Hunter Renfroe has three home runs and eight RBIs in just 17 MLB at bats.
Thirty-five Former Diamond Dawgs in Pro Baseball
September 28, 2016 | Baseball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Thirty-five former Mississippi State baseball players are currently in professional baseball, including six currently playing in the MLB. Please tweet any corrections to @HailStateBB.
* Stats Reflect Current Team Only
Diamond Dawg Coaches In MLB
- Jonathan Holder made his big league debut with the Yankees on September 2 on the road against the Baltimore Orioles after being called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The former Diamond Dawg tossed a perfect inning of relief that included his first Major League strikeout.
- Hunter Renfroe has had an eventful past few weeks, from being named the Most Valuable Player in the Pacific Coast League to being called up to the San Diego Padres. Renfroe's call-up came just moments after the Triple-A National Championship Game at AutoZone Park in Memphis, making him the 57th Diamond Dawg to play in the big leagues. He made his debut with the Padres on September 21 in a pinch-hit situation against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The very next day, in a series opener against San Francisco, the former Diamond Dawg earned his first career start—drawing the starting nod in right field and he made it count, earning his first big league hit in a 2 for 4 performance at the plate. Two days later against the Giants, Renfroe went 2 for 4 again, but this time belted his first Major League home run off of one of the best pitchers in baseball, Madison Bumgarner.
- On September 27, in just his sixth game as a big leaguer, hit a pair of homers in a 7-1 victory against the Dodgers—a three-run shot in the first inning followed by a grand slam to cap off his big night in the eighth. He also drove in all seven runs in the win, making him just the second player to have at least 7 RBI in a game within the first six games of his career.
- Brandon Woodruff was named the Minor League Pitcher of the Year in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, the organization announced on September 20. He was presented with the award at a special pre-game ceremony at Miller Park in Milwaukee on September 24. He was also named a post-season Double-A All-Star by Baseball America. He earned these honors after leading the Brewers' farm system and all of Minor League Baseball with 173 strikeouts for two different teams across two levels—Brevard County (High-A) and Biloxi (AA).
- Former Bulldog Mitch Moreland and the Texas Rangers clinched the American League West division, marking the fourth time the Amory, Mississippi, native has reached the playoffs with the Rangers since his debut in 2010.
- Six former Diamond Dawgs have been chosen to play for their organization's instructional league team in order to refine their skills. The list includes Gavin Collins (Cleveland), Nathaniel Lowe (Tampa Bay), Daniel Brown (Milwaukee), Jack Kruger (Anaheim), Zac Houston (Detroit) and Jacob Robson (Detroit).
- In addition to the six former student-athletes in the instructional league, Evan Mitchell (Peoria Javelinas), Nick Routt (Peoria Javelinas) and Chris Stratton (Scottsdale Scorpions) have been selected to play in the Arizona Fall League.
| NAME | ORGANIZATION | TEAM | LEVEL |
| Kendall Graveman (2010-13) | Oakland | Athletics | MLB |
| Jonathan Holder (2010-13) | New York (AL) | Yankees | MLB |
| Jonathan Papelbon (2001-03) |
Free Agent | N/A | MLB |
| NAME | ORGANIZATION | TEAM | LEVEL |
| Mitch Moreland (2005-07) | Texas | Rangers | MLB |
| Adam Frazier (2011-13) | Pittsburgh | Pirates | MLB |
| Hunter Renfroe (2011-13) | San Diego | Padres | MLB |
| NAME | ORGANIZATION | TEAM | LEVEL |
| Chris Maloney (1982-83) | St. Louis | Cardinals | MLB |
| Buck Showalter (1977) | Baltimore | Orioles | MLB |
| Bobby Thigpen (1984-85) | Chicago | White Sox | MLB |
| NAME | ORGANIZATION | TEAM | LEVEL |
| Gavin Collins (2014-16) |
Cleveland | Mahoning Valley | Class A |
| Seth Heck (2013-14) |
Gateway | Grizzlies | Indy Ball |
| Jack Kruger (2016) |
Los Angeles | Orem | Rookie |
| Nathaniel Lowe (2016) | Tampa Bay | Hudson Valley | Class A |
| Tyler Moore (2008) |
Atlanta | Gwinnett | AAA |
| Brett Pirtle (2013-14) |
Detroit | West Michigan | Class A |
| Jacob Robson (2013-16) |
Detroit | Connecticut | Class A |
| NAME | ORGANIZATION | TEAM | LEVEL |
| Ben Bracewell (2010-14) | Oakland | Midland | AA |
| Daniel Brown (2015-16) |
Milwaukee | AZL Brewers | Rookie |
| Chad Girodo (2010-13) | Toronto | Buffalo | AAA |
| Zac Houston (2014-16) | Detroit | West Michigan | Class A |
| Dakota Hudson (2014-16) | St. Louis | Palm Beach | Advanced A |
| Reid Humphreys (2014-16) | Colorado | Grand Junction | Rookie |
| Lucas Laster (2013-14) | River City | Rascals | Indy Ball |
| Jacob Lindgren (2012-14) | New York (AL) | Tampa | Advanced A |
| Evan Mitchell (2011-13) | Cincinnati | Pensacola | AA |
| Luis Pollorena (2011-13) | Laredo | Lemurs | Indy Ball |
| Nick Routt (2009, 11-12) | Cincinnati | Pensacola | AA |
| Austin Sexton (2014-16) | St. Louis | Johnson City | Rookie |
| Chris Stratton (2010-12) | San Francisco | Sacramento | AAA |
| Vance Tatum (2014-16) | Kansas City | Burlington | Rookie |
| Brandon Woodruff (2012-14) | Milwaukee | Biloxi | AA |
| Paul Young (2014-16) | Kansas City | Idaho Falls | Rookie |
Diamond Dawg Coaches In MLB
- Jeff Brantley – Cincinnati Reds Broadcaster
- Travis Chapman – Defensive Coach for the Charleston Riverdogs, the Class A affiliate of the New York Yankees
- Will Clark – San Francisco Giants Special Assistant
Players Mentioned
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