Hutchison starts his road back to majors
Drew Hutchison had been in this position before.
When the right-handed pitcher learned on May 31 that the Philadelphia Phillies were reassigning him to Triple-A, Hutchison could either head to the minors or become a free agent.
He chose the latter. Hutchison remained patient and found the perfect situation nearly two weeks later, signing with the pitching-depraved Dodgers and landing in Triple-A Oklahoma City.
“I just thought it was the best thing for me in my career,” said Hutchison, who posted a 4.64 earned-run average in 11 games with the Phillies. “They decided to go a different way, so it was time for me to pursue other avenues.”
He made his OKC debut Sunday night against Las Vegas, allowing one run in two innings.
Since being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2009, Hutchison has played most of
his games in the minor leagues.
He threw his first professional pitch in 2010 in Single-A and made his big-league debut two years later. In his four seasons with the Blue Jays' organization, he appeared in 76 big-league games. But even after he had made it in the majors, Hutchison was still seeing time in the minors.
This has been a constant routine for Hutchison throughout his career. The minors one year, the majors the next, with miles of traveling in between.
It was more of the same the past two seasons in the Pittsburgh Pirates' system.
So, when the Phillies told Hutchison of their plan, he sought out a path that could lead him back to the majors. Signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have a rotation's worth of starting pitchers on the disabled list, could be the right route.
“I’m excited to be here and I’m excited to get going,” said Hutchison, who signed with the Dodgers on June 12.
He even knew a few players who had played for Oklahoma City in Brandon Morrow and Jack Murphy, who both spoke highly of their time here. Morrow briefly played for OKC in 2017, while Murphy spent two years with the Dodgers affiliate.
Hutchison knew OKC — which entered play Saturday with the best record in the Pacific Coast League (40-24) — was the best fit for him because of the opportunity it gave him to get back to the majors. Los Angeles has four relief pitchers out due to injury.
The 27-year-old Florida native though is trying to keep his focus on the present and what he can control. He’s just going to pitch to the best of his abilities and everything else will fall into place.
As he prepares to climb his way back to the majors, Hutchison knows it’s something he can accomplish again.
“For me it’s just about going out there and being myself,” Hutchison said. “I’m confident in my abilities and what I’m able to do, so I’m just looking forward to the opportunity.”