On June 22, 2016, Tyrell Jenkins stepped onto the mound at Marlins Park in Miami, Florida. It was his major league debut. In the 8th inning of a 3-0 Miami Marlins lead, after five days of waiting for the call, Jenkins took the rubber in the bullpen and began warming up for his big appearance.
Jenkins stepped on the hill and was greeted by Marlins shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria. Almost immediately, Hechavarria sent a slow, dying grounder right toward the mound. He scrambled off the mound, fielded the ball, and threw a strike to Atlanta Braves first basemen Freddie Freeman. Jenkins’ MLB career had begun.
Who Is Tyrell Jenkins?
Born on July 20, 1992, in Henderson, Texas, Tyrell Deon Jenkins is a 6’4″, 210 pound righty. The St. Louis Cardinals selected him with the 50th overall pick in the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft. In the winter of 2014, the Atlanta Braves traded star right fielder and hometown product Jason Heyward to St. Louis, along with RHP Jordan Walden.
The return for Atlanta? Starting pitchers Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins. Nobody saw it coming, and it shocked the fan base. But it changed the landscape of the Braves organization in a big way, as the Braves would later send Miller to the Arizona Diamondbacks for first overall pick Dansby Swanson and right-hander Aaron Blair.
Navigating the Minor Leagues
Coming Up with the Cardinals
Tyrell got his professional baseball career started with the Johnson City Cardinals, the rookie ball affiliate of the Cards. He pitched in two games in 2010 and in three innings pitched, gave up two hits, walked two batters, and struck out two as well. In 2011, he took the hill again for the rookie Cardinals. He went 4-2 and posted an impressive 3.86 ERA in fifty-six innings pitched. He struck out fifty-five batters while only walking thirteen.
The following year found him in Spring Training with the St. Louis, but he eventually would find himself pitching for the Class-A Quad Cities River Bandits. He started nineteen games and went 4-4 with a 5.14 ERA, eighty strikeouts, and thirty-six free passes issued. However, a lat injury cut his season short. He began 2013 with the Peoria Chiefs and later earned a promotion to the Class-A Advanced Palm Beach Cardinals, for whom he made three appearances. He posted a 4.50 ERA with six strikeouts and a walk. Injury would cut his season short yet again, as he underwent shoulder surgery in August of 2013.
Jenkins made his first start of 2014 in June, again with the Palm Beach Cardinals. He made thirteen starts and posted an impressive ERA of 3.28, while striking out forty-one batters in seventy-four innings pitched. He walked just twenty-three opponents. The Cardinals then assigned him to the Arizona Fall League, where he compiled a 2-2 record in six starts.
On to Atlanta
After being included in the aforementioned trade for Jason Heyward, he began 2015 in Pearl, Mississippi, home of the Double-A Mississippi Braves. However, he didn’t remain there for very long. A 5-5 record with an ERA of 3.00 earned him a promotion to the Triple-A Gwinnett Braves. He finished 2015 with a 3-4 record and a 3.57 ERA. He struck out twenty-nine and walked twenty.
Jenkins found himself in Spring Training with Atlanta in early 2016, but once again began the season in Triple-A. He made the most of the assignment, to the tune of a 6-3 record and a 2.91 ERA . However, late into his 2016 stint with Gwinnett, he found himself forced into the bullpen out of necessity. Fortunately, that move would propel him into the big leagues, as he received the call to the show on June 16, 2016. In the end, Jenkins posted a 32-27 record and a 3.75 ERA over an impressive minor league career.
Welcome To The Show!
He pitched one scoreless inning while only allowing one hit in his major league debut, and only time will tell what remains in store for the man who calls himself “Brotha Jenkins”. He’s got an incredible, and quite infectious, positive attitude, and great stuff backing it up. A versatile player, Jenkins can capably serve as a starting pitcher or as an arm out of the bullpen. He’ll likely make at least one start, if not more, before the 2016 season ends. All in all, there’s a ton to love when it comes to Tyrell Jenkins, and Braves fans can look forward to seeing a lot more from the stirrup-wearing right-hander.
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