Meet Michael Petersen, the Isotopes pitcher with a one-of-a-kind backstory and 100-mph fastball carrying him to the Majors

Aug. 4—When All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado dug into the batters box for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic against Great Britain back in March, the assumption was it might be just another painful reminder for Colorado Rockies fans of just how good their former favorite son is at the plate.

Instead, it may have just been an unexpected glimpse into a bright future.

Staring Arenado down from the mound was 6-foot-7 right-handed reliever Michael Petersen — then a 28-year-old career minor leaguer who was born in London to an American father and Nigerian mother and had seen almost no game action in three years due to COVID-19, Tommy John surgery and other injuries.

Three pitches.

Three strikes.

The third being a chest-high 100 mph, four-seam fastball Arenado had no chance of catching up to.

Today, the "who is that guy" on the mound back in March is throwing heat for the Albuquerque Isotopes with more than just a deadly fastball. Petersen, who was born in Great Britain and grew up in California, also brings a worldly, multicultural background and perspective on the game that has him handling the grind of Minor League Baseball with a refreshingly upbeat energy.

Petersen, who was called up to the Triple-A Isotopes in early July and has solidified himself as one of, if not the most dependable late-inning reliever for the team with an ERA of 1.00 in eight appearances. He's allowed one earned run, six hits and two walks in 9.0 innings pitched while striking out nine hitters and regularly hitting 100 mph on the radar gun with his four-seam fastball.

"I hate to use the word adversity because it's kind of a played-out word," Petersen said Friday while interviewed in the dugout of Isotopes Park, "but I have pushed through a lot of struggles the last couple seasons and just being able to get out there see a hitter and say, 'Hey, me versus you. Let's see who wins.' It's been really fun."

Worth the wait

The former 17th round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2015 out of Riverside (Calif.) City College was topping off at 97-98 mph with his two-seem fastball and also threw a solid curve and changeup at High-A Carolina in 2019 when the Rockies took a chance on him in that year's Rule 5 Draft.

Then, like many players who were entering the crucial development years of their career around 2020 when COVID-19 hit and shut down the sports world, Petersen seemingly fell off the national radar.

Throw in his undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2021 and Petersen simply wasn't playing in any games (he appeared in one Rookie League level game in August 2022).

But Rockies Director of Player Development Chris Forbes told MLB.com in March Petersen's been worth the wait.

"Just to get him in a Rockies uniform and out on the mound is exciting," Forbes said. "We re-signed him twice while he was rehabbing. If everything lines up and he's holding the strike zone ... he looks like a leverage innings guy, somewhere in the back of the bullpen."

Petersen said he enjoys the pressure of late-game, eighth- or ninth-inning situations and doesn't seem to mind, even as a fly-ball pitcher, throwing in the thin air of hitter-friendly Isotopes Park.

"They still have to tag it for it to get out, so just don't let them do it," he said with a smile.

Worldly perspective

Now seemingly on his way to a potential Major League call up, the now-29-year-old Petersen says he's gained a strong perspective on his journey — enjoy every minute of it.

Donning a bright yellow head band with a red Zia symbol on the front reminiscent of New Mexico's state flag, he said among the first things he did when getting to Albuquerque was try green chile and visit Santa Fe. He hopes to get to Taos sometime soon.

"There's not many jobs (like professional baseball) where you get to see so much of the world. And it's kind of a shame if you go somewhere new and don't try it," Petersen said.

His own background is a big reason for his embrace-all-cultures attitude, he admits.

Petersen, who is an identical twin, laughs at the question about how his California dad met his Nigerian mom.

The long and short of it is this: His dad was doing business in Nigeria and met his mom. Some time later, they met up in London (where Nigerians often do business) and lived for a short time. It's where he he and his brother were born.

"Yeah, it's a wild one," he said of the story, before acknowledging he hasn't prioritized thinking of his parents meeting and falling in love. "I need to ask more questions of it, but every time I get the willies, so I leave it alone."

His parents were athletes — dad a volleyball player and downhill skier, mom a track star.

Petersen said he's grateful for his multi-cultural background and embraces every part of what made him who he is today.

"My middle name being Nigerian — Kenechukwu — when I was young, I hated it because everyone butchered it. When you're young, you just want to blend. And you can't blend when you have a name that has like 30 syllables in it," Petersen said. "But as you get older, you kind of enjoy the foods, you enjoy the smells ...

"Being born in London, same kind of thing. Growing up, playing with kids, everyone's like I want to play for the USA team. I always thought it'd be really cool to play for Great Britain."

Locked in on the mound

When pitching, the ever-present smile he has off the field disappears and the competitive juices certainly flow.

"I'm kind of somebody that takes like the act of pitching kind of personal because it's me versus them. I'm attacking them," Petersen said. "And so I don't like when people beat me. Even the walks I gave up the other day — it pisses me off that they both get to go home and go, 'Yeah, he didn't beat me.' That annoys me. That keeps my passion going."