When Seranthony Dominguez was first called up by the Phillies on May 5 last year, it was a surprise.
It’s not often a team promotes a 23-year-old converted starter-turned-relief pitcher who had started the season in AA and pitched just 13 innings there, then a scant 3.2 innings in AAA before joining the big league club. But the numbers he put up in the minors (12.46 K/9, 1.38 BB/9, 2.08 ERA in 8 Reading appearances), were eye-opening enough to make Matt Klentak and Gabe Kapler pull the trigger.
Dominguez was immediately thrust into a late-inning, sometimes multi-inning role, and for the most part, thrived.