NewsMovin' On Up: Shot of Borbon
Rangers prospect called upon to fill in for hurt Hamilton
By Lisa Winston / MLB.com
07/03/09 11:32 AM ET
The ultimate goal for every Minor Leaguer is to reach the Major Leagues. Every week, Movin' On Up will take a look at prospects who have reached that goal and made their big league debut.
The Texas Rangers are hoping a shot of Borbon will add some vigor to their lineup.
The club brought up top outfield prospect Julio Borbon from Triple-A Oklahoma City on June 29, sending down reliever Willie Eyre to open the spot on the active roster.
Borbon's tenure in Texas, for now at least, is up in the air. With injured All-Star Josh Hamilton's return pending, the Rangers will make another roster decision when that time comes but for now fans are getting a glimpse of the future in the 2007 first-round pick out of Tennessee.
Borbon was hitting .298 with 19 steals as the leadoff batter for the the RedHawks, after his first full season in which he stole 53 bases and hit over .300 between Class A Advanced Bakersfield and Double-A Frisco.
He made his big league debut the evening he arrived, starting at DH and batting sixth and going 0-for-3 in a 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
His debut in the field came two nights later when he pinch-hit and then remained in the game in left against the Angels, going 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored.
While Borbon's 2009 itinerary is not etched in stone, he'll get his chance to make an impact.
"We didn't bring him up here to sit," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He's swinging the bat well so I'm going to give him a shot."
Borbon is ready for the challenge.
"Obviously I just need to do what I'm capable of doing," Borbon said. "Make things happen with my speed, put the ball in play, get my bunts down, do what I've been doing in the Minor Leagues." The club was hitting just .220 when Borbon joined the team on June 29.
Here is a look at other players who made their Major League debuts between June 26-July 2:
Clayton Mortensen, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals
CALLED UP: Contract purchased from Triple-A Memphis June 29 when SS Khalil Greene went on the DL.
DEBUT: June 29 in a 10-0 loss to San Francisco. The last of two pitchers, he allowed six runs, two earned, on five hits in three innings, walking one and hitting a batter while striking out two.
NOTES: Mortensen, the Cards' supplemental first-round pick out of Gonzaga in 2007, was sent back to the Minors July 1 when IF Jarrett Hoffpauir was brought up, but not before becoming the 14th rookie to suit up for the Cardinals this season and the eighth to make his big league debut. He was 7-4 with a 4.24 ERA in 14 starts for the Redbirds, after splitting 2008 between Double-A Springfield, where he had a 4.22 ERA in 11 starts, and Memphis, where he had a 5.51 ERA in 15 outings. His presence temporarily gave the Cards a 13-man bullpen like they'd carried much of the first part of the season but lost when reliever Chris Perez was dealt to Cleveland for infielder Mark DeRosa.
Fu-Te Ni, LHP, Detroit Tigers
CALLED UP: Contract purchased from Triple-A Toledo June 28 when P Nate Robertson went on the DL.
DEBUT: June 29 in a 7-1 loss to Oakland. The second of three pitchers, he allowed one run on one hit in 1 1/3 innings, striking out three without walking a batter. He inherited one runner who did not score.
NOTES: A side-armer signed out of Taiwan this past offseason, the 26-year-old will work out of the bullpen, where he was 3-0 with a 2.60 ERA in 34 2/3 innings for the Mud Hens. In Taiwan last year he posted a 3.34 ERA and struck out 132 in 145 1/3 innings. The first Taiwanese player to pitch for the Tigers and the sixth Taiwan-born player in the Majors, he was especially effective against fellow southpaws in the International League, who hit just .184 against him.
Ryan Sadowski, RHP, San Francisco Giants
CALLED UP: Contract purchased from Triple-A Fresno June 28 when IF Rich Aurilia went on the bereavement list.
DEBUT: June 28 in a 7-0 win over San Diego. The starting pitcher, he tossed six shutout innings of four-hit ball, walking three and striking out two.
NOTES: Summoned from Fresno the day of his first start, Sadowski was 5-2 with a 4.11 ERA in 13 starts for the Grizzlies prior to his promotion. His start marked the end of the Giants' streak as the lone team in the Majors to have used just five starting pitchers this season, as Jonathan Sanchez was moved down to the bullpen. Sadowski missed 2006 following shoulder surgery. His out pitch is a cut fastball.
Drew Sutton, IF, Cincinnati Reds
CALLED UP: Contract purchased from Triple-A Louisville July 1 when P Jared Burton was sent down.
DEBUT: July 2 in a 10-inning, 3-2 win against Arizona. Pinch-hitting in the ninth for pitcher Danny Ray Herrera, he hit into an RBI groundout that scored the tying run. He then stayed in the game at third base.
NOTES: Acquired from the Houston Astros in early April as the player to be named later in the deal for infielder Jeff Keppinger, Sutton is a versatile middle infielder who has already played all four infield positions this season. He's also shown some pop and some speed, as evidenced by his 2008 campaign where he hit .317 with 20 homers, 69 RBIs and 20 steals for Double-A Corpus Christi. A 15th-round pick in 2004 out of Baylor, Sutton was hitting .254 with five homers and 19 RBIs at Louisville when summoned to join the club. The switch-hitter's ability to play so many positions will help an infield that's been riddled with injuries though his primary position is second base.
Lisa Winston is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
