#STATEtoTheShow: 2020 Opening Day

by: Greg Campbell, Assistant Director/Communications

UPDATED: July 24, 2020

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State will be well represented as Major League Baseball prepares for one of the more unique seasons since professional baseball began in 1869. The 60-game, 2020 MLB season will kick off on Thursday (July 23) evening with a pair of games, before Friday's (July 24) Opening Day sees the other 28 clubs begin their pursuit of a World Series championship.

Eight former Diamond Dawgs are among the active rosters for seven MLB teams, including Adam Frazier and Chris Stratton each suiting up for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Starting pitchers Dakota Hudson (St. Louis) and Brandon Woodruff (Milwaukee) will join them in the National League Central.

The trio of Jonathan Holder (New York Yankees), Mitch Moreland (Boston) and Hunter Renfroe (Tampa Bay) will collide in the American League East, while Kendall Graveman (Seattle) will represent the Diamond Dawgs in the AL West.

Diamond Dawg Season Openers (All times central)

Thursday, July 23
6:08 p.m. – New York Yankees (Holder) at Washington - ESPN

Friday, July 24
5:40 p.m. – Toronto at Tampa Bay (Renfroe)
6:10 p.m. – Milwaukee (Woodruff) at Chicago Cubs – ESPN
6:30 p.m. – Baltimore at Boston (Moreland)
7:15 p.m. – Pittsburg (Frazier, Stratton) at St. Louis (Hudson)
8:10 p.m. – Seattle (Graveman) at Houston

State to the Show News & Notes

Woodruff Draws Opening Day Start
It is not easy being a major league pitcher and it is even harder to earn an Opening Day start in one of the most competitive crafts in sports. Brandon Woodruff, however, etched his name into Mississippi State history when Milwaukee named him their Opening Day starter on Friday, July 17.

Woodruff will become just the fifth Diamond Dawg to earn an Opening Day start on the mound, joining the quartet of Willie Mitchell (1912, 14-16), Sammy Ellis (1966), Paul Maholm (2009) and Kendall Graveman (2017-18) as the only MSU alums to start on Opening Day.

In the previous eight Opening Day starts by Diamond Dawgs, the group owns a 3-2 overall record, with Mitchell winning his starts in 1912 and 1915 – both versus Detroit – and Graveman picking up a victory over the Los Angeles Angels in 2017.

Two With 10
Both Dakota Hudson and Brandon Woodruff piled up double-digit wins in 2019, marking the first time a pair of Diamond Dawgs each won 10-plus games in the same MLB season. Hudson tied for No. 3 among NL pitchers with 16 victories, while Woodruff piled up 11 wins in 22 starts. Kendall Graveman and Chris Stratton also own one double-digit victory season during their professional careers, with Graveman winning 10 games in 2016 and Stratton winning 10 games in 2018.

Other Diamond Dawgs to reach the 10-win plateau in a single season include: Willie Mitchell (5 times), Sammy Ellis (3 times), David "Boo" Ferriss (3 times), Paul Maholm (3 times) and Bubba Church (1 time). Two of those three seasons for Ellis and Ferriss were 20-win campaigns, with Ferriss' 25-6 record in 1946 accounting for the most wins by an MSU pitcher in a big league season.

Renfroe Ready For Rays
In 2019, Hunter Renfroe powered a career-best 33 home runs to lead all San Diego Padres hitters. After a trade in the offseason sent him across the country, Renfroe will add an extra spark to the Tampa Bay Rays offense. Renfroe's value isn't limited to the long ball though; the fifth-year MLB vet has become one of the best defenders at his position. Among NL outfielders in 2019, Renfroe finished fourth in Defensive Runs Saved (14) while just missing out on his first Gold Glove award.

Frazier Ready for Encore
Adam Frazier is poised to make his fourth straight Opening Day start on Friday when the Pirates begin their 2020 campaign against the Cardinals. In 2019, Frazier posted career highs in runs scored (80), hits (154), doubles (33) and walks (40). His .278 batting average was his best full-season average – he hit .301 in 66 games during his debut season in 2016 – and his 10 home runs tied his 2018 output for a career best.

The left-handed hitter has started games at second base, in the outfield and at designated hitter during his career and will look to solidify his spot as a table setter and run producer in the Pirates lineup. The 2012 SEC Tournament MVP ranked No. 3 among every day MLB second basemen (100+ games played) last season with a .998 fielding percentage.

Moreland Ready for Healthy 2020
In 2014, Mitch Moreland played just 52 games due to an ankle injury. He followed his shortened season with one of the best offensive seasons of his career in 2015, where he tied his career high with 23 home runs and drove in a career-best 85 RBIs. Mitchy Two Bags also pounded out a then-career-best 27 doubles as a part of his career-high 131-hit campaign for the Texas Rangers.

The 2019 season featured a few more games played, but was hampered by a pair of injuries, resulting in just 91 games played. Look for Moreland to be refreshed and ready for the shortened 60-game season, as he looks to extend his streak of six straight seasons of at least 15 home runs. And, if the Red Sox are able to make a deep postseason run, look for Moreland to move his career hits total near 1,000, as he enters 2020 with 932 career hits.

Holding Down the Pen
A lights out closer during his time in Starkville, Jonathan Holder is ready for his fifth season as a member of the New York Yankees bullpen, which, once again, looks to be one of the best in the league. Since Holder's first full season in MLB in 2017, the Yankee bullpen has ranked No. 2 or better in Wins Above Replacement in all three seasons according to Fangraphs. Holder made 34 appearances for New York in 2019 and owned a 10.02 strikeouts per nine innings average.

Dawgs in the Pool
There are few sights better than a canine enjoying a swim in the pool, and for a quartet of Diamond Dawgs, being a part of their organizations 60-man Player Pool is a welcome plunge into the highest level of professional baseball for 2020. The Player Poll serves as the lone "minor league" instruction for MLB organizations this season, as those assigned to the pool are the only players that can be called up to the active roster at any point during the 2020 season.

While Nate Lowe was a member of the Tampa Bay active roster at the end of the 2019 season and is on the 40-man roster to start 2020 but is not currently on the Rays active roster. Jacob Lindgren was added to the Chicago White Sox play pool and will start the season at their off-site training camp. The trio of Jack Kruger (Los Angeles Angels), Brent Rooker (Minnesota) and Ethan Small (Milwaukee) are all among the players pool for their respective organizations and have the opportunity to make their big league debuts in 2020.

Memorable 2020 MLB Draft
In the 2020 MLB Draft, Mississippi State tied for the fifth most picks in the country with three. Their three picks in the first two rounds were tied for the most in 2020 (Miami (Fla.), Texas A&M). In the 56 drafts since 1965, State has had at least three student-athletes drafted on 33 occasions.

Justin Foscue and Jordan Westburg joined the Thunder and Lightning duo of Will Clark (No. 2) and Rafael Palmeiro (No. 22), who were chosen in the first round of the 1985 MLB Draft. The Diamond Dawgs were the 22nd NCAA program to have multiple student-athletes taken in the first round on multiple occasions. Foscue (second base) and Westburg (shortstop) are the highest drafted players at their positions in program history.

The three picks in the first two rounds were just ahead of the 1985 draft, which saw three players go in the first four rounds. Foscue (1st round; 2nd overall), Westburg (1st round; 30th overall) and JT Ginn (2nd round; 52nd overall) each went in the first 52 picks, while Clark (1st round; 2nd overall), Palmeiro (1st round; 22nd overall) and Bobby Thigpen (85th overall; 4th round) are just behind, going in the first 85 picks.

Mississippi State University Athletics

#STATEtoTheShow: 2020 Opening Day

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