#STATEtoTheShow: Road to the Show Begins Tuesday
May 04, 2021 | Baseball
Twenty-two former Diamond Dawgs begin minor league season on Tuesday
STARKVILLE – With five first-round draft picks over the last five seasons, the Mississippi State baseball program will watch as 22 former Diamond Dawgs will begin Major League Baseball's minor league season on the active roster for their affiliated team on Tuesday (May 4) evening around the country.
Along with the nine current Diamond Dawgs on active MLB rosters, the 22 current minor leaguers bring State's total to 31 former student-athletes on active professional rosters. There are also a handful of former Dawgs awaiting assignments for the 2021 season.
Five are among the top prospects in their organizations: Justin Foscue (No. 5; Texas Rangers), JT Ginn (No. 6; New York Mets), Brent Rooker (No. 12; Minnesota Twins), Ethan Small (No. 4; Milwaukee Brewers) and Jordan Westburg (No. 6; Baltimore Orioles).
Foscue is also rated as the No. 8 overall second base prospect in Major League Baseball per MLB Pipeline, while Rooker has already logged 29 at bats for the Minnesota Twins in 2021. In his eight games played in Minnesota this season, Rooker has a double, home run and two RBIs.
Among those starting the season in the minor leagues, Jack Kruger (Los Angeles Angels) and Jacob Lindgren (Chicago White Sox) were each among their organization's invitees to the alternate training site during the 2020 MLB season, which made them eligible for a call-up to the big league club while the teams competed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nate Lowe, then with the Tampa Bay Rays, Rooker and Small were also invited to the alternate training sites in 2020.
Kruger, Lindgren and Rooker will join Ben Bracewell (Oakland Athletics) and Gavin Collins (Cleveland Indiana) as Diamond Dawgs to start the season in Triple A. Small leads a group of eight that will begin the season in Double A, joining J.P. France (Cleveland Indiana), Ryan Gridley (Cleveland Indiana), Zac Houston (Cleveland Indiana), Reid Humphreys (Colorado Rockies), Zach Neff (Cleveland Indiana), Konnor Pilkington (Cleveland Indiana) and Jacob Robson (Cleveland Indiana).
The Diamond Dawgs saw three student-athletes chosen in the five-round 2020 MLB Draft, Foscue (No. 14 overall) and Westburg (No. 30) joined Will Clark (No. 2) and Rafael Palmeiro (No. 22) as the only Diamond Dawg duos selected in the first round of the same draft. MSU is one of just 22 programs with multiple seasons of two-or-more first round picks in the common draft era.
Since 2012, State's seven first round selections are tied for No. 4 nationally and State's 16 picks all-time in the first round of the June Regular Draft are tied for No. 10 in the nation. Overall, State owns 17 first round draft picks.
2021 STATE TO THE SHOW ROSTER
MLB Active Rosters
Adam Frazier – Pittsburgh Pirates
Kendall Graveman – Seattle Marines
Jonathan Holder – Chicago Cubs
Dakota Hudson – St. Louis Cardinals*
Nathaniel Lowe – Texas Rangers
Mitch Moreland – Oakland Athletics
Hunter Renfroe – Boston Red Sox
Chris Stratton – Pittsburgh Pirates
Brandon Woodruff – Milwaukee Brewers
MiLB Active Rosters
Ben Bracewell – Oakland Athletics – AAA
Trysten Barlow – Colorado Rockies – A+
Gavin Collins – Cleveland Indians – AAA
Justin Foscue – Texas Rangers – A+
J.P. France – Houston Astros – AA
JT Ginn – New York Mets - Rookie
Cole Gordon – New York Mets – AA
Ryan Gridley – Oakland Athletics – AA
Zac Houston – Detroit Tigers – AA
Reid Humphreys – Colorado Rockies – AA
Keegan James – Colorado Rockies – A-
Jack Kruger – Los Angeles Angels – AAA
Jacob Lindgren – Chicago White Sox – AAA
Jake Mangum – New York Mets – A+
Zach Neff – Minnesota Twins – AA
Konnor Pilkington – Chicago White Sox – AA
Jacob Robson – Detroit Tigers – AA
Brent Rooker – Minnesota Twins - AAA
Ethan Small – Milwaukee Brewers – AA
Hunter Stovall – Colorado Rockies – A+
Jordan Westburg – Baltimore Orioles – A-
Colby White – Tampa Bay Rays – A-
* - Currently on the IL
Along with the nine current Diamond Dawgs on active MLB rosters, the 22 current minor leaguers bring State's total to 31 former student-athletes on active professional rosters. There are also a handful of former Dawgs awaiting assignments for the 2021 season.
Five are among the top prospects in their organizations: Justin Foscue (No. 5; Texas Rangers), JT Ginn (No. 6; New York Mets), Brent Rooker (No. 12; Minnesota Twins), Ethan Small (No. 4; Milwaukee Brewers) and Jordan Westburg (No. 6; Baltimore Orioles).
Foscue is also rated as the No. 8 overall second base prospect in Major League Baseball per MLB Pipeline, while Rooker has already logged 29 at bats for the Minnesota Twins in 2021. In his eight games played in Minnesota this season, Rooker has a double, home run and two RBIs.
Among those starting the season in the minor leagues, Jack Kruger (Los Angeles Angels) and Jacob Lindgren (Chicago White Sox) were each among their organization's invitees to the alternate training site during the 2020 MLB season, which made them eligible for a call-up to the big league club while the teams competed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nate Lowe, then with the Tampa Bay Rays, Rooker and Small were also invited to the alternate training sites in 2020.
Kruger, Lindgren and Rooker will join Ben Bracewell (Oakland Athletics) and Gavin Collins (Cleveland Indiana) as Diamond Dawgs to start the season in Triple A. Small leads a group of eight that will begin the season in Double A, joining J.P. France (Cleveland Indiana), Ryan Gridley (Cleveland Indiana), Zac Houston (Cleveland Indiana), Reid Humphreys (Colorado Rockies), Zach Neff (Cleveland Indiana), Konnor Pilkington (Cleveland Indiana) and Jacob Robson (Cleveland Indiana).
The Diamond Dawgs saw three student-athletes chosen in the five-round 2020 MLB Draft, Foscue (No. 14 overall) and Westburg (No. 30) joined Will Clark (No. 2) and Rafael Palmeiro (No. 22) as the only Diamond Dawg duos selected in the first round of the same draft. MSU is one of just 22 programs with multiple seasons of two-or-more first round picks in the common draft era.
Since 2012, State's seven first round selections are tied for No. 4 nationally and State's 16 picks all-time in the first round of the June Regular Draft are tied for No. 10 in the nation. Overall, State owns 17 first round draft picks.
2021 STATE TO THE SHOW ROSTER
MLB Active Rosters
Adam Frazier – Pittsburgh Pirates
Kendall Graveman – Seattle Marines
Jonathan Holder – Chicago Cubs
Dakota Hudson – St. Louis Cardinals*
Nathaniel Lowe – Texas Rangers
Mitch Moreland – Oakland Athletics
Hunter Renfroe – Boston Red Sox
Chris Stratton – Pittsburgh Pirates
Brandon Woodruff – Milwaukee Brewers
MiLB Active Rosters
Ben Bracewell – Oakland Athletics – AAA
Trysten Barlow – Colorado Rockies – A+
Gavin Collins – Cleveland Indians – AAA
Justin Foscue – Texas Rangers – A+
J.P. France – Houston Astros – AA
JT Ginn – New York Mets - Rookie
Cole Gordon – New York Mets – AA
Ryan Gridley – Oakland Athletics – AA
Zac Houston – Detroit Tigers – AA
Reid Humphreys – Colorado Rockies – AA
Keegan James – Colorado Rockies – A-
Jack Kruger – Los Angeles Angels – AAA
Jacob Lindgren – Chicago White Sox – AAA
Jake Mangum – New York Mets – A+
Zach Neff – Minnesota Twins – AA
Konnor Pilkington – Chicago White Sox – AA
Jacob Robson – Detroit Tigers – AA
Brent Rooker – Minnesota Twins - AAA
Ethan Small – Milwaukee Brewers – AA
Hunter Stovall – Colorado Rockies – A+
Jordan Westburg – Baltimore Orioles – A-
Colby White – Tampa Bay Rays – A-
* - Currently on the IL
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