Former Blue Wahoos pitcher Brusdar Graterol now World Series champion

Brusdar Graterol could be seen among the first into the joyous melee, racing from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ dugout Tuesday night with an exuberance reflective of his personality.

A special moment in Graterol’s remarkable rise, after the Dodgers captured the World Series with a 3-1 win in Game 6 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

In mid-August 2019, Graterol was a popular member of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos roster and rising prospect with the Minnesota Twins. That was before an off-season trade to the Dodgers.

Tuesday night, the 22-year-old Graterol factored into the Dodgers’ first World Series title in 32 years by entering Game 6 in relief and recording two outs in the seventh inning. It was his third appearance in the World Series, after working in relief during Game 3 and 4. In all, he faced eight batters, allowing two hits, no runs.

Graterol also led varied connections the Blue Wahoos had with both World Series teams.

Nearly half of the Rays roster played against the Blue Wahoos when players were in the Southern League, either with the Montgomery Biscuits – the Rays’ Double-A affiliate – or other teams.

Graterol’s performance in the World Series followed a strong showing in earlier playoff games. In his first three post-season games, Graterol retired 10 of the 11 batters he faced, while impressing veteran teammates.

“That’s a huge situation, he’s a young guy, he comes in and makes it look super easy,” said Dodgers’ starting pitcher Walker Buehler, speaking to the Los Angeles Times in a story published earlier this month.  “Obviously, he’s pretty talented. He’s a big part of our clubhouse. That’s not normal for guy with his age and experience, but we all love the guy.”

While in Pensacola last year, Graterol made a similar impression among fans. He always obliged for photos. Smiled for selfies. He was willing to sign autographs.

Graterol often chatted with young kids after games, on his way up the ramp into the Blue Wahoos clubhouse, which now has his nameplate on a decorated locker room as part of the Blue Wahoos’ acclaimed Airbnb experience.

From that point, Graterol’s career has accelerated into receiving a World Series ring.

The feat follows an incredible 14-month whirlwind that saw him celebrate his major league debut with the Minnesota Twins on Sept. 1, 2019, only days after his 21st birthday.

Since then, so much happened.

Graterol, a Venezuela native, played his final game in Pensacola for the Blue Wahoos on August 17, 2019. He was part of the team’s opening day roster in 2019 as a starting pitcher. He went 5-0 in his first nine starts, before a right (throwing) shoulder injury in May sidelined him for more than two months.

In his final Wahoos game, after being converted to a reliever, Graterol pitched two scoreless innings to earn the win against the Chattanooga Lookouts, who swapped affiliations in 2018 with the Blue Wahoos as the Reds’ Double-A team. It improved Graterol’s record to 6-0 with a 1.71 earned run average.

Two days later, he was called up to the Minnesota Twins’ Triple-A team in Rochester, New York. Twelve days later, he made his major league debut with the Twins.

Five months later on Feb. 10, 2020, Graterol was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for starting pitcher Kenta Maeda, who became the Twins most dependable starting pitcher.

While Graterol was the only former Blue Wahoos player in the World Series, there were other ties.

Two former Wahoos players, pitcher Cody Reed and outfielder Brian O’Grady are now both part of the Tampa Bay Rays, but did not make the post-season roster.

Both played for the Blue Wahoos when the team was affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds from Pensacola’s inaugural 2012 season through 2018.

O’Grady, 28, whose fiancé is a Pensacola area resident, returned to Pensacola when spring training was halted in mid-March during the first wave of impact from the coronavirus pandemic.

O’Grady frequently worked out at Blue Wahoos Stadium during this past spring, along with other professional players with local ties. He filmed a youth baseball instructional video in June for the Blue Wahoos website.

Reed was acquired by the Rays in a trade with the Reds on August 28. He pitched in two games for the Rays, before a finger injury on his left (throwing) hand sidelined him after Sept. 5 through post-season.

In addition, 13 players on the Rays played against the Blue Wahoos during their time in the Southern League with the Montgomery Biscuits, the Rays’ Double-A affiliate.

The group included Rays’ Game 6 starting pitcher Blake Snell, who pitched against the Blue Wahoos in 2015.

Ten of the current Rays players faced the Blue Wahoos in Pensacola during their tenure with the Biscuits, including infielders Willy Adames, Mike Brousseau and reliever Nick Anderson, who was with the Chattanooga Lookouts – then a Twins affiliate in 2017.

Bill Vilona is a retired Pensacola News Journal sports columnist and current senior writer for Pensacola Blue Wahoos/Studer55. He can be reached at bvilona@bluewahoos.com.

Blue Wahoos World Series Connections

LOS ANGELES DODGERS – Relief pitcher Brusdar Graterol played for the Blue Wahoos in 2019.

TAMPA BAY RAYS – Pitchers Blake Snell, Josh Fleming, John Curtiss, Shane McClanahan, Nick Anderson, Ryan Yarbrough, Ryan Thompson, played against the Blue Wahoos while in Double-A.

Backup catcher Michael Perez, along with first baseman Nate Lowe and Mike Brousseau, along with shortstop Willy Adames faced the Blue Wahoos.

Outfielders Kevin Kiermaier and Brett Phillips were among current Rays who played in Blue Wahoos Stadium.

RAYS NON-PLAYOFF ROSTER – Former Blue Wahoos Brian O’Grady and Cody Reed are part of the 40-man roster.