This April we begin the month looking forward to what comes from 12 men and a few more. We will watch what they do and say, perhaps learning some lessons from them. We may disagree and perhaps even be disappointed in what they do. But we will watch, and what we see will inform how we see the next six months. One of these men has already made a strong statement this week, raising our expectations for this year. Will our expectations be met?
I am, of course, referring to Bryce Harper, who began the year with back-t0-back home runs off of the Marlin’s Ricky Nolasco. Where exactly do you go from there?
But there are eleven other active players who began the season yesterday, two more on the DL, another two on the 40-man rosters of major league teams but who will start the year in the minors, and eleven more on minor league teams. There are also two minor league players who seem to be unassigned, when I looked at the rosters, and another playing in Japan, who started his season on March 30th. In all, I count 28 Mormon players in professional baseball (although I suspect that there are more that I haven’t learned of).
Here’s a run down of who is playing where:
Current Roster Players:
- Darwin Barney—infielder—Chicago Cubs
15-day DL – normally starting second base - John Buck — catcher — New York Mets
starting catcher - Jacoby Ellsbury — outfielder — Boston Red Sox
starting center fielder - Kyle Farnsworth — relief pitcher — Tampa Bay Rays
setup for closer Fernando Rodney - Jeremy Guthrie — starting pitcher (right handed) — Kansas City Royals
starting pitcher, 3rd in Royals’ rotation - Roy Halladay— starting pitcher (right handed) — Philadelphia Phillies
starting pitcher, 2nd in Phillies’ rotation - Bryce Harper — outfielder — Washington Nationals
starting left field - Elliot Johnson — infielder — Kansas City Royals
backup second base, short stop and third base - Josh Johnson — starting pitcher (right handed) – Toronto Blue Jays
starting pitcher, 4th in the Blue Jays’ rotation - Matt Lindstrom — relief pitcher (right handed) – Chicago White Sox
reliever - Brandon Lyon — relief pitcher (right handed) — New York Mets
reliever - Clayton Mortensen — relief pitcher (right handed) —Boston Red Sox
reliever - Adam Rosales — 2B — Oakland A’s
15-day DL – normally backup infielder - Eric Sogard — infielder — Oakland A’s
backup second base, short stop and third base
In Minor Leagues
- Tyson Brummett — relief pitcher (right handed) — Toronto Blue Jays organization
New Hampshire Fisher Cats of the Eastern League – AA (opening game April 4) - Taylor Cole — starting pitcher (right handed) — Toronto Blue Jays organization
Lansing Lugnuts of the Midwest League – A (opening game April 4) - Jeff Gelalich — outfielder — Cincinnati Reds organization
Dayton Dragons of the Midwest League – A (opening game April 4) - Austin Hall — pitcher (right handed) — Milwaukee Brewers organization
AZL Brewers of the Arizona Leauge – Rookie (opening game June 20) - Bryan Harper — relief pitcher (left handed) — Washington Nationals organization Auburn Doubledays of the New York-Penn League – A short-season (opening game June 17)
- Blaine Howell — relief pitcher (left handed) — Cincinnati Reds organization
unassigned?? (was with Bakersfield Blaze of the California League – A+ (opening game April 4) - Marcus Littlewood — catcher — Seattle Mariners organization
Everett WA AquaSox of the Northwest League – A (opening game June 12) - Mitch Maier — outfielder — Boston Red Sox organization
Pawtucket Red Sox of the International League – AAA (opening game April 4)
- Taylor Mangum — relief pitcher (right-handed) — Milwaukee Brewers organization
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers of the Midwest League – A (opening game April 4)
- Matthew Neil — starting pitcher (right handed) — Miami Marlins organization
Jacksonville Suns of the Southern League – AA (opening game April 4) - Stephen Parker — 3rd base — Milwaukee Brewers organization
Nashville Sounds of the Pacific Coast League – AAA (opening game April 4)
Traded to the Brewers from the As in the off season - Shane Peterson — outfielder — Oakland A’s organization (40-man MLB roster)
Sacramento River Cats of the Pacific Coast League – AAA (opening game April 4) - Mitch Talbot — starting pitcher (right handed) — Miami Marlins organization
New Orleans Zephyrs of the Pacific Coast League – AAA (opening game April 4) - Nik Turley — starting pitcher (right handed) — New York Yankees organization (40-man MLB roster)
Trenton Thunder of the Eastern League – AA (opening game April 4) - Jordan Whatcott — relief pitcher (right handed) — Philadelphia Phillies organization
unassigned?? (was with Reading Fightin’ Phils of the Eastern League – AA (opening game April 4)
Foreign Leagues:
- Brandon Duckworth — starting pitcher (right handed) — Rakuten Golden Eagles
Last Year’s players released: (could still be picked up by other teams)
- Derek Cone — starting pitcher (right handed) — Los Angeles Dodgers organization Released.
Cone has returned to school at ASU pursuing a degree in Accounting - Willie Mays Eyre — starting pitcher (right handed) — Texas Rangers organization
Retired - Kyle Hurst — relief pitcher (right handed) — Independent
Released - Cale Iorg — Second base — Detroit Tigers organization
Released, Played for Canada in WBC
Seems like he might find another team. - Lance Pendleton — starting pitcher (right handed) — Tampa Bay Ray’s organization
Released
Now a salesman with Baker Hughes
Other players who may be Mormon:
- Rick Anton – pitcher – LA Dodgers organization
- Tyler Hanks — pitcher — Washington Nationals organization
- Kam Mickolio — pitcher — Arizona Diamondbacks organization (apparently not Mormon, but I don’t have evidence either way)
- Brad Thompson — pitcher — Houston Astros organization
- Other remote possibilities: Jay Brossman, Brian Budrow, Tyler Chism, Dallas Christison, Stephen Fife, Steve Hirschfeld, Zachary Jones, Ryan Khoury, Cole Miles, A. J. Murray, Jordan Taylor Pratt, Tanner Robles, Braeden Schlehuber, Justin Smith, Matt Spring
Non-Mormons who may be confused for Mormons
- Matt Carson — non-Mormon who went to BYU
- Derek Christensen
- Egan Smith —
- Jordan Smith —
[Crossposted from Mormon Baseball. Please make any comments there. You can also fill out the form there to inform me of other Mormon baseball players.]