The Padres have re-signed Daniel Camarena to a minor league contract, according to the team’s transactions log at MLB.com. San Diego had outrighted the left-hander off their 40-man roster at the end of the season, at which point he elected minor league free agency.
Camarena originally joined the Friars over the 2019-20 offseason on a minors pact. He’d spent nearly a decade in affiliated ball and was briefly selected onto the Yankees big league roster in July 2019 but had never appeared in an MLB game to that point. After the canceled 2020 minor league season, Camarena began last season with Triple-A El Paso.
While he would spend the majority of the season at the minors’ top level, Camarena did get into his first six MLB games last year. He was selected onto the big league roster in June and worked 9 1/3 innings of twelve-run ball. Clearly, he didn’t get the results he’d desired on the mound, but he did provide fans one of the most memorable moments of the season. On July 8, Camarena hit a grand slam off Max Scherzer in his second career at-bat, turning a 96.5 MPH fastball from one of the sport’s best pitchers around 416 feet.
Of course, the Padres primary interest in the 29-year-old is in his arm. Camarena posted a 4.75 ERA across 83 1/3 innings in a hitter-friendly environment with El Paso last year. The San Diego native owns a 5.32 mark in parts of five campaigns at that level. His 18.8% strikeout rate is below-average, but Camarena’s 7.7% walk percentage is solid. He’ll serve as a long relief or depth rotation option for his hometown club again in 2022.
I bet pitchers would love it if they could subtract their RBIs when their ERAs are computed. “Yes, I gave up 12 runs in 9 and a third innings but if you take into account that grand slam I hit, I really only gave up 8 runs” Maybe he should even be allowed to subtract a couple bonus RBIs since he hit the grand slam off a great pitcher!!
Heyyyyyy Slamarena!
I was rooting for the Dodgers over the Padres, but his grand slam that day was one of the most exciting things in baseball that I have ever seen. And the Giants edged the Dodgers out for the division by just one game. Giants’ fans should give Daniel Camarena a standing ovation if he pitches at Oracle Park in 2022.
That game had no difference in the standings, SD was playing the Nats.
I saw Camarena when pitched for the Yankees then-AATrenton club in 2017.
mikemccann.blogspot.com/2021/07/weekend-special-fo…
Something changed for him in 2021. He was slashing .286/333/286 through 14 PA. The next Shohei!
Ohtani can actually pitch well
Dodgers:
Yes, of course, you are right.
I had failed to remember that I was rooting for Scherzer not because he was yet on the Dodgers but rather because I had just acquired him in my rotisserie league.
Nonetheless, one of the most awesome things that I had ever seen in baseball even if I could not remember essential details. Thanks for the catch!