Michel Otañez Has Lights Out MLB Debut
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The Oakland A's called up Michel Otañez ahead of Sunday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays, and before that game he said it didn't really matter to him how he made his debut, he'd be happy with whatever scenario he was presented with.
On Monday against the San Diego Padres, Petco Park put that theory to the test.
Otañez was brought in after the Padres had loaded the bases against left-hander Sean Newcomb. There was one out in the bottom of the seventh in a 3-1 game. After getting ahead of Donovan Solano with a 1-2 count, the lights just shut off.
BAH GAWD The Undertaker has arrived at Petco Park pic.twitter.com/nZExuU0KRe
— MLB (@MLB) June 11, 2024
After a delay, the at-bat resumed and Solano ended up drawing a walk on a pitch that Otañez overthrew to the backstop. Jackson Merill followed that up with a single to drive home one, and a Ha-Seong Kim sac-fly to center brought in another, ultimately giving the Padres a 6-1 win.
Otañez is a hard thrower, and that offering to Solano that resulted in the walk was his hardest pitch of the night at 100.3 miles per hour. He averaged 98.6 mph on 18 pitches, which is slightly down from his last outing in Triple-A Las Vegas when he averaged 99.2.
On the one hand, it's a little odd that his velocity was down a touch in his MLB debut. Typically pitchers are a little more amped up for that occassion. On the other, maybe it's a good sign for him moving forward that he was able to control that emotion and stay within himself in that special personal moment.
Obviously the results weren't what he (or Sean Newcomb's ERA) would have wanted, but as is the case with a lot of the players on the A's roster, it's about the process, and about how they grow from their chances. After spending seven years in the New York Mets' system, and last year with the Arizona Diamondbacks', the A's signed him as a minor league free agent this past off-season. The process he's following this year got him to the big leagues for the first time.
We'll see what Otañez brings to the mound next time he's called upon.
Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
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