Tonight sees the major-league debut of Zack Godley, which has to be among the more unexpected of the 2015 season, considering Godley began the year in High-A Visalia, and even now, has thrown a grand total of 14 innings above that level. He is so obscure, SB Nation doesn't even know to make his name a link, and he is certainly a bit of an odd choice, considering his three starts for Double-A Mobile have not exactly been awe-inspiring, with an ERA of 5.14, and K:BB ratio of 8:6. But it appears the team saw fit to give him a chance, having apparently impressed the front-office with his mound presence. At 6'3" and listed at 245 pounds, Godley will be hard to miss.
Nick Piecoro canvassed some scouts, and they all agreed Godley is a strike-thrower, though opinion was sharply divided as to how far that would take him. The one who liked him best, thinks he might become a mid-rotation guy, and says Godley "Moves the ball well. Sinks, runs and cuts at 90-94 mph. Hard, power slurve. Feel for the split. He knows how to mix. He needs more quality with the off-speed and more command and he would be a prospect." He certainly had some success with Visalia, but we will see whether that can be translated to the major-league level. We always said this was a year to try out the prospects and see what we have. This would be one of those try-outs!
To make way for Godley. Matt Stites was sent back down to Reno - bit of a surprise, I was thinking Dominic Leone was more likely, given his appearance last night. But it's Stites who draws the short straw, with room for Godley on the 40-man roster being made by Phil Gosselin - the mysterious, phantom infielder received in the Touki Toussaint trade - moving from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list.