Palm Desert grad got a taste of major league baseball in 2022. Now he wants the full meal

Jeremiah Estrada, a 2017 Palm Desert High graduate, broke into the major leagues last season when he pitched in five games for the Chicago Cubs. But he admits he still is prone to lapsing into what he called a “minor league mindset.”

That is especially true when Estrada is roaming the halls of Wrigley Field, hanging in the Cubs clubhouse or working out in Mesa, Arizona, as he prepares for spring training.

“I still feel like I'm a minor leaguer when I walk past some of these guys, and I’m like, ‘Hey man, nice to meet you,’" Estrada said. "Then I have to stop and think, ‘Oh crap, that’s right, I’m his teammate. He’s going to see me every day.’”

Injuries derailed the early part of Estrada's pro career, but at 24, he's finally about to embark on his first spring training Wednesday at the major league level.

The goal is simple for the right-handed relief pitcher — make the Chicago Cubs' opening day roster.

“That's the plan. Work my butt off. I just have to fight for it,” he said. “I'll be going against experienced guys who have been there for years, older than me trying to get a reliever role just like me. I just have to continue doing what I'm doing. Trust in God and be ready.”

Officially in the bigs

The date was Aug. 29 and the Cubs were playing at Toronto. A few members of the team were not allowed to travel across the border due to their COVID-19 vaccination status, so the team had to call up some reserve players. Estrada, who was tearing up the minor leagues, was one of them.

On Aug. 30, Estrada got the call in the bullpen. It was the ninth inning. He stepped on the mound and looked in at batter Teoscar Hernandez, an All-Star in 2021.

“I was thinking about who I might face as my first big-league hitter, hoping it would be Vladdy," Estrada said, referring to Vladimir Guerrero, the Blue Jays’ best player. "But it was Hernandez and, to be honest, I didn’t know who he was because, I really don’t watch much baseball, which always surprises people and made my dad mad growing up.”

“He came up and, yes it’s a different level," Estrada said. "Obviously, guys in the majors are much better, but at the end of the day, he’s still a human being who puts one leg through the other of his pants, or however you’re supposed to say that. I just went up there and trusted my stuff.”

Good plan.

Estrada’s first pitch was a 98-mph fastball that Hernandez swung at and missed. His second pitch was a 97-mph fastball; another swing and miss. His third pitch was a 97-mph fastball, which was fouled off. His fourth pitch was an 84-mph slider that Hernandez swung at and missed.

The strikeout made it official: Estrada became the eighth player from a desert high school to play in the major leagues.

He walked the next hitter and then got another strikeout. The fourth batter grounded out to short to end the inning. Not a bad debut.

He would pitch four more times for the Cubs for a total of 5.2 innings. He yielded two earned runs, six hits and two walks, along with eight strikeouts. Estrada has an ERA of 3.18. He was not credited with a win, loss or save in any of his five outings, which were all losses by the Cubs.

But he did it. He was a major leaguer. When he thinks about that now, it really hits home, and there are only a few things he can compare that feeling to.

“The feeling was that it's a blessing. The only feeling that might be better than that is beating my dad at Scrabble or my grandma in Loteria," Estrada said. "And that’s a good feeling right there because those are the GOATs. But it was a dream come true. And stepping on that mound, it's exactly like a movie storyteller would say. I made it. I'm here.”

'I’m ready to throw a game right now'

Now that Estrada has had that proverbial cup of coffee in the majors, he’s ready to sit down at the table and have a full meal. That’s why this year’s spring training is so important for him.

Being healthy is the biggest hurdle for Estrada so far. He’s had multiple injuries, including in 2019, but he’ll be entering this spring in as good of shape as he’s been. Before 2021, he had only pitched 17 innings in the minor leagues.

“I’ve gone through my offseason work," Estrada said. "I wouldn’t say that anybody is ever 100% healthy. I mean it's baseball, right? But overall I feel great, and I’m ready to throw a game right now.”

Estrada is also armed with something that he’s always had: Confidence. And that only increased after last season.

“I think maybe I showed other people the kind of pitcher I can be, but I knew I had that in me. I think what was important was to remind myself who I am as a pitcher because I hadn’t really seen it during those three years (with all the injuries),” Estrada said. “So I needed to remember for myself what I can actually do, and build on that. It just reminded me, you can be that guy, you just have to trust it.”

Can he make it?

By all accounts, Estrada has a legitimate chance to make the opening-day roster.

The Cubs are not overly deep at the relief pitcher position, and they don’t have a dedicated closer currently. Some Cubs insiders and those in the fantasy baseball community are already penciling in Estrada as the Cubs' future closer.

“He has a shot to make the opening day bullpen,” said Meghan Montemurro, the Cubs’ beat writer for the Chicago Tribune. “It will partly depend on if they bring in any more veteran relievers, and/or prioritize experience over younger upside relievers.”

Rob Wegley, who writes for ontapsports.com, a Chicago pro sports website, said this about Estrada while placing him 19th on a list of the Cubs’ top 25 prospects: “His fastball stands out as a true plus offering. He’s in the high 90s with it and can pump it into the strike zone. Estrada also has an above-average curveball to pair with a decent changeup and slider. He has all the makings of a high-leverage reliever at the MLB level.”

Signature moment

In mid-January, Estrada attended Cub Con in Chicago, which is a convention for Cubs fans, much like Comic-Con.

He said it was surreal to hear people cheer when his name was called. He thought maybe they had forgotten about him with him being off the radar for so long. He sat at a table and answered questions and signed autographs. He had to admit he enjoyed it.

“I was worried people would be like ‘Who’s this guy again?’ but it was cool and I love signing autographs,” Estrada said.

Autographs, Estrada knows from personal experience, are important for fans — especially the young ones.

“I tried to get autographs as a kid. I would go to big league games and then people wouldn’t sign for me? It’s depressing,” he said. “You’re there as a fan. You’re wearing a jersey of somebody. You have their name on your back and you spent money to get that certain player’s jersey and you go ask him for an autograph and he doesn’t acknowledge you? That’s a crappy feeling. Because of that, anybody that screams my name out, I’m going straight to that person and I’m going to sign that autograph.”

That major league life

In some ways, Estrada hasn't changed much. When he visits the desert, he plays wiffleball with his little brother and takes on all comers at video games like PGA Tour Golf or Madden. Regular guy stuff.

Estrada is still soaking it all in, particularly the part about playing with or against players he watched growing up. He’s particularly excited to play spring ball with new Cubs acquisition Cody Bellinger, whom he watched play several times at Dodger Stadium.

He even admitted that for a split second, during his second outing last year against the St. Louis Cardinals, he was counting the batters until he might face Albert Pujols.

“I was a hitter or two away from facing Pujols, and I lowkey wanted to walk whoever it was so I could face him, but I would've probably gotten taken out if I did that,” he said with a laugh. “But now thinking back, I don't know, I probably should have just walked him on purpose so I could say I faced him. Oh man, now I’m regretting that just thinking about it right now."

Estrada still has time to face more of the game’s all-time greats. Even if he doesn’t make the team’s opening-day roster, he’ll likely be on the Cubs' Triple-A team in Iowa, ready to make the jump when called upon.

And if the world comes to an end, he’ll always be able to say he pitched in the major leagues. And that means something.

“I mean, just making it to the majors in general is pretty insane. Anybody can sit here and say they want to make it and no matter how hard you work, it’s a tough thing to do. I know tons of talented guys who never quite made it,” Estrada said. “I remember when I made my debut, I got all these messages from friends and family, and that was awesome. But one that stood out was from one of my pitching coaches along the way, Clayton Mortensen.

“He goes, ‘Congratulations Jeremiah, just know that you are that 1%’ and that just reminded me how lucky I was. Only about 1% of ball players make the majors. I don’t take it for granted.”

Shad Powers is a columnist for The Desert Sun. Reach him at shad.powers@desertsun.com.