East Central graduate earns spot on Opening Day roster for Cleveland Guardians
A former East Central High School star pitcher has officially made a Major League Baseball roster for Opening Day.
Konnor Pilkington will be on the Cleveland Guardians’ initial 28-man roster when the team opens the season on the road against Kansas City on Thursday.
The left-hander played at the Double-A level all throughout last season, initially in the Chicago White Sox organization before being traded to Cleveland.
The decision by the Guardians to have Pilkington skip the Triple-A level is a rare one. Pilkington earned it by pitching well for the Guardians’ Double-A affiliate in Akron.
Pilkington had a 2.33 ERA across eight games after the trade and struck out 49 batters. He impressed the Cleveland organization enough to earn a spot on the 40-man roster by the end of the year, which brought himself one step closer to The Show.
Largely a starter throughout his career in high school, at Mississippi State and in the minor leagues, Pilkington is expected to come out of the bullpen for the Guardians for the time being.
“This is going to be a whole new animal to me, and I’m looking forward to it,” Pilkington told media members at a Cleveland press conference. “I’m just a phone call away now. Whenever they ring I’ve got to be ready.”
Pilkington was a third-round draft pick in 2018 following three seasons with the Bulldogs.
Before Mississippi State, he played for head coach Bo Long at ECHS.
“We’re so excited, he’s the first one we’ve ever had make it,” Long told the Sun Herald. “We’re beyond excited, proud for him.”
Pilkington is a beneficiary to MLB’s temporary roster expansion enacted due to the condensed spring training period.
The roster will shrink to its original 26-man size in May and Pilkington will get an opportunity to play his way onto that roster in April.
