Albert Bustillos threw hard, saw 10 seasons, AAA, Taiwan
Albert Bustillos saw it as his time to give the pros a shot in May 1988. The Dodgers were happy to have him, according to The Hollister Free Lance.
Bustillos, drafted by Los Angeles the previous June, finally signed after spending another season at Gavilan College, The Free Lance wrote.
"Bustillos throws hard," Dodgers scout Gib Bodet told The Free Lance then, dismissing a 7-7 won-loss record. "He's a big, strong kid with mounds of potential. The key is he has the chance to get better under our system."
Bustillos eventually realized enough potential to spend a decade in the pros. He saw AAA over five of those seasons and even saw Taiwan. But he never made the majors.
Bustillos' career began that year in 1988, taken by the Dodgers in the 47th round of the previous year's draft out of Gavilan in California.
At Gavilan, Bustillos earned the confidence of his coach Bob Nickerson, The Free Lance wrote in February 1988.
"With Albert on the mound there's probably a 90 percent chance we'll win," Nickerson told The Free Lance then.
Bustillos started with the Dodgers that year in the rookie Gulf Coast League. He went 6-3, with a 1.46 ERA in 17 games, six starts.
He moved to single-A Bakersfield and Vero Beach for 1989. He went 10-8 then, with a 3.11 ERA on the year.
For 1990, he returned to Vero Beach for much of the year, but also got five appearances at AA San Antonio. At Vero Beach that July, Bustillos threw a four-hit shutout, according to The Indian River Press Journal.
"He's slowly but surely starting to pitch down," Bustillos' pitching coach Dennis Lewallyn told The Press Journal after that win. "When he keeps the ball down, he's got three pretty good pitches. But when he lets it start to creep up, he gets in trouble."
Bustillos made San Antonio for half of 1991, then first made AAA at Albuquerque for 1992. He saw 26 relief appearances at Albuquerque that year. He went 1-2, with a 4.78 ERA and three saves.
He saw AAA each of the next four seasons, moving to the Rockies and AAA Colorado Springs in 1995. He finished out his career in 1997 in Taiwan with Brother. He went 9-8, with a 3.63 ERA in 24 outings, 20 starts, to end his career.
- Hollister Free Lance, Feb. 16, 1988: Bustillos is counted on to carry Gav
- Hollister Free Lance, May 27, 1988: Gav's Bustillos signs with Dodgers
- Indian River Press Journal, July 27, 1990: Bustillos Hurls 4-Hit Shutout
Made the Majors:1,446-31.6%
Never Made Majors:3,125-68.4%-X
