As an 18th-round draft pick, Ethan DeCaster was not the prototypical candidate to fly through the minor league ranks.
But 12 months after the Detroit Tigers selected the relief pitcher from Duke University, DeCaster already has checked off every level of minor league baseball at which the Tigers have an affiliate.
The 24-year-old DeCaster has shown promise as a middle reliever, and his performance in his first full year as a professional has kept him moving — again and again and again.
As of Tuesday, DeCaster has posted a 1.24 ERA across all levels. He has a 0.77 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched), and opponents are hitting .180 against him. He’s allowed two walks in 33⅓ innings this year.
The Tigers assigned DeCaster to the Gulf Coast League Tigers West, one of their rookie affiliates, after the 2018 entry draft. He finished last season in Advanced-A and has played for Single-A Lakeland, Double-A Erie, and Triple-A Toledo in 2019.
DeCaster has nine consecutive scoreless appearances overall and a 0.63 WHIP in 6⅓ innings with Toledo this season. Fittingly, DeCaster made another move Tuesday, as the Tigers reassigned him to Erie. The interview below took place June 8 at Fifth Third Field.
Q: You’ve been on six teams in the past year and seen every level of the Tigers’ minor league system. What has this whirlwind past 12 months been like?
A: It’s been kind of a roller coaster, and to be honest with you, I wasn’t quite expecting to move quick as I have, but I’m not giving it away. It’s been a fun last year. A year ago, I was pitching in the [NCAA] super regional for Duke, and now I’m pitching in Triple-A with the Detroit Tigers. It’s been awesome.
Q: How many addresses have you had in the past year?
A: [Smiling] Too many to count. Between the different hotels and the different rooms in the hotels, let’s just say a lot.
Q: This is almost exactly one year [since signing], so what has one year in pro ball taught you?
A: More than anything, it’s just consistency. Moving around so much, you just try to keep as much of a routine as you possibly can regardless of where you’re at or whether you’re flying out early morning or late nights. I try to keep a routine as much as I possibly can.
Q: You have a bit of an unusual delivery. How did you land on using the arm slot you do? Is it just what feels natural?
A: A little bit. My freshman year in college [at Creighton], I dealt with some arm injuries. I had been more of a conventional, over-the-top pitcher, so I basically rehabbed and came back, and it was still kind of bugging me, so I made a more drastic change. I haven’t had an injury since then, so I kind of rolled with it, but it was what came a little bit more naturally too, so it was a mix of both.
Q: How much of a role does the change in arm slot have in your success?
A: 100 percent. I mean, I don’t know if I would be in this same slot today if I didn’t make that change. Looking back, it was kind of a blessing that it happened. I dealt with a couple things, but it was definitely a blessing in disguise.
Q: You’ve had a really good start to 2019. What has been going right for you?
A: It’s more just attacking the zone and getting ahead of hitters early, those things that coaches preach. More than anything, it’s just competing and not giving into hitters. I’m just playing my game and playing to my strengths.
Q: You got to play at Durham Bulls Athletic Park when you were at Duke, and now you’re in the same league as the Durham Bulls. What’s your favorite memory of that stadium?
A: Man, I don’t know if I particularly have one. We played North Carolina, our big rival, in a cool atmosphere in a three-game series, and took two out of three against them. It was pretty cool being in that rivalry and having the city back you up there. Just the history of the ballpark, it’s new, but they still have the bull out in left, and growing up as someone who watched the movie [Bull Durham], it was pretty cool to be able to play there.
Q: For someone in your shoes this past year, what is the best travel advice you can offer?
A: Man, just live suitcase to suitcase and never fully unpack. Stay on your toes at all times.
First Published June 11, 2019, 11:00 a.m.
