Carlos Estévez

Carlos Samuel Estévez Martinez

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 275 lb.

• Debut April 23, 2016

• Born December 28, 1992 in Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional D.R.

BR page

Biographical Information

Relief pitcher Carlos Estevez began his professional career in 2011 at 18 years old. He was signed by the Colorado Rockies system on May 31 of that year.

After a few decent seasons to start his career (including a 6-1, 3.66 ERA 2013), Estevez broke out with the Modesto Nuts in 2015, going 5-0 with a 1.37 ERA in 14 appearances; in 19 2/3 innings, he had 25 strikeouts. He spent 36 games with the New Britain Rock Cats, as well, though he struggled (4.50 ERA), bringing his campaign mark to 3.40. He was an Arizona Fall League Rising Star that year after going 1-2 with a 3.97 ERA in 11 appearances for the Salt River Rafters. Going into the next campaign, he was ranked the #22 prospect in the Rockies system by Baseball America. He reached Triple-A for the first time in 2016, but wasn't long there. In late April, he was promoted to the majors. On April 23rd, he debuted for the Rockies, going two innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers, allowing no hits and no earned runs. He went 3-7, 5.24 in 63 games in his rookie season, picking up 11 saves and striking out 59 batters in 55 innings. In 2017, he was 5-0, 5.57 in 35 games for Colorado, getting sent back to the AAA Albuquerque Isotopes, for whom he pitched much better. In AAA, he went 1-4, 1.34 in 33 games, with 4 saves. He was back with Colorado at the end of the season and was on their postseason roster, pitching a third of an inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Wild card Game on October 4th; he gave up a run on a hit in the 11-8 loss that day. He then missed part of the 2018 season with an injury, and his only appearances came with Albuquerque, where he was 0-1, 6.35 in 28 games.

It looked at that point like Carlos's career had stalled, but he bounced back with a very good season in 2019 when he made 71 appearances for the Rockies and ended up at 2-2, 3.75, with 81 strikeouts and 23 walks in 72 innings. But his ERA then shot up dramatically during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, reaching 7.50 in 26 games. He did record his first save since his rookie season, but it was little consolation. he finally found a bit of consistency in 2021 and 2022, when he pitched 64 and 62 games respectively for Colorado, going 3-5, 4.38 and 4-4, 3.47. He saved 11 games the first year, and 2 the second and both years recorded just under one strikeout per inning. There was nothing spectacular about his performance, but he was at least a dependable major league reliever.

He became a free agent following the 2022 season and signed with the Los Angeles Angels. Out of nowhere, he had a career year for them in 2023, earning the closer's job and making the All-Star team by going 5-5, 3.90 with 31 saves in 63 games. His strikeout rate did improve a tick, with 78 Ks in 62 1/3 innings, but the seeming break-out was really just a function of getting the opportunity to pitch in more game situations and to play his home games in an environment much more favorable to pitchers then Coors Field had been. He was actually even better during the first half of 2024, going 1-3, 2.38 with 20 saves in his first 34 appearances. He was already 31 and the Angels realized his value was unlikely to ever be higher, so on July 27th they cashed in by trading him to the Philadelphia Phillies in return for two pitching prospects, Samuel Aldegheri and George Klassen. The Phillies did not operate with a traditional closer, but it was likely that he would continue to get opportunities to pitch the 9th inning for his new team.

He shares a name with actor Charlie Sheen. whose birth name is also Carlos Estévez, and who is most famous in baseball circles for playing control-challenged closer Ricky Vaughn in the Major League suite of movies. As a result, fans often called him "Wild Thing" - Vaughn's nickname - as he was making his way through the minors, even though control was never an issue for him.

Notable Achievements

• AL All-Star (2023)
• 30 Saves Seasons: 1 (2023)

Further Reading

• Steve Henson (Los Angeles Times): "Charlie Sheen thrilled Angels All-Star closer Carlos Estévez made a name for himself", Yahoo! Sports, July 10, 2023. [1]
• Sarah Valenzuela (Los Angeles Times): "Carlos Estévez's long journey to majors could lead to the closer role for Angels", Yahoo! News, February 27, 2023. [2]
• Todd Zolecki: "Phils acquire closer Estévez from Angels for pair of pitching prospects", mlb.com, July 27, 2024. [3]

Related Sites

• Carlos Estévez on mlb.com