Andrew Pullin takes a cut for the Clearwater Threshers during an April spring training game. Pullin, a 2012 Centralia High School graduate, was promoted to the Double-A level within the Philadephia Phillies’ minor league system earlier this week.
PORTLAND, Maine — The second half of Andrew Pullin’s week featured a lot of travel — and a lot of hits.
Pullin, a 2012 Centralia High School graduate, found out he’d been called up from the Philadelphia Phillies’ Single-A affiliate Clearwater (Fla.) Threshers on Wednesday night, played his first game with the Reading (Pa.) Fightin’ Phils Thursday afternoon, and immediately after the game boarded a bus for Portland, Maine, for a three-game series with the Sea Dogs.
“It’s been great. It’s pretty crazy, there’s been a lot of traveling going on, but it’s been a lot of fun,” Pullin said. “It’s a really good team, and fun to be a part of.”
If his first two games are any indication, life in Double-A ball suits him just fine. The former Tiger is 6 for 9 in his first two games.
“I knew eventually I’d be up, (but) I didn’t know when. I was just focusing on playing one game at a time,” he said. “Just having the best at-bats I could possibly have. I wasn’t really thinking about it at that point.”
The Threshers played a noon game on Wednesday, after which he had an hour to pack his things and head to the airport. He arrived in Reading at 11 p.m. Wednesday night and started his Double-A career in the Phils’ noon game Thursday.
“I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare,” he said.
Pullin went 3 for 5 with a double and scored a run as the Phils (51-22) beat the Akron Rubberducks 6-5 in front of an announced crowd of over 7,000 fans at FirstEnergy Stadium on Thursday. He followed that up with a 3 for 4 performance, with a walk, a hit-by-pitch, two runs and two RBIs, in the Phils’ 11-3 win over Portland on Friday night. Inserted into the starting lineup immediately upon his arrival, he’s batted second and played left field in both games.
“I try not to put too much pressure on myself. I just try to have fun,” he said. “There’s a lot of great guys on the team, good character, and I just try to help as much as I can, and have good at-bats.”
He joined a Reading team that leads the Eastern League with a 52-22 record, and said the energy and atmosphere at both of the Double-A ballparks he’s played in so far has been great. The level of play has also been a bit higher.
“The speed of the game’s a little quicker than Clearwater. It’s hard to explain, but it’s just a little different,” he said. “The guys have probably just as good of stuff as (in) Clearwater, but they know how to pitch better. They can locate, and throw what they want, when they want.”
Pullin — a center fielder and hurler who, on occasion, pitched with both arms in high school — had originally committed to play baseball for the University of Oregon, but was drafted in the fifth round by the Phillies in 2012 and opted to take the professional route.
Pullin played for the Threshers in the Class A Advanced Florida State League in 2015, hitting .258 with 14 home runs and 73 RBIs in 123 games.
He was listed as retired by the Phillies — and placed on the restricted list — on April 9, but signed to a new contract on May 10 and returned to Clearwater the next day.
“I just had to work some stuff out. It’s nothing too serious,” he said. “I’m glad to be back.”
He played 36 games for the Threshers this season, hitting .293 with 19 RBIs and four homers before his promotion.
He played for the Williamsport Crosscutters in the Class A short season New York-Penn League in 2013, and hit .270 in 2014 for the Lakewood BlueClaws in the Class A South Atlantic League. Philadelphia had originally projected him as a second baseman, but he was later moved to the outfield.
Pullin and the Fightin’ Phils play today and Sunday in Portland, then return to Reading to start a three-game series with the Erie SeaWolves.
