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Following a hit-by-pitch incident that took Justin Upton out of yesterday’s game, the Angels are calling up an outfield piece from Triple-A Salt Lake in Michael Hermosillo. The corresponding move is not yet known.
#Angels are calling up Michael Hermosillo
— Taylor Blake Ward (@TaylorBlakeWard) May 18, 2018
Hermosillo, 23, is slashing .267/.389/.481 for a 131 wRC+ (31% above average) at the plate this season in Triple-A with six home runs in 163 plate appearances. His walk rate has checked in at a healthy 10.4%, rebounding from last season, while his strikeout rate has similarly jumped to 27.6%.
In case you are unfamiliar with the Angels’ 9th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.com, the book on Hermosillo is that he is a toolsy athlete with above average baserunning and bat speed, though there is concern for the swing-and-miss in his profile which could be exacerbated at the big-league level. Many scouts believe Hermosillo to be a solid fourth outfielder while others are more bullish and believe his multi-sport background will lead to continued development and an everyday outfield role.
The Angels drafted Hermosillo out of high school in the 28th round of the 2013 draft.
Update: Michael Hermosillo will be making his major league debut tonight against the Rays!
The Angels have called up outfielder Michael Hermosillo, who is batting ninth and playing right field tonight in his MLB debut. Felix Peña isn’t on the lineup card, so he’s presumably the corresponding move. pic.twitter.com/ptkXvfR1QZ
— Maria I. Guardado (@mi_guardado) May 18, 2018
Michael Hermosillo said he initially didn’t answer the phone call that sent him to the bigs. Said he was firing up “MLB The Show” when his friend passed him the phone. #Angels
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) May 18, 2018