Since Phillip Diehl was traded from the Yankees to the Rockies for outfielder Mike Tauchman on March 23, he has wasted no time turning heads on the mound.
The 24-year-old southpaw reliever pitched in 11 games (13 ⅓ innings) for Double-A Hartford and didn’t allow a single run, while also limiting opponents to a .116 average. That prompted a quick promotion to Triple-A Albuquerque on May 4.
Diehl, who pitched as high as Triple-A for the Yankees late last season, is hopeful to continue his ascent at Coors Field at some point this summer.
“My goal is to pitch in the big leagues this year,” Diehl said. “Obviously, I don’t have a say in who they call up, but if I pitch to the best of my abilities, I believe I’ll put my name in the hat.”
Diehl’s sample size with the Isotopes is still extremely small — two appearances and one earned run — but he has already surpassed the career trajectories of most 27th-round draft picks, where he was selected by the Yankees out of Louisiana Tech in 2014.
Prior to Louisiana Tech, Diehl pitched for a season at the University of Evansville, where he took cues from then-sophomore and fellow starter Kyle Freeland.
“Watching him go throughout his day — how he worked hard, how he was in the weight room, the routines he had — you saw the big league work ethic then,” Diehl said. “I was a freshman in college skinnier than I am now, and he and some other guys showed me what it was like to be a Division I pitcher.”
The 6-2, 180-pound left-hander has a 2.62 career ERA in the minors and relies on a four-seam fastball (91-94 mph), a slider (81-83) and a changeup (84-87). And despite being originally “shook” at the news of his trade from New York, Diehl is clearly settled into a groove within the Colorado organization.
“I was shocked when they told me. I originally thought it was a prank, because it was the last day of camp and the guys had been messing with me all spring,” he said. “But since I got back on the field and started playing again, I’ve been relaxed, I’ve been focused and I’ve been executing pitches.”
