It’s hard to say what Votto meant, but for any new big leaguer, it’s a statement with broad meaning. Every single Red, every single Major League Baseball player knows what it’s like to be Cingrani — the wide-eyed new kid at school, still processing what it means to have chased down the dream.
If you’re a 23-year-old rookie like Cingrani, the Reds’ third-round pick in 2011, or a veteran star like Votto, it is ridiculous when you think about it. They dream their entire playing career about getting The Call to the big leagues, and then it comes. It’s a moment shared by everyone who has made it to the show, and dozens of players across baseball experienced it last week as rosters expanded in September.
“I try to get them in as soon as I can,” said Reds manager Dusty Baker, who made his own big league debut 44 years and two days ago at age 19 with the Braves in San Francisco with his parents in attendance. “You get joy out of seeing the start of somebody’s career. You wonder where they’re going to go with it. I’ve seen many of them.”
For Cingrani, The Call came up on Sept. 2. Reds GM Walt Jocketty, Vice President of Scouting and Player Development Bill Bavasi, Pensacola manager Jim Riggleman and pitching coach Tom Brown were sitting down when Cingrani was called into the office.
Cingrani’s heart started racing. He knew what this could be about because they had told him days before he might get called up.
“Walt told me I was going to be in the bullpen in Cincinnati,” Cingrani said. “I couldn’t sit still. I was unbelievably happy. That’s probably the best feeling of my life, just to be able to reach that dream, and everything you’ve worked toward is actually paying off. It’s just an unbelievable feeling.”
The life-changing moment sticks in every player’s memory. It’s a show you save on the DVR and never delete.
Reds catcher Ryan Hanigan debuted five years ago with a pinch-hit, first-pitch double off the Brewers’ Ben Sheets.
“The first time I got called up, I wasn’t expecting it necessarily,” Hanigan said. “Some guys have an idea. I kind of had to earn my way up to get noticed and be a prospect. The season in Louisville had just ended, and my manager in Triple-A, Rick Sweet, called me into the weight room down there. I’ll never forget it. He told me I was coming up, and I was all excited. I was packing my stuff to go home because I figured they would have told me prior. It was definitely a shock, but I had had a good year.”
Brandon Phillips made his debut 10 years ago this week, Sept. 13, 2002, for the Cleveland Indians. Eric Wedge, manager of the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, delivered the news.
“My first call was to my parents,” Phillips said. “They were cussing and go crazy. It’s something you don’t forget. I remember it like it was yesterday.”
Walking into a big league clubhouse for the first time made just as big an impact.
“I was a big video game guy,” Phillips said, “and to see guys in the clubhouse you played with in the video games, it was crazy.”
The memory is still fresh for Rookie of the Year candidate Todd Frazier. He got called up for the first time on May 22, 2011. He also got the news from Sweet, then the Louisville manager.
“We were playing the Orioles’ Triple-A team in Norfolk (Va.),” Frazier said, “Everyone was talking about me doing well. My friends and family were asking me, ‘When are you going to get that call?’ I was battling like .240, and I ended up getting it up to .298. I had an awesome month. (Sweet) said, ‘I’ve got some stuff for you.’ I was like, ‘Uh oh.’ My roommate, Scott Carroll, said, ‘This is the call! This is the call!’ My eyes got big.”
Sweet told him, “Congratulations, you’re getting called to the big leagues,” and Frazier had tears in his eyes when he called his family. The Reds played in Philadelphia the next night, not far from Frazier’s home in Toms River, NJ.
“It was a great night,” Frazier said. “I had about 60 people come to the game. The fans from back home were watching in batting practice, and I was trying to hit the ball as far as I could.”
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