Connor Brogdon felt Tuesday afternoon that he was getting his call to the majors when his phone released the call from Josh Bonfifay, the Phillies’ director of player development.
But Brogdon, a 10th-round pick in 2017 that challenged any opportunity to respond to that conflicting call. He bet Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, a popular PC game, and could be suspended via the online gaming network if he took a break or tried to stop.
“So I had to turn off a headset and listen,” Brogdon said wednesday.
The Phillies called on Brogdon, a 25-year-old righthander with a 97-mph fastball, to help their bullpen, which entered Wednesday with the highest ERA, WHIP, and opponent’s batting average in the major leagues.
Brogdon had 2.61 MPM last season in 51 games between Clearwater, Double A Reading and Triple A Lehigh Valley. He was one of the few relievers the team had hidden at their exchange education site in Allentown, knowing that they most likely needed it by 2020. And Brogdon was the first to get the call-up for the big leagues.
I just had to finish the business first.
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“I had to finish as productive as I could,” Brogdon said. “It’s complicated because I’m clearly looking to focus on what Josh says and stay in the game. I’m pretty sure my teammate is pretty mad at me.”
“After taxes, I think I made about $3,200,” he said. “You may think it didn’t last too long.”
Brogdon played in two small schools and his signing bonus came without any guarantee that he would succeed in Philadelphia. The Phillies temporarily moved him to the record paddock and his ability to take over that transition set him on his way to the majors. He started last season with Clearwater, but was in le A in June.
He has reduced his arsenal as a reliever and aimed at his change, a draw that results in a position for the primary leagues. Since then, he added a cutter, which Brogdon has called a “cursor cutting hybrid,” to match his fastball and his change. He has 2.85 MPM in 98 minor league games with 11.5 effective strikeouts and 2.3 goals in nine innings. He has become one of the most productive relievers in the agricultural formula thanks to his love of hitting.
He also helped his fastball speed reach in the mid-1990s in his role as a substitute after sitting in the 1990s as a debutant at school.
‘I think he came here with the mindset that, as a starter, I have to fight for five, six innings and deepen the game. Then, when I switched to stylo, I’m here for five or six batters. I don’t want to stay awake. I can let him eat, ” said Brogdon.
An hour after talking to Bonifay, Brogdon won a phone call from Jameson Hall, the Phillies’ team coordinator. The team searched for him at Citizens Bank Park in 90 minutes. Brogdon rushed to pack his things at Allentown Baseball Stadium and went to Philadelphia.
It’s “kind of a panic,” he said. One day he started betting, video games have become a whirlwind of thank you to a phone call. And how did this game end?
They took the out of us, Brogdon said of the last video game he played before reaching the primary leagues.
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