Brusdar Graterol (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

by Cary Osborne

Two gloves sit in Dodger pitcher Brusdar Graterol’s locker — a black one with pink lacing and a light tan one with blue lacing.

The light tan one has a nickname sewn in — “La Makina.” The machine.

The nickname also belongs to Minnesota Twins 25-year-old All-Star pitcher José Berríos. Graterol explains that Berríos, whom he got to pitch with last year as a first-time Major Leaguer, is his favorite pitcher.

The other glove has a message sewn in pink: “Te amo mama.” I love you mom.

The nickname and the message say a lot about Graterol, who was acquired by the Dodgers on Feb. 10 in a deal that sent Kenta Maeda to the Twins.

They reflect Graterol’s enormous ability and equally big heart.

The baby-faced 21-year-old right-hander with the 100-mph-throwing arm has a mission: Excel for his team, for his hometown and for his family.

“I want to help people in need because I was that person in need,” Graterol said through an interpreter. “I want to get somewhere in life. When I compete, I’m not competing against anyone else. I’m competing with myself to be better.”

In the last five months, the 6-foot-1-inch, 265-pound pitcher has elevated from promising pitching prospect in the Twins organization to prominent name in the game.

After making his Major League debut as a September call-up last season and appearing in 10 games in relief, Graterol earned a spot on Minnesota’s American League Division Series roster. He made one relief appearance against the Yankees, striking out a pair and retiring all three batters he faced in Game 1.

Then he saw his fate play out in the media when trade rumors had him going to Boston as part of a three-team deal where the Dodgers would acquire Mookie Betts and David Price. Eventually, days after reports first broke about a possible deal, the Twins traded Graterol to the Dodgers.

Graterol said he was surprised by the trade, but happy that he was traded to the Dodgers.

It didn’t take him long to turn heads at Dodger Spring Training Camp.

“He had the flu and he’s throwing and I’m like, I’ve got to watch this guy’s bullpen,” said Dodger pitcher Ross Stripling. “And his first throw literally looked like 30 percent effort, and it was 96 (mph). And I was like, ‘I’ve hit 96 one time in my life, and that guy did it with the flu on his first throw.’”

Graterol trains with a weighted ball at Camelback Ranch. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

MLB.com gives Graterol’s fastball an 80-grade on the 20–80 scouting grade scale. He threw 97 fastballs in the big leagues last year, and according to Statcast, 12 of them were at least 100 mph.

“It’s special for sure. What he has with his fastball you don’t see very often, and it’s definitely a weapon that will help us this year,” said Dodger catcher Will Smith. “It’s heavy. It has good sink to it, good action, and he throws it 100, 101 mph.”

After Graterol’s second Cactus League game, Dodger manager Dave Roberts added to the praise on Wednesday.

“The ease of the throw, the delivery, he repeats it, it’s clean,” Roberts says. “It’s an easy, if you can say an easy, 98. There’s some late movement. The slider he can strike and shortens it when he needs to. What a find, and really a great young man.”

Graterol recalls being clocked at 100 mph for the first time at 17 years old.

He realizes what he has is a gift, and he credits three members of his family for supporting him throughout his life and on his journey.

He was raised by his mother, Ismalia, and grandparents, Leovardo and Miriam Castillo. Graterol is from a small farming town near Calabozo, Venezuela — a town he said is so small you see the same people over and over again.

He began playing baseball at 3 years old, encouraged by the three athletes in his family.

Leovardo, who Graterol said was a great pitcher, introduced him to the sport. Ismalia and Miriam played on a softball team called “Angelinas.”

“My mom would pitch five innings, and then my grandmother would pitch two more innings,” Graterol said.

Graterol said he played baseball in the streets growing up. Because baseball wasn’t organized in his area, he said it was hard for players to get noticed.

“It’s a shame because there’s a lot of talent, but it’s kind of going to waste. It seems a lot of it is getting forgotten,” he said.

As a teenager, Graterol traveled to a tryout for a Venezuelan baseball academy to get noticed.

“They told me they weren’t interested,” he said. “But I left with my head held high and told my mom what happened and told her what I wanted to do.”

He told her he was committed to the game and wanted to continue to get better. He said Ismalia worked with him in the early mornings and encouraged his growth. Eventually, his skills improved and Graterol was noticed through an academy, he said.

The Twins signed him in July 2014 at 16 years old.

He missed all of 2016 because of Tommy John surgery, but made his way back in 2017. In 214 Minor League innings, he has a 2.48 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and has averaged 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings.

Of his 51 career Minor League appearances, he has started 41 games. But it appears the Dodgers will utilize “La Bazuca” — or “The Bazooka,” another one of Graterol’s nicknames — as a reliever.

He’s determined to make it big for his family.

“They worked hard to support me and put bread on the table. That’s why I told them it’s time for me to work now,” he said.

And for his hometown.

Of the 101 players born in Venezuela who played in the big leagues, nearly half are from the four most populous cities in the country — Caracas, Maracaibo, Maracay and Valencia — according to Baseball Almanac.

Graterol is the only one from Calabozo.

“I plan on doing big things not only for Venezuela, but my city,” he said. “There are ballplayers there that may be better than me, but they aren’t discovered. I want to do something not for me personally but to give back to them and do more for the people. There is a lot of talent there and the people are very humble and do things the right way. My goal is to build an academy there so the talent there doesn’t have to depend on people from other cities (to find them).”