Alex Carrillo might be the coolest story in baseball.
And as of Tuesday, he's officially joining the New York Mets. When he appears in a game, it'll mark the MLB debut for one of the most improbable big leaguers in recent memory.
Carrillo has played for teams like Pina Community College, then NAIA school Faulkner University.
He has played in the Mexican League, the Venezuelan Winter League and for a Frontier League team called the Washington Wild Things.
And now, against all the odds, Carrillo is a big leaguer.
It's worth taking a look at his journey and appreciating the brilliant unlikeliness of it all.
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Who is Alex Carrillo?
Alex Carrillo is the New York Mets' newest relief pitcher, a right-handed out-of-nowhere prospect with MLB talent.
He's 6-foot-2, 245 pounds with a whipping sidearm motion that he throws from about 10 o'clock.
His fastball, with nasty tail because of the arm slot, can touch 100 miles per hour.
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Where did Alex Carrillo come from?
Alex Carrillo nearly never made it.
His college baseball career began at Pina Community College in California.
He pitched well enough there to earn a spot at NAIA Faulkner University.
And he pitched well enough there for the shortest of stints with the Rangers' Rookie ball team in 2019. He got into three games before being released.
Carrillo hadn't returned to affiliated ball until this season.
Since 2020, the big righty has thrown in the Frontier League, the Mexican League and the Venezuelan Winter League.
This won't be Carrillo's first time playing for a team called New York.
In addition to his Frontier League stint with the Wild Things, he also spent a season in that league pitching for the New York Boulders.
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Alex Carrillo stats
Alex Carrillo began the 2025 season at Double-A Binghamton, where he put up a 4.19 ERA for the Rumble Ponies. His stuff clearly played, though, and he earned a call-up to Triple-A Syracuse.
In four outings for Syracuse, Carrillo was unhittable.
He didn't allow a hit in 5.2 innings of work. He struck out 10 and didn't walk a guy, either. He did hit one batter.
It's certainly no fluke. His stuff is nasty, and his arm angle is pretty unique. It looks like a tough at bat when you just get to see him once out of the bullpen.
Carrillo has delivered at every stop along the way of this crazy baseball journey to earn himself the next rung of the ladder.
And now, he's climbed to the top. He's in the major leagues. And at this point, who would bet against him? He's already, somehow, made it this far. Carrillo is meant to be a Major League Baseball player.
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