Ex-catcher Coello pitches in for 51s

In a span of three years, 51s right-hander Robert Coello went from having never pitched in his life to taking the mound at Fenway Park for the Red Sox.

"A lot of people were amazed," the 27-year-old said. "Friends of mine were places watching TV like, 'Where the hell did this guy come from?'

"But it was a lot of work and dedication."

Two years removed from his stint with Boston - where Toronto manager John Farrell was the pitching coach - Coello returned to the majors this season with the Blue Jays, who placed him on their 40-man roster May 31 and promoted him June 1 from Las Vegas.

In his only appearance, he threw two scoreless innings against the Red Sox, striking out three.

The 6-foot-5-inch, 250-pound Coello, 4-1 with a 3.00 ERA for the 51s (38-30) this season, was recalled Friday by Toronto after Drew Hutchison left his start against the Phillies with soreness in his right arm after nine pitches.

Hutchison was the third Blue Jays starting pitcher injured this week. Brandon Morrow was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a strained left oblique, and Kyle Drabek joined him Friday with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

Brett Cecil was recalled from the 51s on Friday to replace Drabek and is scheduled to make his season debut Sunday against the Phillies.

Coello, who was slated to start today for Las Vegas, could start or pitch in relief for Toronto. He made 15 relief appearances for the 51s before starting three of his past four outings - allowing two runs on nine hits in 15 innings, with 16 strikeouts and seven walks.

"I think his future's probably as a reliever, but to develop, a lot of times in the minor leagues you start guys so he can get his innings and work on all his pitches," 51s pitching coach Bob Stanley said before Coello was recalled by Toronto. "He's a big, strong kid who can really pitch out of the bullpen a lot."

A strong-armed catcher when the Reds made him their 20th-round draft pick in 2004, Coello missed the 2005 season with a fractured rib and was released by Cincinnati in 2006.

He was converted to a pitcher in 2007 by the Angels, who were deep at catcher.

"I came in strong that year, throwing 90-plus (mph) to the bases," Coello said. "They said there was a little backlog of catchers here and let's put you on the mound, and I said, 'Let's go.' "

Despite dominating in rookie ball, Coello wasn't re-signed by Los Angeles and honed his newfound pitching skills in 2008 for Edmonton and Calgary of the independent Golden Baseball League.

"I was just learning how to pitch myself," he said.

After performing well enough to land a deal with the Red Sox, Coello excelled for Single-A Salem in 2009.

He completed his improbable run to the majors in 2010, rising from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Pawtucket to Boston, where he allowed three runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings.

"Pitching in Fenway was an amazing experience, with the Boston crowd," he said. "Also the (pitchers) they had there - (Tim) Wakefield, (Josh) Beckett, (Hideki) Okajima - were very helpful."

After spending last season in the Cubs' organization, Coello signed with Toronto as a minor league free agent and has impressed with his forkball and fastball, which he throws in the low-to-mid 90s.

"His forkball's nasty," Stanley said. "He doesn't slow his body down on it. It's like a knuckleball, really. But his best pitch is his fastball."

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.