Aidan Cremarosa’s journey to the Tampa Bay Rays has the kind of story that you simply love hearing in baseball—talent, hard work, and inspiration from someone who did things a little differently. He was drafted 237th overall in 2024, and he became just the second Fresno State Bulldog to join the Tampa Bay Rays franchise after Jack Anker and Murf Gray.

Cremarosa has made quite a mark as a right-handed pitcher at Fresno State. He clinched the Mountain West Pitcher of the Year honors in his junior season. Then he led the conference with 112 strikeouts over 95.1 innings as the Bulldogs’ Saturday starter. Cremarosa also went on to post a 4.34 ERA and a 6-6 record. In three years, he pitched 143.1 innings and racked up 156 strikeouts, and allowed just 43 walks.

These numbers are elite, and they show his control on the mound. But more than the numbers, what inspires him makes him different. Probably, that’s what helped him grow into the pitcher that Bay saw in the draft.

In an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, Cremorosa shared who shaped his baseball journey. While he said, “Oh, there are too many to count. There’s a long list. I try and get a little bit of everything from everyone. So, little bits and pieces…,” there is one name that, for him, comes first—Jim Abbott.

In the interview with ES, he explained, “Dude could pitch, had one hand, you know, he’s a pretty cool guy. I’d just say his ability to pitch, and, you know, it was just kind of something that was different, and I’ve always been kind of drawn to the little different things in the game.” And can you blame him?

Jim Abbott’s story is simply legendary—a pitcher born without a right hand who not just made it to MLB but made it big there. A no-hitter for the Yankees in 1993, a third-place finish in the 1991 Cy Young race, and a decade-long career.

While Aidan Cremarosa dons that Tampa Bay Rays uniform, he has regard for his roots, too.

“Favorite team? Dodgers. Grew up in that area, so got to be a Dodger fan. And then probably my favorite player right now is just Spencer Strider. He’s pretty fun to watch.” 

The Journey of Aidan Cremarosa 

Every player started somewhere; they have a core memory where, for them, it screamed, “This is my calling.” And for Cremarosa, as he revealed to EssentiallySports, the earliest memory of baseball was when he was six or seven.

It was then that he gave everyone a glimpse of what was coming. He smashed two home runs in one Little League All-Star Game, then did it again in the next. Even then, you could see the fire that would stick with him as he grew into the game.

And growing up, he was the kind of player who could do it all, pitching one day and playing shortstop the next. That versatility really set him apart. But there came a turning point at Fresno State.

There he faced a choice—keep trying to balance being a two-way player or fully commit to pitching and take the ball every time his team needed him. And he chose the mound, not by choice but because of an ultimatum!

He revealed to ES that, “So, I think the big thing that made me shift to just pitching was really an ultimatum. It was my head coach at Fresno State Overland who pretty much just said you could two-way and might play, or you could pitch and then really get a chance at being on the field. So it was a pretty easy decision for me. I’d much rather be on the field.”

And look how great of an ultimatum it was, given he went on to win multiple accolades for being the ace he is now for the Tampa Bay Rays. Now his story is only just unraveling.