PHOENIX -- You can’t just tell someone they’re going to the big leagues. You have to make a whole thing of it.
The call into the manager’s office is a special moment for a Minor Leaguer with big league dreams, and telling a young man his dream is about to come true is a rite of passage for Triple-A skippers.
So when Albuquerque manager Pedro Lopez summoned Rockies No. 8 prospect Carson Palmquist on Wednesday, the left-hander had a hunch. After all, he’d been on a tear for the Isotopes all season.
So what did Lopez say?
“I walked in there and he said, ‘I got good and bad news,’” Palmquist said. “And at that point, I was like, ‘Oh, maybe this isn’t the callup I was wanting.’ And he goes, ‘So good news is you’re moving back a day, you get an extra day of rest and you’ll pitch on Friday, but you’re throwing in Double-A.’”
Lopez quickly gave up the ruse and told the 24-year-old to pack his bags for Arizona, where Palmquist made his big league debut in a start against the D-backs at Chase Field after getting the official callup on Friday.
Palmquist’s four innings in the Rockies’ 8-0 loss had its bumps, though he never looked overmatched. He gave up five runs on six hits and a walk, but manager Warren Schaeffer came away impressed.
“I thought he was really good,” Schaeffer said. “I thought he was poised. I thought he commanded the fastball, thought his offspeed stuff was good. I thought he competed. That’s a lot to ask for for your first Major League game, but I love the poise and I thought it was a good first one for him.”
Palmquist navigated some traffic, but he only walked one batter. Surprisingly, he faced 19 hitters but didn’t record his first big league strikeout.
Punching out hitters has been the lefty’s calling card since he was selected by the Rockies in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of the University of Miami.
He’s posted a modest 3.91 ERA in his Minor League career, but Palmquist’s strikeout numbers jump off the page. The lefty has racked up 324 K’s over 246 1/3 innings, drawing comparisons to defending NL Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale with his cross-firing style.
Since Palmquist’s first full season in 2023, 266 pitchers have thrown at least 200 Minor League innings, and Palmquist’s 31.2% strikeout rate ranks fifth. His 30.2% strikeout rate for the Isotopes this season is tops in the Pacific Coast League.
“He’s a left-handed, funky pitcher with some up-shoot with his fastball, pitches at the top of the zone,” Schaeffer said. “His slider works -- backfoot to righties and he gets lefties out. He’s had a good Minor League career. I’m looking forward to seeing him work out here in the big leagues.”
Even though the statistical line wasn’t what he’d hoped for, Friday was a big day for the Palmquist family.
His parents, brother, girlfriend and some friends made the trip to Chase Field to be there for his debut, and his mother Cindy summed up what this meant for everyone.
“It means it was all worth it,” Cindy said. “All the hours and days and years and everything that he’s put into it, it was all worth it. He finally made it. He’s wanted this for so long and has worked so hard. And our family, especially his dad, took him all over the United States playing baseball, and it paid off.”
Palmquist shared that sentiment.
“It means the most to them, they’re crying happy tears 24/7 and just telling me how proud they are,” he said. “It’s been special to be able to share it with them, especially my dad, who took me all over the place, and my older brother, who played pro ball but didn’t quite make it up here.”
Carson’s brother Cody was a 30th-round selection of the Rangers in 2014. He topped out at Double-A but played a big part in getting his little brother to The Show.
“I taught him everything he knows,” Cody joked.
Palmquist said there’s plenty of truth in that.
“I’ll give that to him,” Carson said. “When he was coming home, he’d watch my high school games and stuff and just critique the crap out of me. … All that knowledge throughout the years, it honestly helped me a lot.”