Tom Eshelman makes a fine debut as a triple-A starter for Lehigh Valley
The righthander was called up from double-A Reading on the day he was to pitch.
ALLENTOWN - Tom Eshelman did not return to his Berks County apartment until 1 a.m. on Monday. His double-A team finally finished their 450-mile bus trip from Maine. And Eshelman went to sleep an hour later, knowing he had to pitch on Monday night for Reading.
So you can't blame the Phillies prospect for being asleep at 10:30 a.m. when his phone started buzzing. He was told that he was still pitching on Monday night, but he was headed to triple A. Eshelman, not knowing how long his stint in triple A would last, packed a week's worth of clothes and was on the move.
"Life of a minor leaguer," Eshelman said.
The righthander pitched on Monday night like he belonged, showing the fastball command that made him a sought-after arm when the Phillies acquired him from Houston in December 2015 as part of the trade that sent Ken Giles to the Astros.
Eshelman struck out six and walked one over eight scoreless innings. It was quite the debut. He has walked just 39 batters in 168 minor-league innings over the last three seasons. The 22-year-old pairs his fastball with a nice curveball and developing slider. He has a chance to reach the majors within the next year.
"He's been through a whirlwind in his career," said Lehigh Valley manager Dusty Wathan. "Look at how fast he's already in triple A. He's earned his way to triple A. It wasn't like we just grabbed some guy from Lakewood because we needed a starter. It's pretty impressive. People forget that it's just his second full season."
Eshelman's stay in triple A may be short as he was promoted to fill the rotation spot of Jake Thompson, who returned to the IronPigs on Thursday after spending a week in the majors. Eshelman had a 3.10 ERA this season in five starts at Reading, where he could return for his next start.
He showed promise last season at high-A Clearwater before moving to Reading. But his season ended in a funk, and he was sidelined for the team's playoff run after having an emergency appendectomy. Eshelman has made a nice return.
"It's been interesting. There's been a lot of highs and lows," Eshelman said. "Last year, I didn't have the second half of the season that I wanted to have at Reading. I went home, looked at myself in the mirror and evaluated myself critically. I went to work on every pitch. I had a good offseason, and it's been translating so far."
Arano update
Victor Arano, the hard throwing righthander who was invited to major-league spring training, continues to recover from an elbow injury he suffered during camp. The 22-year-old suffered a sprained ulnar collateral ligament but did not have surgery. He remains in Clearwater, Fla.
"He's throwing. He feels good. All of the reports have been very positive," Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan said.
He is expected to return "sometime in June," Jordan said. "Our expectation is by the middle of June if not before. We're expecting to have him for a good part of the summer. His rehab is going well."