For Pedro Villarreal, the road from Seagoville High School baseball to the major leagues required thousands of miles, hundreds of minor-league innings and several years of climbing through the Cincinnati Reds organization.
Villarreal, a member of the Seagoville High School Class of 2006, played both pitcher and third base for the Dragons before continuing his career at Howard College in Big Spring.
Two years after leaving SHS, he heard his name called in the Major League Baseball Draft.
The Cincinnati Reds selected Villarreal in the seventh round of the 2008 MLB Draft with the 209th overall pick, beginning a professional journey that would eventually take a former Seagoville Dragon all the way to a major-league mound.
Pitcher and Third Baseman at Seagoville
Villarreal was a right-handed pitcher who also played third base during his high school career.
Perfect Game’s records for the Texas Class of 2006 list Villarreal as a right-handed pitcher and third baseman from Seagoville High School, with Howard College as his college destination.
That versatility made him more than simply a pitcher during his Dragon career, but it was his arm that ultimately opened the door to professional baseball.
After graduating from Seagoville, Villarreal continued developing at Howard College, one of Texas’ junior-college baseball programs.
The move gave him an opportunity to face college hitters while continuing to develop as a pitcher — and professional scouts took notice.
The Cincinnati Reds Come Calling
The 2008 MLB Draft changed the direction of Villarreal’s baseball career.
Cincinnati used its seventh-round selection, No. 209 overall, to draft the former Seagoville pitcher out of Howard College.
For a player who had been pitching for the Dragons only two years earlier, Villarreal was suddenly part of a Major League Baseball organization.
Getting drafted, however, was only the beginning.
Villarreal began his professional career in the Reds’ minor-league system and spent the following seasons working his way through several levels of the organization.
His stops included the Gulf Coast League Reds, Sarasota Reds, Dayton Dragons, Lynchburg Hillcats, Bakersfield Blaze, Carolina Mudcats, Pensacola Blue Wahoos and Louisville Bats.
The climb was gradual, but Villarreal continued moving upward.
Moving Toward the Major Leagues
One of Villarreal’s most important minor-league seasons came in 2011.
Pitching for Bakersfield and Double-A Carolina, he combined to go 11-7 with a 4.39 ERA in 27 starts.
He led Carolina with seven victories and finished tied for second among Reds minor-league pitchers in wins.
Cincinnati rewarded that progress in November 2011 by adding Villarreal to its 40-man roster.
That decision placed him one significant step closer to the major leagues.
He opened the 2012 season with Double-A Pensacola before earning a promotion to Triple-A Louisville in May.
By September, the Reds were ready to give the former Seagoville Dragon his opportunity.
From Seagoville to the Major Leagues
Villarreal made his Major League Baseball debut for Cincinnati on Sept. 5, 2012, against the Philadelphia Phillies.
He pitched one scoreless inning, allowed no hits or walks and recorded a strikeout.
His first major-league strikeout came against Domonic Brown.
It was a brief appearance, but it completed a journey that had begun on the baseball fields at Seagoville High School and continued through Howard College and multiple levels of professional baseball.
Villarreal was now officially a major leaguer.
His First Major-League Start
Villarreal returned to Cincinnati during the 2013 season and received an unexpected opportunity to make his first MLB start.
The Reds needed an emergency starter for a June 5 game against the Colorado Rockies after scheduled starter Johnny Cueto was unable to pitch because of a shoulder problem.
Villarreal took the assignment.
It was the only start of his major-league career, as most of his opportunities with Cincinnati came out of the bullpen.
He appeared twice for the Reds that season before spending much of the year with Triple-A Louisville.
Establishing Himself in Cincinnati’s Bullpen
Villarreal’s role with the Reds expanded in 2014.
After spending most of the season at Louisville, he returned to Cincinnati in August and made 12 appearances for the Reds.
He pitched 14⅔ innings and finished the season with a 4.30 ERA.
Villarreal also recorded his first major-league hit that season, singling against Atlanta Braves pitcher Julio Teheran on Aug. 21.
But his busiest and most productive MLB season came one year later.
His Best Major-League Season
Villarreal made 29 appearances for Cincinnati in 2015, all in relief.
He worked 50 innings, recorded 29 strikeouts and finished with a 3.42 ERA — the best ERA of his four seasons in the major leagues.
Those 29 appearances accounted for nearly two-thirds of his entire MLB career.
Rather than appearing only during a September call-up or in an occasional emergency role, Villarreal became a regular option out of Cincinnati’s bullpen.
His final major-league appearance came Sept. 22, 2015, against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Villarreal pitched one inning, allowing one run while striking out two.
44 Games in the Major Leagues
From 2012 through 2015, Villarreal appeared in 44 Major League Baseball games, all with the Cincinnati Reds.
He finished his MLB career with a 1-6 record, 4.29 ERA and 46 strikeouts over 71⅓ innings.
Of those 44 appearances, 43 came in relief and one came as a starter.
Major-league careers can be measured in statistics, but simply reaching that level represents an achievement attained by only a small percentage of players who enter professional baseball.
Villarreal progressed from Seagoville High School to junior college, survived the long climb through the minor leagues and ultimately spent parts of four seasons wearing a Cincinnati Reds uniform.
A Dragon Reaches Baseball’s Highest Level
Seagoville High School has produced athletes who have continued their careers at the collegiate level, but Villarreal’s path carried him one step further — to Major League Baseball.
His journey began as a pitcher and third baseman for the Dragons.
It continued at Howard College, where his pitching earned the attention of professional scouts.
Then came the seventh round of the 2008 MLB Draft, years of bus rides and minor-league assignments, a spot on Cincinnati’s 40-man roster and finally his major-league debut in 2012.
By the time his final MLB season ended in 2015, Pedro Villarreal had appeared in 44 games at baseball’s highest level.
For Seagoville baseball history, the Class of 2006 graduate represents a direct connection between the Dragons’ diamond and the major leagues.
