HEARING THE ANGELS’ CALL
Angels pick up ex-Lobo off waivers
Ex-Lobo Bobby LaFromboise is picked up by Los Angeles after the Pirates place him on waivers.
Bobby LaFromboise is going back to Cali.
LaFromboise, a Downey, Calif., native and former All Mountain West pitcher at the University of New Mexico, was claimed by the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday after being placed on waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“It’s mixed emotions. I was a big fan of the Pirates and I liked what they were doing,” LaFromboise told the Journal on Thursday. “But then again, I’ve loved the Angels since I was about 15. It’s a dream come true to go back home.”
LaFromboise made six appearances for the Pirates in the 2014 regular season after being designated for assignment by the Seattle Mariners and waived by the San Diego Padres. He also pitched in the 2014 National League wild-card game, getting San Francisco’s Brandon Crawford —the lone batter he faced — to ground into an inning-ending double play in the seventh inning.
LaFromboise pitched one inning in May this season for Pittsburgh but spent most of 2015 at Triple-A Indianapolis. He was called up in September and made another 10 appearances for the Pirates, who again made it to the NL wild-card game but didn’t put LaFromboise on the roster.
“They had such a good bullpen all year that there wasn’t any room for anyone to move up,” LaFromboise said. “That’s one of the things that happens in baseball. They won 98 games for a reason, and the bullpen was a big help.”
With LaFromboise out of minor league options for the 2016 season, the Pirates had to make a decision regarding his future. They decided to place the 6-foot-4 left-hander on waivers, which LaFromboise didn’t find out about until he got the phone call Wednesday morning from Pittsburgh.
“They called me and told me that I had been placed on waivers and been claimed by the Angels,” LaFromboise said. “When I saw who was calling me I had a pretty good idea of what was going on. I was expecting something bad, but when one door closes another one opens.”
The door is now open for LaFromboise to pitch in the big leagues, and in front of his friends and family from Downey, which is 20 miles from the Angels’ stadium in Anaheim.
“When (the Angels) called, they said, ‘we’re always looking for lefties in the bullpen. And we think you can help us out and that’s why we picked you up,”’ LaFromboise said.
The 29-year-old LaFromboise says he has no hard feelings toward the Pirates for not getting more of an opportunity to contribute in the majors.
“I love the organization, I loved the guys there and I enjoyed my time there,” LaFromboise said. “That’s just part of baseball, and now I have to move on and hopefully move in the right direction and see what I can do with the Angels.”
What LaFromboise plans to do with the Angels is make the team out of spring training — the Angels train in Tempe, Ariz. — and spend the season pitching out their bullpen.
“That’s obviously always the goal,” LaFromboise said. “All I can do is show up to camp in shape and be ready to go and prove to them that I belong there.”