Nathan Eovaldi
Encyclopedia
Nathan Edward Eovaldi is a Major League Baseball
pitcher
for the Los Angeles Dodgers
.
. His draft slot had fallen because he had Tommy John surgery
in his junior year of high school. He made his way through the Dodgers system, pitching for the Gulf Coast Dodgers
in 2008 and the Great Lakes Loons
in 2009. In 2010 with the Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino
he was selected to the mid-season California League
all-star team. Eovaldi was promoted to the Class-AA Chattanooga Lookouts
in 2011 and was selected to the Southern League
mid-season all-star game. He was 6-5 with a 2.62 ERA for the Lookouts, where he started 19 games. He was also selected to the post-season All-Star team.
Eovaldi was called up to the majors for the first time on August 6, 2011 and was the starting pitcher that night against the Arizona Diamondbacks
. In the game he picked up the win, while pitching five innings, allowing only two runs while striking out seven. He also hit a single in his first major league at bat and scored a run. His seven strikeouts were tied for fourth in LA Dodger history for a major league debut and he was only the fourth Dodger pitcher to score a run in his debut since 1960. Eovaldi became the first Dodger starter since Danny McDevitt
in 1957
to start his career with four games of five innings or more while allowing two runs or less. He made 6 starts for the Dodgers and was then moved to the bullpen in order to keep his innings down for the season. He pitched in four games out of the bullpen late in the season. His 2011 totals included a 1-2 record and 3.63 ERA.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
.
Baseball career
Eovaldi was drafted by the Dodgers in the 11th round of the 2008 MLB Draft out of Alvin High SchoolAlvin High School
Alvin High School, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Alvin Independent School District.- History :Alvin High School opened in 1894, with its first graduating class graduating in 1897...
. His draft slot had fallen because he had Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery, known in medical practice as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body...
in his junior year of high school. He made his way through the Dodgers system, pitching for the Gulf Coast Dodgers
Gulf Coast Dodgers
The Arizona League Dodgers are the Rookie Level minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They were formerly known as the Gulf Coast Dodgers and played in Vero Beach, Florida, at Dodgertown . Dodgertown includes Holman Stadium, which is also the former spring training home to the Brooklyn...
in 2008 and the Great Lakes Loons
Great Lakes Loons
The Great Lakes Loons, based in Midland, Michigan, is a Low Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team plays in the Midwest League and their home park is Dow Diamond, which opened in April 2007.-History:...
in 2009. In 2010 with the Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino
Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino
The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino are a minor league baseball team in San Bernardino, California, United States. They are the Class A – Advanced affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and play in the California League...
he was selected to the mid-season California League
California League
The California League is a Class A Advanced minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
all-star team. Eovaldi was promoted to the Class-AA Chattanooga Lookouts
Chattanooga Lookouts
The Chattanooga Lookouts are a minor league baseball team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. They are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team, which plays in the Southern League, has been a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club since the 2009 season. The Lookouts...
in 2011 and was selected to the Southern League
Southern League (baseball)
The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...
mid-season all-star game. He was 6-5 with a 2.62 ERA for the Lookouts, where he started 19 games. He was also selected to the post-season All-Star team.
Eovaldi was called up to the majors for the first time on August 6, 2011 and was the starting pitcher that night against the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
. In the game he picked up the win, while pitching five innings, allowing only two runs while striking out seven. He also hit a single in his first major league at bat and scored a run. His seven strikeouts were tied for fourth in LA Dodger history for a major league debut and he was only the fourth Dodger pitcher to score a run in his debut since 1960. Eovaldi became the first Dodger starter since Danny McDevitt
Danny McDevitt
Daniel Eugene "Danny" McDevitt was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1957 through 1962 for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Athletics. He was born in New York City.McDevitt was born in 1932 in Manhattan...
in 1957
1957 Brooklyn Dodgers season
The 1957 Brooklyn Dodgers season was overshadowed by Walter O'Malley's threat to move the Dodgers out of Brooklyn if the city did not build him a new stadium in that borough. When the best the mayor could promise was a stadium in Queens, O'Malley made good on his threats and moved the team to Los...
to start his career with four games of five innings or more while allowing two runs or less. He made 6 starts for the Dodgers and was then moved to the bullpen in order to keep his innings down for the season. He pitched in four games out of the bullpen late in the season. His 2011 totals included a 1-2 record and 3.63 ERA.