Skoglund Makes Big 1st MLB Impression
Eric Skoglund saw his Big League dreams come true earlier this week on Tuesday night, making his Major League debut for the Kansas City Royals. If he was nervous it was not evident, as he fired six-plus scoreless innings against a stout Detroit Tigers lineup to earn his first Major
There were a lot of memorable moments from that first outing. From Skoglund's first strikeout, to future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera giving Skoglund a thumbs-up, to Skoglund later striking out Cabrera, and capped by a standing ovation from the Kauffman Stadium faithful as he exited from the game in one out in the seventh inning. Accuentuating the moment was one of the best hat tips you will ever see.
Rumors of the promotion started swirling when Skoglund was scratched from his scheduled Sunday start for the Storm Chasers on Sunday. He would have to wait nearly 24 hours to get confirmation that he was going to be a Big Leaguer. Soon after he got the news, he looked up who which pitcher he would be facing off against: none other than former Cy Young Award winner
In eight starts with Omaha this season, the lefty had compiled a 2-3 record and 4.53 ERA (22 ER/43.2 IP), adding 40 strikeouts compared to ten free passes. Prior to this year, he had been tabbed the fourth-best prospect in the Royals system by Baseball America, which the publication also touting Skoglund as possessing the "Best Control" among all Kansas City farmhands.
The road to Kansas City was relatively short for the left-hander, who was drafted by the Royals in the third round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of the University of Central Florida. After signing, he made nine appearances with the Idaho Falls Chukars before an aggressive promotion to High-A Wilmington in 2015. He handled the assignment well, boasting a 6-3 record and 3.52 ERA in 15 starts before moving on to Double-A Northwest Arkansas for the 2016 campaign. He led the Texas League in innings pitched and strikeouts that year, compiling a 7-10 clip and 3.45 ERA while punching out 134 batters.
Following a short layover in Northwest Arkansas to start 2017, Skoglund arrived in Omaha. He threw five shutout frames in his Triple-A debut on April 12, perhaps a foreshadowing of his Big League debut less than two months later. His last two outings with Omaha were quality starts on May 17 versus Tacoma and May 22 versus Reno. Both at Werner Park.
Thanks to his strong initial outing with the Royals, Skoglund earned a second start with the club on Sunday. If he continues to pitch like he did on Tuesday evening at Kauffman Stadium, he should be making many many more starts with Kansas City in the future.