For the first time in our young history, the Futures League will have an alumnus play in Major League Baseball as former Torrington Titan Tyler Bashlor has been called up to the New York Mets before Monday’s game. The Mets were scheduled to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates at 7:10 pm at Citi Field in New York where Tyler reports as a relief pitcher to the bullpen.
Bashlor was a member of the Torrington Titans during the squad’s 2012 season, just the second season of the Futures League’s existence. He started as a player for the Titans for 14 games and pitched for the team as well, appearing in 6 games during the 2012 season. In the 14 games he was a position player, he batted .264 with 3 doubles, a homerun, 7 RBI, 2 walks, and 2 stolen bases.
On the mound, Bashlor was exclusively used out of the bullpen, posting no record with a 0.00 ERA and 2 saves while going 7 innings in 6 appearances. He would face 21 batters, striking out 13 of them and only giving up 2 hits and 3 walks.
While he played the summer in Connecticut, Tyler attended South Georgia State College in the fall and spring. In his time at South Georgia, Tyler played 53 games for the Hawks, batting .308 with 2 homeruns, 22 RBI, 33 runs, and 8 stolen bases. His pitching was impressive as well, going 50 innings in 15 appearances of relief with a 5-3 record, sacrificing 36 hits, 29 walks, and 18 earned runs while striking out 79.
Tyler was drafted in the 2013 MLB Draft in the 11th round by the New York Mets and has spent 5-plus seasons climbing the ladder of the Minors as a pitcher. He would eventually be named to the 40-man roster of the Mets when the team broke camp this past February and it would only be a matter of time before he would be called up. At the start of the season, Bashlor would be assigned to the Binghampton Rumble Ponies, AA affiliate of the Mets where he had spent the part of the previous season going 14.1 innings with a 0.00 ERA and striking out 23.
It was on Monday, June 25, 2018 that the Mets have made the decision to call Bashlor up to the big club where his services are needed on the mound. He made his Major League debut on that same day he was called up, where he pitched 2 innings of relief, facing 8 batters, giving up a walk and a 2-run home run in the appearance, but shut it down the remainder of his time on the mound.
This is a huge step for Tyler in his baseball career and for the Futures League as we look to be able to continue sending alumni to the MLB. This is another big step in our league as we commit further to developing talent to one day reach the majors and Tyler is a testament to that commitment. We are very excited and wish him the best of luck as he begins his major league career with a great organization in the New York Mets!
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