delivery is not as good as he wants it, but the tenacity he has, the feel for the game that he has and the stubbornness sometimes that he has that, ‘I’m going to throw this pitch and I know it’s going to work,’” Cuellar said. “Even to do that, you have to have a feel and a trust for your ability to do things. This young man has a lot of trust in himself and a lot of trust in his ability and has a knowledge that I probably can’t teach, that ‘I can throw a pitch and it will work.”
Carrillo became even more noticeable as he was listed at 5’10” while weighing only 154 pounds yet he consistently threw in the low 90’s and could touch as high as 97 mph. Again, pitching coach Bobby Cuellar was impressed but was unable to explain how Carrillo generates his velocity.
“If you’ve been around baseball long enough, you know that I don’t have that answer for you,” Cuellar said about how a smaller pitcher can generate that kind of velocity. “I’ve been around some guys that are not very big and throw pretty hard themselves. I was fortunate enough to be a pitching coach with Pedro Martinez [with the Expos] and he wasn’t a very big guy, either. I really can’t tell you — his arm works a certain way, his extension works a certain way and then the ball comes out of his hand. I’m sure that I can’t exactly tell you what he does, but it works.”
Not to wear Cuellar out but he was equally impressed with Carrillo’s hand speed with the Loons after a very good outing by the then 19-year-old.
“The changeup was especially good for Carrillo” , Cuellar said. “It’s an arm speed thing, the coach said of the pitch’s effectiveness. “But here’s this little guy who hits up to 94 [mph] on you, and all of sudden it’s pretty close hand speed and toward the end of the night, the last two or three innings, the hand speed on the fastball and the changeup were really, really close together. He threw a lot more changeups toward the end and, in fact, the last guy he struck out was a changeup.”
“I guess once he got more comfortable the way he threw it, the better the arm speed was. It’s just a feel. He’ll change his delivery, go fast and go slow. It’s a feel he has right now.”
What are others saying about Geraldo Carrillo? As mentioned, he turned a corner during the second half of the 2019 season with the Quakes. Pitching coach Connor McGuiness explains.
”This is part of the development process. He’s starting to put it all together. Sometimes the development process can lead to immediate results, and other times, sacrifices have to be made on the results end in order to develop players to succeed at the big league level. It’s been very fun for all of us, Gerardo included, to see that his hard work is paying off.”
Jake Reiner on Inside the Dodgers wrote last May.
“Having watched footage of Carrillo, I can tell you that this guy has a potentially devastating cutter. However, he needs to harness and control his other pitches, like his 98 mph two-seam fastball, to set up that swing-and-miss pitch. He also has a changeup and curveball in his repertoire.”
Baseball America writes that he has rapidly filled out, adding 25 pounds, and has become one of the hardest throwing pitchers in the Dodgers organization.
What does Geraldo Carrillo say? Just a couple of notes from an interview with him by Gail Verderico of Prospects 1500 last May. In that interview he states that his two seam fastball is his best pitch and he is working on all his pitches but mostly on his changeup. He tends to pattern himself after Max Scherzer admiring Scherzer’s courage and bravery when he’s on the mound and the way he challenges the hitters. Carrillo doesn’t appear to be a nibbler around the plate.
Lastly Gail Verderico asked Carrillo what he enjoyed most about the experience in the Arizona Fall League. His response:
“The opportunity to meet and play with all those good players. But my favorite memory from the Fall League was when I threw 100 mph.”
During the shutdown, Carrillo is doing what he can to stay fit and motivated as his breakout year is postponed for another season.
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Discussion (135)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Per Dave Roberts Pre-Game Press Conference:
• No indication as to what (if any) punishment will be coming down from MLB on last night’s events. There was a fact-finding telephone conversation and a decision should be made soon. There was some discussion that the umpires may issue a warning to both benches before the game. But Dave did say that umpires do not like going that route, and it still needs to be clear indication on intent.
• CK threw yesterday. 30-32 pitches and then down and up again for another 25. Today CK felt good. He will throw again on Thursday and could pitch on this road trip, but it will not be on Friday.
• When asked who Friday’s starter would be, Doc said the decision has not been made, but did not rule out that it could be someone from the secondary site. When asked how that would work, knowing they cannot get on commercial flights, Doc said the pitcher would have to drive to Phoenix from LA. That person will know today if that happens. I still got the impression from earlier press conferences that he does not think Gonsolin was ready yet.
• One of the discussion points with the league is that managers and coaches need to do a better job at keeping players on the bench. Doc did say that he needs to do a better job. He will address the team about the importance of staying on the bench. Tempers will flare, but there is a larger picture that needs to be on display.
• When asked if he thought that the bench clearing in yesterday’s game was a tension buildup or a tension release. Doc thought that it was a tension release. Tensions were tight from the beginning.
• Buehler did not experience any soreness today. He will be ready for his next start (Sunday). He will go approximately 5 IP and 75 pitches.
• Dustin is cleared for 5 and 75 as well today.
Pitching Matchups for the Arizona series:
Thursday – Ross Stripling vs Robbie Ray
Friday – TBD vs Zac Gallen
Saturday – Julio Urias vs Luke Weaver
Sunday – Walker Buehler vs Merrill Kelly
Uh, I thought if you opted out that was it. Markakis of the Braves has reversed course and rejoined the Braves. So I guess it is ok to change your mind and come back. Both of the Braves front line catchers were reinstated today.
Nice article Harold!! Carillo is another of the kids that I wish I could be watching this year. Maybe next year.
The relief corps was solid last night. Ferguson was very solid. I also thought Treinen looked especially good. He didn’t get the same results as Ferguson, but his stuff looked nasty. Same as Graterol. 100 mph. I wish I could through that hard. My 80 mph fastball in high school probably wouldn’t play in today’s game. 🙂
Don’t care much about the Kelly/Correa scrum. The “benches clear” in the Dodger game, doesn’t mean much more than everyone got the opportunity to stretch their legs. Hardly anything ever happens in baseball scrums. Where’s the Wild Horse, Puig, when you need him to stir the pot?
DC, what do you think Carrillo’s chances are that he makes AA next year? That is, if we have a minor league season.
SingingtheBlue did his best Karnak last Sunday when he posted “I don’t claim to be an expert on pitching mechanics but I would not be at all surprised if Wood is injured. To what degree, I have no idea.” Pretty keen eye.
Joe Kelly. Wow what can you say? Kelly certainly didn’t like getting stepped on at first by Brantley which caused words being exchanged. I didn’t know then but read later it was Dusty’s voice directed to Kelly to get the ……. back on the mound. The “Joe Kelly Fight Club” status was revisited.
Everyone can speculate on whether his “Ricky Vaughn” imitation was intentional or not. But the 3 and 0 bullet over Bregman’s head looked mighty suspicious. But would he really sail one over a guy’s dome? The “control issues” are as about as explainable as the 14 straight breaking balls he threw last outing. Intentionally or not, he stirred the pot. We all knew it would happen but maybe not game 1.
In an interview I saw, idiot Eddy Perez report that MLB has to do something about last night. He stated that since Kelly did’nt actually hit anybody, he can’t be punished. So, Eddy, what “something” can be done? More warnings? Everybody, including the Asstros know this is coming. Is the Commish supposed to protect these cheaters from now on?
Whoopee! We have our first social distancing scrum! Excellent. Good thing cooler heads prevailed. I can see one of them saying, you do that again and I will sneeze on you! Really, I thought the whole thing was childish. And it started with Kelly walking off the field and making a face at one of the Astro’s. Kelly did not have good command last night, and that was one of the reason’s the Stro’s were back on their heels against him. But a win is a win. They hit too many at em balls again last night. Seager is still hitting the ball harder than any of them. Turner steady as a rock, and how about his defense last night? JT turned a couple of gems. Pollock had a good night at the plate. Buehler looked really good until he ran out of gas in the 4th. Reason Graterol got the win was because he pitched the 5th when they scored the runs even though Kolarek had finished off the 4th. Some kid named Javier on the bump for Houston tonight. MLB might consider a 5 second delay of the broadcast so they can bleep the language. But it does bring you closer to the players mindset. Sorry No Cal is so hot, but here were are getting heavy afternoon rains almost every day. Cassidy, you know very well my opine on Monsieur White, and it is not at all favorable. I also like hearing about the kids in the system. Too bad that they are not getting the chance to show thier wares this year, but health and family more important. Dodgers in 3rd place behind the division leading Padres and 1/2 game back of the Rockies. I am not good with math so the 2.7 thing evades me. Oh yeah, on yardbarker.com they have a list of the managers most likely to get fired this season and Roberts is right behind Servais of the Mariners at the top of the list.
Nice post Harold. Dodgers win over the cheaters,very nice.
Regarding what was wrong with Joe Kelly last night, looked like he had perfect control on every pitch. At least that’s one crazy nice way to think about it.
Can’t wait to see May’s follow up start against a good lineup. Nice write up on him. His stuff is insane. He seems to have control with all 3 pitches and is cool and calm out there. Future looks scary good with our young pitching staff, both starters and the pen!
Hey Harold that was a great read on Carrillo. I like stories about people who work there way up with perseverance and resolve. Have you covered Michael Grove? I would be interested in hearing some background on the young pitcher.
That 5th inning last night was great. I counted 6 times we loaded the bases. All singles, walks, and an error I believe.
DC, thank you for making my blueberry muffin taste so much better as we face another triple day in temperature here in NorCal. I too, miss the stories of the minor league players and following their journeys. Hope to see Gerardo Carrillo soon. He seems to believe in himself and proves it.
Game observations – Caleb was terrific, striking out the side.
Loved Kelly, whether intentional or unintentional on his pitches, sent a message. Did not like the head almost being hit though.
Pollock, Seager and Betts, good hitting.
Great news on Connor Joe.
Good article on Dustin May’s stuff:
Open on www.mlb.comhttps://www.mlb.com/dodgers/news/dustin-may-sinker-cutter-curveball-dodgersSo how do we feel about the pitch Kelly threw at Bregman?
Did it slip?
Did he do it on purpose but the Astros deserve it?
Is it ever OK to throw at a player’s head?
Carrillo May be 5’10”, but he no longer weighs 154 pounds. He’s been hitting the weight room pretty hard since ‘18. He’s another interesting young arm in our system. We have several,,
At the end of today the season will be 10% completed.
We’ve had the Taylor/Hernandez identity thing for a few years now. Now we have Beaty/Rios. The names might change but the blueprint is the same. This is part of the team identity and it’s by design.
Good to know about Connor Joe. Will we ever see him in Dodger uniform ? is he in 60 player pool ? I think Dodgers bench has too many LHB. Beatty and Rios almost the same. RHB i know you guys and Mr Timmons love KIKI, but him and Taylor are basically the same player and i like Taylor better personally and he is signed already. I would let Kiki go or trade him at deadline and get a prospect. He can be useful and very good at times but i think he is overpayed and at the end of the season barely reaches .250 with tons of strikeouts and double plays.
Dodger farmhand Connor Joe who was diagnosed with Testicular Cancer on February 1 stated the following on Instagram:
“Exactly 5 months since being diagnosed with testicular cancer in February, I am grateful to share that I am now CANCER FREE!”
Open on instagram.comhttps://instagram.com/p/CDFrkpeAy2v/Good article Harold. Yes, I to love to hear about the kids. Ferguson looked good last night. He is here to stay. His fastball was electric and he was hitting his spots.
I am not sure what is wrong with Joe Kelly. However I loved every minute watching him pitch. The Astros were hanging pretty loose in the batters box. The Astros batters did not look very happy.