It’s been their objective since each was taken in the 13th round of consecutive Major League Baseball drafts.

“That’s the goal,” Shawn Dubin said of a big league call-up, a one-time pipe dream that has become more practical by the day, in a story with the TH from last July.

“Clearly, I’d like to be in the majors,” noted Cole Peterson, who left St. Bonaventure a year early to begin pursuing his pro career, in a March 2018 column, “but I’ve got some work to do still.”

Yes, from the beginning, both local products – and teammates on that dominant 2016 Olean Oilers outfit – have had their sights set on one day cracking a major league lineup. And given where each was selected (in the top-third of the draft), the immense talent they’ve displayed at their respective positions – Dubin as a pitcher, Peterson as a middle infielder – and the impressive trajectory they’ve been on since, that goal has always seemed attainable.

And now, they’re that much closer to it.

After an unwanted year off from game action, both resumed their careers with some welcomed news, earning promotions to the Triple A level essentially from the start of this current minor league season.

PETERSON, a member of the Detroit Tigers organization, received the call-up to Toledo, of the new Triple A-East league, last Saturday after just three games in Double A. The Johnsonburg, Pa., native had enjoyed a brief stint in Toledo late in 2019, playing four games before finishing the year with Double A Erie and losing all of last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But it was easy to see why Toledo recalled him so quickly this spring.

Peterson, who’s always been a special player defensively, went 5-for-13 (.385) in those three contests, posting an on-base percentage of .429. And if he can continue to consistently hit minor league pitching, that – combined with his superior range and arm – should bring him close to the doorstep.

Dubin, meanwhile, who continues to turn heads in Houston, began the year with Sugar Land (Texas), of Triple A-West, and as with the Allegany native himself, there’s an interesting story that goes with it.

THE FORMER Georgetown (Kentucky, NAIA) ace was tapped to start the season-opener, giving him the first Opening Day start of his professional career in his initial appearance at the Triple A level. On that same night, Sugar Land, previously an independent franchise from the Atlantic League, was playing its first game as the Astros’ Triple A affiliate.

And so, in that way, Dubin actually made history as the Skeeters’ first Opening Day pitcher at the highest minor league level.

In that one, 6-foot-1, 171-pound right-hander, who now hits 96 on the radar gun, picked up a no-decision, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out five through 4 ⅓ innings in an eventual 9-4 win over Albuquerque. On Tuesday, he was amid his second start as of press time, surrendering one run on three hits while fanning five over the first four frames.

At this stage, however, those numbers are almost secondary.

In the last four years, Dubin has only continued to elevate within the organization. And it’s clear, based on a handful of concrete events, that he’s well-regarded by the parent club … and certainly part of the plans, in some capacity.

Last June, Dubin made the Astros’ initial pool of 56 players heading into the start of the abbreviated major league season. By year’s end, he’d also been included on the team’s 12-man postseason taxi squad.

This spring, the former Allegany-Limestone standout (at shortstop) earned an invite to spring training, making his first appearance in an MLB exhibition game. On that day, he loaded the bases with one out before settling down (with the help of, among others, Astros star Carlos Correa and pitching coach Brent Strom) and whizzing a 94 mile per hour fastball by Washington’s Andrew Stevenson. He was pulled after recording that second out, but certainly left on a high note.

And now, he’s being viewed as perhaps the top starter on the team one rung low of the big leagues.

BOTH PLAYERS, to this point, have proven they belong, Dubin through his unbound potential that is only just now being tapped and Peterson by his savvy and born-with-it ability in the field.

Dubin, now 25, after an overpowering 2019 with Advanced-A Fayetteville (he finished with 132 strikeouts in 98 ⅔ innings) and a sidelined summer with Houston, is ranked No. 7 among Astros prospects, according to prospectslive.com. Peterson, who turns 26 in August, following a strong 2019 between Advanced-A Lakeland (with whom he hit .284 and made no errors in 77 games) and Double AA Erie (41 games), checks in at No. 39 on that same list for the Tigers.

And for both, it’s become clear:

This is no longer merely about two small-town kids hearing their names called on draft day. This, for them, is about striving for the show.

“Cracking the bigs,” answered Dubin in March, when asked where he’d ultimately like to be this summer.

And that’s now become a realistic outcome for each.

(J.P. Butler, Bradford Publishing Company group sports editor, can be reached at jbutler@oleantimesherald.com)