Braden Shipley reflects on his first year in the big leagues

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Braden Shipley got his first taste of MLB action in 2016, but it wasn’t always smooth for him.

Shipley, 25, had been one of the best prospects for the D-backs and was the team’s first-round pick in 2013.

After starting the year in Triple-A Reno, his big league career began with a rude awakening, as he got shelled in his debut against the Milwaukee Brewers.

“It was my second batter in the big leagues, and sure enough he hits a home run off the middle of the scoreboard in Milwaukee. I was like, ‘Are you kidding me? Second hitter of the game!'” Shipley said. “It was Scooter Gennett, it was a good one.”

Unfortunately for Shipley, Gennett wasn’t the only Brewer to tee off on him, as he gave up three home runs, eight hits and six earned runs in a 7-2 loss.

But Shipley didn’t allow his poor debut to affect his attitude.

“In the big leagues, for me it was just about getting that experience,” Shipley said. “Those big league hitters are real good and if you make mistakes you’re going to get punished.”

While Shipley’s first start wasn’t ideal, he rebounded in a major way his second time on the mound in Los Angeles. He held the Dodgers scoreless for six innings, only giving up five hits and striking out five batters in the process.

Shipley said it was his most memorable outing of the season.

“And when I went into L.A., I was confident and just trusted my stuff and was able to throw six shutout innings there,” Shipley said. “That was probably the time where I felt like, ‘Dude you belong here.'”

When it was all over with, Shipley finished with a 4-5 record with a 5.27 ERA and 43 strikeouts. However, Shipley believes he was better than his statistics.

“The numbers are one thing, and a lot of people can look at those and determine how your season went. I don’t feel at all my numbers reflect how I threw up there.”