It’s been a long road, but after nearly seven years and two organizations, former UConn outfielder John Andreoli made his MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners after the club announced he was called up to the big leagues Wednesday afternoon.
This season, Andreoli hit .294 with a .353 on base percentage and nine stolen bases in 32 games with Triple-A Tacoma before Wednesday’s transaction.
Andreoli has played more than 700 minor leagues and spent three full seasons with the Chicago Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate before signing with Seattle this winter. SB Nation’s Seattle Mariners’ blog Lookout Landing had this to say on Andreoli’s path to the majors:
The crux of it is this: Andreoli was well-regarded in the Cubs system, but perpetually blocked by superior players at the MLB level.