Former Cal Poly pitcher Erich Uelmen made his Major League debut last Friday against the Philadelphia Phillies, allowing one run and one hit in the ninth inning.
Erich Uelmen Makes Major League Debut for Chicago Cubs
7/25/2022 2:21:00 PM | Baseball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Erich Uelmen became the 21st ex-Cal Poly baseball player to play in a Major League game Friday night.
The right-handed pitcher tossed the ninth inning of the Chicago Cubs' 15-2 victory at Philadelphia, allowing one run and one hit with one walk and one strikeout.
Uelmen, who threw 20 pitches, nine for strikes, is the 12th former Mustang coached by Larry Lee to don a Major League uniform.
On July 17, the Cubs promoted Uelmen from Triple-A Iowa, where he had compiled a 2.79 ERA with 52 strikeouts and 23 walks in 42 innings this season.
Uelmen, 26, was primarily a starter on his way up through the minor leagues but switched to a full-time bullpen role upon reaching Triple-A. His first taste of action with the Iowa Cubs didn't go so well last year, but he has produced an excellent showing so far in 2022, working in a multi-inning role.
Through 28 games at Iowa, Uelmen has a 55.3 percent ground ball rate and 29.1 percent strikeout rate, though the walk rate is high at 12.8 percent.
In his first full year in a full-time relief role, Uelmen has seen his velocity spike, his pitches sharpen, and his strikeouts explode, Bleacher Nation reported July 16, "pretty much everything you'd hope to see from a guy who has a couple great pitches, but just not quite enough to be a starter.
"His strikeout rate at Iowa is approaching 30 percent, and while the 12.8 percent walk rate is not ideal, he's also got a ground ball rate over 55 percent. The guys who can register a big strikeout rate AND a big ground ball rate are a rare bird," Bleacher Nation added.
Of the 21 previous Major Leaguers who wore a Cal Poly uniform, Lee coached 12 of them over 20 seasons. The other nine played baseball for the Mustangs from 1925 through 2002. In addition, Dean Treanor, a bullpen coach for the Miami Marlins from 2016-19, played at Cal Poly from 1968-70, pitching a no-hitter in a 2-0 win over Cal Poly Pomona in 1970.
Uelmen pitched at Cal Poly from 2015-17. The Las Vegas native and Faith Lutheran High School graduate made 16 appearances on the mound as a freshman, all but one as a reliever.
He moved into the weekend rotation as a sophomore, making seven starts on Sunday before he was bumped up to the Saturday slot for eight Big West starts. He was 5-3 with a 3.68 ERA and 70 strikeouts over 93 innings, earning a complete-game win over UCLA and a shutout versus Sacramento State.
Uelmen was the Friday night starter as a junior in 2017, lowering his ERA to 2.93 but winning just four of 12 decisions. He fanned 100 over 98 1/3 innings and closed out his Mustang career with a six-hit shutout and a career-high 12 strikeouts in a 1-0 triumph over UC Riverside.
A second-team All-Big West selection in 2017, Uelmen was drafted in the fourth round by the Chicago Cubs and has made minor league stops at Eugene, Myrtle Beach, South Bend, Tennessee and Iowa. He also competed in the Arizona Fall League in 2019.
Photo of Erich Uelmen courtesy of the Chicago Cubs via Twitter
The right-handed pitcher tossed the ninth inning of the Chicago Cubs' 15-2 victory at Philadelphia, allowing one run and one hit with one walk and one strikeout.
Uelmen, who threw 20 pitches, nine for strikes, is the 12th former Mustang coached by Larry Lee to don a Major League uniform.
On July 17, the Cubs promoted Uelmen from Triple-A Iowa, where he had compiled a 2.79 ERA with 52 strikeouts and 23 walks in 42 innings this season.
Uelmen, 26, was primarily a starter on his way up through the minor leagues but switched to a full-time bullpen role upon reaching Triple-A. His first taste of action with the Iowa Cubs didn't go so well last year, but he has produced an excellent showing so far in 2022, working in a multi-inning role.
Through 28 games at Iowa, Uelmen has a 55.3 percent ground ball rate and 29.1 percent strikeout rate, though the walk rate is high at 12.8 percent.
In his first full year in a full-time relief role, Uelmen has seen his velocity spike, his pitches sharpen, and his strikeouts explode, Bleacher Nation reported July 16, "pretty much everything you'd hope to see from a guy who has a couple great pitches, but just not quite enough to be a starter.
"His strikeout rate at Iowa is approaching 30 percent, and while the 12.8 percent walk rate is not ideal, he's also got a ground ball rate over 55 percent. The guys who can register a big strikeout rate AND a big ground ball rate are a rare bird," Bleacher Nation added.
Of the 21 previous Major Leaguers who wore a Cal Poly uniform, Lee coached 12 of them over 20 seasons. The other nine played baseball for the Mustangs from 1925 through 2002. In addition, Dean Treanor, a bullpen coach for the Miami Marlins from 2016-19, played at Cal Poly from 1968-70, pitching a no-hitter in a 2-0 win over Cal Poly Pomona in 1970.
Uelmen pitched at Cal Poly from 2015-17. The Las Vegas native and Faith Lutheran High School graduate made 16 appearances on the mound as a freshman, all but one as a reliever.
He moved into the weekend rotation as a sophomore, making seven starts on Sunday before he was bumped up to the Saturday slot for eight Big West starts. He was 5-3 with a 3.68 ERA and 70 strikeouts over 93 innings, earning a complete-game win over UCLA and a shutout versus Sacramento State.
Uelmen was the Friday night starter as a junior in 2017, lowering his ERA to 2.93 but winning just four of 12 decisions. He fanned 100 over 98 1/3 innings and closed out his Mustang career with a six-hit shutout and a career-high 12 strikeouts in a 1-0 triumph over UC Riverside.
A second-team All-Big West selection in 2017, Uelmen was drafted in the fourth round by the Chicago Cubs and has made minor league stops at Eugene, Myrtle Beach, South Bend, Tennessee and Iowa. He also competed in the Arizona Fall League in 2019.
Photo of Erich Uelmen courtesy of the Chicago Cubs via Twitter
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