It was a call to the Northwest Arkansas bullpen, but for 23-year old Daniel Tillo, it was still an unfamiliar routine. Up to that point, the Royals’ 2017 third-round pick out of Iowa Western Community College had started 58 of the 59 professional games he had appeared in his career, including three starts with the Naturals. But on an August evening against Tulsa, Tillo was asked to relieve J.C. Cloney in a 2-0 game in the eighth inning.
“It was about 9:00 p.m. and usually I don’t play catch at that time,” Tillo said in a phone interview on his first time warming-up in relief.