Word circulated on Thursday that right-hander Wilmer Font of the Oklahoma City Dodgers had received a September call up to the parent Dodgers. It is almost impossible to imagine what went through his mind and the feelings he is experiencing since he got the long awaited and somewhat overdue news.

The nature of his season suggested he could have helped the Dodgers as a spot starter, middle relief man or a one inning reliever much earlier in the season. The issue most likely had more to do with Font not being on the Dodgers 40-man roster than it did about his usefulness as a member of the Dodgers pitching staff. Still, the Dodgers front office has ways of working around roster issues, so the question remains as to why some accommodation was not made to use Font at some earlier point in the season.

Every season there is at least one player in a MLB team’s minor league system that takes the farm by storm and exceeds all the expectations that might have been set for him. Quite often we say he is flying under the radar. This year Wilmer Font is that player in the Dodgers minor league system.

Font’s road to Dodger Stadium has been long and winding spanning a period of 11 years. The native of La Guaira, Venezuela was initially signed by the Texas Rangers as a non-drafted free agent on July 11, 2006.

The 6’4”/265-pound Font has played on nine minor league teams, spent the 2011 season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and played with the Ottawa Champions of the Can-Am Independent League for the entire 2015 season and part of the 2016 campaign.

During his baseball career, he has appeared in 274 games, 144 as a starter. He has pitched 871.1 innings, all but 3.1 innings below the MLB level. His 3.1 MLB innings span two brief interludes with the Texas Rangers during the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

Font’s Dodger career started when he was signed to a minor league contract on December 21, 2016. He quickly turned some heads as his season progressed with some wondering why he did not get an opportunity to make a spot start with the Dodgers.

In addition to his many other accomplishments and awards this season, Font was named the Pacific Coast League’s Pitcher of the Year on Thursday. (Photo credit – Joshua Gurnick)

Armed with a fastball which sits in the mid-90’s and touches 97 mph, a curve, a quality slider, a decent change and a splitter which has nasty downward break, Font went on to carve out a season that demanded a September call up.

His season was punctuated with achievements and accolades like no other player in the Pacific Coast League.

• May 15 set a team record with 15 strikeouts
• Started the PCL All-Star game and retired all three batters he faced on four pitches
• Twice selected as Pitcher of the Week (May 15-21 and July 10-16)
• August 28 selected to All-Pacific Coast League team
• August 31 – named PCL Pitcher of the Year
• Set OKC all-time strikeout mark with 178 eclipsing the old mark of 150 for Matt Perisho in 1999
• Had five games with at least 10 strikeouts tying the record set by Jose De Leon in 2016

On the season Font went 10-8 in 25 starts posting a league leading ERA of 3.42 and WHIP of 1.11. His 178 strikeouts also led the league and gave him an impressive 5:1 strikeout to walk ratio.

What happened to Wilmer Font on the way to the ball park that transformed him from an independent league pitcher to a prospective MLB pitcher?

Maybe he simply has grown into command of his pitching arsenal and is better able to use his array of pitches to miss bats. Certainly, his control and significantly better strikeout to walk ratio over the past two years has been a contributing factor.

It is relatively easy to suspect that pitching coach Matt Herges has been the instigator of the pitching transformation by arming Font with a new pitch mode. Herges spoke after Font’s record setting 15-strikeout game.

“He was in attack mode from pitch one all the way to 98,” Herges added. “That’s what I want to encourage. That’s what I want him to continue to do to keep rolling. Attack works. Careful never works.”

Perhaps it is in part due to Font’s work ethic and never-say-die attitude after 11 long years.

“Every bullpen, he’s sweating his butt off,” Herges said. “He’s constantly in it. He watches every pitch. He’s a great teammate. This is what makes coaching so fun.”

Wilmer Font began his profession career back on June 22, 2007 pitching two innings for the AZL Rangers against the AZL Royals.

Within the next few days he will make his debut as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers and first MLB appearance since July 14, 2013. He most likely will be used in a relief role but do not be surprised if the 27-year-old Font gets his first major league start.