With the Major League Baseball regular season wrapping up Sunday, here’s a look at how the 24 Bulldogs in the professional ranks fared in 2019.
Currently, there are four Bulldogs at the Major League Level: infielder Gordon Beckham, Detroit; catcher/infielder Kyle Farmer, Cincinnati; first baseman/pitcher Jared Walsh, L.A. Angels and pitcher Alex Wood, Cincinnati. The remaining 20 Bulldogs played in leagues ranging from Rookie up to Triple-A.
Gordon Beckham: In his 11th professional season in the Major Leagues and playing for the Detroit Tigers this year…Currently batting .215 with 13 doubles, two triples, six home runs and 15 RBI with a .646 OPS(on-base plus slugging percentage)in 82 games…Utility infielder has seen action around the infield.
John Cable: Signed a free agent contract as a catcher with the Lake Erie Crushers of the Frontier Independent League…In his first professional season batted .221 with seven doubles, nine RBI and a .573 OPS in 43 games.
Hunter Cole: Played for the Nashville Sounds, the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers in the Pacific Coast League…Batted .308 with six doubles, five home runs,18 RBI and a .908 OPS in limited action as an outfielder, appearing in just 34 games due to injuries in his sixth professional season.
Michael Curry: Batted .285 with 19 doubles, eight home runs and 45 RBI in 83 games for the Fort Wayne TinCaps, the Class-A team of the San Diego Padres in the Midwest League…Posted a .815 OPS in his second professional season as an outfielder.
Tim Elliott: Posted a 1-3 mark and 3.86 ERA in 14 appearances including 11 starts for the Everett AquaSox, the Class A Short-Season team of the Seattle Mariners in the Northwest League…In 23.1 innings, he registered 35 strikeouts and only 13 walks in his first professional season.
Kyle Farmer: In his seventh professional season and currently in the Major Leagues with the Cincinnati Reds after getting traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers in December of 2018…Batting .233 with six doubles, nine home runs, 26 RBI and a .705 OPS in 93 games…Utility player has made starts for the Reds at catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, designated hitter plus has provided 1.1 scoreless innings as a relief pitcher…Brief stints on the injured list due to a concussion in July and an oblique strain in September.
Josh Fields: Signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers in the offseason following shoulder issues with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018 when he went 2-2, 2.20 ERA in only 45 games, went to Major League Spring Training and then began the season with the San Antonio Mission, their Triple-A affiliate in the Pacific Coast League until opting out of contract at the end of April and signing with the Texas Rangers who sent him to their Triple-A affiliate, the Nashville Sounds, until being released on June 29…2019 marked his 11th year of professional baseball that includes six years in the Major Leagues…In 2019 in Triple-A, he combined to go 2-1 with a 6.57 ERA and six saves in 25 appearances, working 24.2 innings with 24 strikeouts…In his MLB career, he is 17-12 with a 3.71 ERA and 13 saves in 288 relief appearances…In 276.1 innings, he has tallied 312 strikeouts.
Justin Grimm: Signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians and invited to Major League Spring Training, then elected free agency at the end of camp and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in March, seeing action in 35 games for Oklahoma City, their Triple-A affiliate before being traded to the Cincinnati Reds in July…Spent the rest of his 11th professional season with the Louisville Bats, the Triple-A affiliate of the Reds in the International League…Tallied a 6-4 record, 5.23 ERA in 52 relief appearances in 2019…Pitched 65.1 innings with 84 strikeouts and 32 walks.
Heath Holder: Ended the year in Triple-A with the Albuquerque Isotopes in his fourth season as a professional in the Colorado Rockies organization…Made two relief appearances for a total of nine innings for the Isotopes, going 0-1 with a 5.00 ERA with three walks and six strikeouts…Named a Mid-Season All-Star for Double-A Hartford where he tallied an 8-4 record with a 2.64 ERA and two saves in 29 appearances including 10 starts…Tossed 92 innings for Hartford with 99 strikeouts and 25 walks.
Zac Kristofak: Went 2-3 with a 6.15 ERA and two saves in 19 relief appearances for the Orem (Utah) Owls, the Rookie-level team of the Los Angeles Angels in the Pioneer League…In 26.1 innings, he struck out 24 with only seven walks in his first professional season.
Ryan Lawlor: Went 2-4 with a 1.95 ERA and four saves in 30 relief appearances mostly with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs in his fifth professional season…Pitched 55.1 innings with 85 strikeouts and 26 walks.
Tony Locey: Went 1-2 with a 5.29 ERA in 12 relief appearances covering 17 innings with 31 strikeouts and 12 walks in the St. Louis Cardinals organization…Made professional debut in the Gulf Coast League in Palm Beach and then moved up to the Peoria Chiefs in the Class A Midwest League.
Tucker Maxwell: Hit .160 with two doubles, two home runs, and 6 RBI in 34 games as an outfielder for the Williamsport Crosscutters (Class A Short-Season team in the New York Penn League) and the GCL Phillies (Rookie League), both minor league affiliates of the Philadelphia Phillies…Posted a .522 OPS in his first professional season.
Keegan McGovern: Hit .218 with 12 doubles, two triples and 12 home runs in 75 games in his second professional season as an outfielder in the Seattle Mariners organization…Finished the year with the Modesto Nuts, the Class A-Advanced squad in the California League and his OPS for the season was .756.
Sean McLaughlin: Posted a 3-5 record and 2.96 ERA in 35 relief appearances for the Florida Fire Frogs, the Class-A Advanced team of the Atlanta Braves in the Florida State League…Tallied 54.2 innings with 49 strikeouts and 20 walks in his fifth professional season.
Aaron Schunk: Named a Northwest League post-season All-Star for the Boise Hawks after posting an OPS of .873 in his first professional season in the Colorado Rockies organization…Batted .306 with 12 doubles, two triples, six home runs, and 23 RBI in 46 games as a third baseman for the Class A Short-Season Northwest League team. He also was a Mid-Season All-Star.
Kevin Smith: Finished his second professional season with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets in the Eastern League…Posted a 3-2 record and 3.45 ERA in six starts…Pitched 31.1 innings with 28 strikeouts and 15 walks…Began the year in St. Lucie in the Class A-Advanced Florida State League where he went 5-5 with a 3.05 ERA in 17 starts…In 85.2 innings, he tallied 102 strikeouts and only 24 walks.
David Sosebee: Spent a majority of the season with the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees in the International League…Went 4-1 with a 3.54 ERA and six saves in 31 relief appearances for the RailRiders…Also made two relief outings for Double-A Trenton…Overall tallied a 5-1 mark with a 3.63 ERA in 52 innings with 66 strikeouts and 20 walks in his fifth professional season.
LJ Talley: Batted .191 with six doubles, one triple, six home runs, and 27 RBI in 52 games as a second baseman for the Lansing Lugnuts, the Class A team of the Toronto Blue Jays in the Midwest League…Posted a .599 OPS in his first professional season.
Robert Tyler: Posted a 1-0 mark with an 8.16 ERA and one save in 28 relief appearances for the Lancaster JetHawks, the Class A-Advanced team of the Colorado Rockies…Pitched 28.2 innings with 36 strikeouts and 20 walks in his fourth professional season (Missed 2017 due to an injury).
Jared Walsh: Currently in the Major Leagues after a breakout season including earning post-season All-Star honors for the Salt Lake Bees, the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels…Earned an invitation to spring training with the Angels and showcased two-way talent as a first baseman and left-handed reliever to start his fifth professional season…Made Major League debut on May 15, called up three more times and has appeared in 30 games…Batting .211 with five doubles, one triple, one home runs, and 5 RBI in 76 at-bats in the Majors…Ranked among the Triple-A leaders with 36 home runs in only 98 games plus batted .325 with 30 doubles and a 1.109 OPS.
Skyler Weber: Spent his fourth professional season with the Beloit Snappers, the Class A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics in the Midwest League…Batted .195 with 19 doubles, four home runs, and 34 RBI as a catcher in 101 games.
Alex Wood: Currently with the Cincinnati Reds after being traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers in late December…Battled back issues that limited him to 11 outings and 47 innings combined during his eighth professional season…Went 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA in four rehab starts spanning 11.1 innings before making his starting debut in Cincinnati in late July…Made seven starts with the Reds and went 1-3 with a 5.80 ERA in 35.2 innings with 30 strikeouts and nine walks before being sidelined with back trouble at the end of August.
Stephen Wrenn: Ended the season in Triple-A with the Round Rock Express in his fourth professional season as an outfielder in the Houston Astros organization…Batted .247 with 22 doubles, eight triple, eight home runs, 44 RBI and 24 stolen bases in Double-A with the Corpus Christi Hooks, seeing action in 102 games…Hit .300 (3-for-10) with a triple and one stolen base in three playoff games with the Express.