It is a day that we all knew would happen and sooner rather than later. Dodgers Top-10 pitching prospect Jose De Leon has been promoted from the Advanced Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes to the Double-A Tulsa Drillers.

De Leon received word of his much anticipated promotion on Sunday afternoon after yet another outstanding performance in front of 2,171 at LoanMart Field, where the Quakes defeated the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres) by a score of 4-3. De Leon allowed only one run on five hits while walking two and striking out eight in his 5.2 innings of work to improve his record to 4-1. His eight punch-outs brings his season total to 58 and drops his ERA to 1.67 – both tops in the California League. He joins Julio Urias, the Dodgers third ranked prospect (behind Corey Seager and Joc Pederson) to make the Tulsa Drillers starting rotation even better than it already is.

It was never a matter of if De Leon would be promoted to Tulsa, it was only a matter of when.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Those who have been following the career of the 22-year-old Isabela, Puerto Rico native know that De Leon has been nothing short of sensational since being selected by the Dodgers in the 24th round of the 2013 MLB First Year Player Draft out of Southern University (Baton Rouge, LA). In 2014 he posted a record of 7-0 with an incredible ERA of 2.22 when he split time between the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer Rookie League and the Great Lakes Loons of the Low Single-A Midwest League.

De Leon really captured the attention of fans (and the Dodgers brass) when he struck out 14 in a game against the Fort Wayne TinCaps on August 19, 2014 to set a new Great Lakes Loons franchise record, breaking the previous record of 12 strikeouts set by Clayton Kershaw in 2007. De Leon’s command and control of the strike zone continued this season at Rancho Cucamonga where he struck out 10 or more batters in three of this seven starts, including 12 strikeouts in consecutive games on May 5 and May 10.

“He has a really good idea how to pitch,” said Quakes manager Bill Haselman. “He can command the fastball and can command both sides of the plate with it and can pitch in. When you’re able to do that, you’re going to be pretty good. When you’re able to locate your fastball that’s the whole key. His change-up is unbelievable and when you can locate your fastball it’s going to make the off-speed [pitch] look even better than it is.”

Haselman isn’t the only one within the Dodgers organization who has been keeping a close eye on their number sixth ranked prospect. Dodgers Director of Player Development Gabe Kapler tweeted “Sure, the Ks @J_DeLeon18 racked up [are] impressive. The poise & strong body language maybe more so” – this after De Leon’s 12-strikeout performance on May 5.

Word of De Leon’s promotion came from his father, Jose M. De Leon, on (wait for it) Twitter.

During his short six weeks at Rancho, De Leon quickly became a huge fan-favorite, often spending as much as ten minutes after games signing autographs for fans – even after games that he started

De Leon is often the last one on the field after games signing autographs for fans.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Those who have been fortunate enough to have seen De Leon pitch in person undoubtedly noticed that he always writes something in the dirt behind the mound before every start. During an exclusive interview with ThinkBlueLA in March, he explained what he writes and why.

“My biggest fan is my grandpa, that’s who I pitch for,” said De Leon. “When I was a freshman in college my grandfather was my biggest fan. In Puerto Rico he was at every single game. No matter where it was, he was there every single time. I remember it was before the season started he passed away and it was devastating, it was brutal. I always try to look at things in a positive kind of way and I said ‘Man, this is happening for a reason.’ I think God is taking over because physically he’s not going to be able to see me pitch, so I know now that he is seeing me pitch, every single pitch, no matter where I’m at. I joke with my dad – I hope I don’t play in a dome because I want him to watch me.

“When I pitch I always write ‘Abu’ – it’s short for Abuello – and he’s always there with me,” added De Leon. “That’s the guy I pitch for and I always say it.”

De Leon always pays tribute to his grandfather Abuello before every start. “That’s the guy I pitch for.”
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Enjoy Tulsa, Abuello.