Former Trenton Trojan Anthony Bass Goes to 'The Show'

With one simple phone call, a young man’s life has been changed forever. For 23-year-old Anthony Bass, that moment is today, as the San Diego Padres have called up Bass to make his first major league start at 8:40 p.m. tonight against the Colorado Rockies.

Bass is a native of Trenton and pitched for the Trojans while in . After graduating from high school, he played college baseball at Wayne State, where he was selected as an All-American his junior year in 2008.

Bass then made one of two decisions every athlete dreams about. He announced that he was going to enter the MLB draft. In the 2008 MLB draft, the San Diego Padres selected Bass and immediately moved him into their minor league system. Since then, Bass has become exactly what the Padres have wanted him to be. 

There has been no stress or no rush to get him to the major leagues. The Padres have done the right thing and eased him into their system. Since 2008, he has spent time in the minors, but this year was invited to spring training, where he made four starts. There was a lasting impression as through a recent slew of injuries, the Padres have decided that now is the time for the right-hander to make his debut. 

So far this season Bass has seven wins and three losses while sporting a nice 3.41 earned run average. Six of the seven wins come with San Diego’s Double A affiliate, the San Antonio Missions, with Bass also picking up a win with the Padres Triple A affiliate, the Tucson Padres.

Most significantly, Bass has 63 strikeouts in 68.2 innings. 

Tonight’s game is a road start for Bass so he will be in the unfriendly confines of Coors Field, which is considered a hitter-friendly park.