Former Phillies pitching prospect fast-tracked for historic MLB debut

The Philadelphia Phillies have had many prospects over the years who had done so well in the minors that they were fast-tracked to the majors. The Phillies appeared to have another one of those this season who actually made their MLB debut just recently. The only problem was it was with another team. 

The Los Angeles Angels are known for their propensity to promote prospects aggressively, and Samuel Aldegheri is the latest benefactor of the organization's approach.

Former Phillies pitching prospect Samuel Aldegheri fast-tracked for historic MLB debut

The former Phillies pitching prospect made his historic MLB debut on Friday for the Los Angeles Angels, becoming the first-ever Italian player born and raised in Italy to appear in a Major League Baseball game, according to Jeff Passan.

Unfortunately, the start sure didn’t go as planned, as Aldegheri was met with adversity right from the get-go against the Seattle Mariners. What should have been a scoreless first inning became a five-run outburst, all unearned, when shortstop Zach Neto failed to flag down a routine liner.

Nevertheless, the Angels' No. 3 prospect Aldegheri eventually calmed his nerves and quickly settled down nicely. He pitched four more innings, giving up just two more runs on three hits with two strikeouts. What he could take home with him from his debut was the fact that he was able to strike out star outfielder Julio Rodríguez for his first career MLB strikeout.

“I’m happy for myself and for my family, but I’m happy for my country and for the kids in Italy who might feel like they are nobody, but I just showed them anyone can make it,” Aldegheri said after the game, per MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. “They have to believe in their dreams and chase them.”

Aldegheri began 2024 outside of the Phillies’ top 20 prospects according to MLB Pipeline. Starting the year with just the Phillies’ High-A affiliate Jersey Shore BlueClaws, his strong performance quickly earned him a promotion to Double-A Reading. However, his rapid ascension also led to other teams in the majors taking notice of his potential.

As a result, Aldegheri eventually became a trade deadline casualty for the Phillies as he was included in the package sent to the Angels in exchange for closer Carlos Estévez. Despite struggling to some extent with the Angels’ Double-A affiliate Rocket City after joining the organization, their depleted pitching depth ultimately forced their hand to fast-track Aldegheri to the majors. His journey from Verona to MLB was finally complete.

For the season, he went 6-9 with a solid 3.59 ERA and 1.15 WHIP, along with a whopping 134 strikeouts in 95 1/3 innings of work in the minors.

Now with all the jitters out of his system, Aldegheri will look to improve upon his first outing in his next start. He should continue to get plenty of opportunities to show the Angels his worth during the final month of the 2024 season. At the same time, as much as the Phillies wish all the best to their former promising 22-year-old prospect, they'll sure hope that he doesn’t end up coming back to haunt them down the road.