#StateToTheShow: Opening Day 2024
March 28, 2024 | Baseball
It's been said that baseball is a rite of passage each spring.
Mississippi State baseball will again be a big part of the time-honored tradition of MLB Opening Day as 11 Diamond Dawg alums take the field on Thursday as members of big-league rosters.
Last year was a successful one for several former MSU standouts. Nathaniel Lowe and Chris Stratton both won World Series rings as members of the Texas Rangers while Oakland Athletics' slugger Brent Rooker received his first All-Star invitation.
J.P. France and Jordan Westburg both made their MLB debuts in 2023, bringing the Bulldogs' total of all-time Major Leaguers to 68.
Several State players have been on the move during the offseason, including three members of the 2012 SEC Tournament Championship squad that have reunited in Kansas City. Stratton, Adam Frazier and Hunter Renfroe are all now members of the Royals.
Renfroe and Stratton each inked two-year deals worth $13 and $8 million, respectively. Frazier signed a one-year contract worth $2 million with an $8.5 million mutual option for 2025 with $2.5 million guaranteed.
Former first-round picks Dakota Hudson and Ethan Small will also begin the spring in new uniforms. Hudson signed a one-year deal with the Colorado Rockies worth $1.5 million with incentives while Small was traded to the San Francisco Giants for cash considerations last month.
A few Diamond Dawgs in the Minor Leagues will also be in some new threads this year. Zac Houston (Phillies) and Jake Mangum (Rays) are all with new clubs in 2024 along with Gavin Collins (Cardinals). Collins spent the 2023 season playing independent baseball with the Kansas City Monarchs.
Three Mississippi State players will begin the year on the injured list. Two-time All-Star Brandon Woodruff and Kendall Graveman are both expected to miss the entire season while recovering from offseason shoulder surgeries. Lowe finds himself on the IL for the first time in his career with a right oblique injury and is expected to be out until mid-April. Small will also start the season on the 60-day IL with a right oblique strain.Â
Although they will begin the season in the Minors, Justin Foscue and Colby White are respectively on the 40-man rosters for the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays.
In addition to all the players State has scattered throughout the Majors and Minor Leagues, there are also a pair of coaches that played in Starkville. Travis Chapman is set for his third year as the first base coach for the New York Yankees while Carlisle Koestler begins his first season in pro baseball as a pitching coach at the Texas Rangers' baseball academy in the Dominican Republic.
Stay tuned to HailState.com for weekly #StateToTheShow updates on how all of your favorite Diamond Dawgs are performing in professional baseball.
Bulldogs in MLB
1B Coach Travis Chapman (1997-2000), New York Yankees
P J.P. France (2018), Houston Astros
2B Adam Frazier (2011-13), Kansas City Royals
P Kendall Graveman (2010-13), Houston Astros
P Dakota Hudson (2014-16), Colorado Rockies
1B Nathaniel Lowe (2016), Texas Rangers
OF Hunter Renfroe (2011-13), Kansas City Royals
OF Brent Rooker (2014-17), Oakland Athletics
P Ethan Small (2016-19), San Francisco Giants
P Chris Stratton (2010-12), Kansas City Royals
IF Jordan Westburg (2018-20), Baltimore Orioles
P Brandon Woodruff (2012-14), Milwaukee Brewers
Bulldogs in MiLB
OF Tanner Allen (2018-21), Marlins
P Will Bednar (2020-21), Giants
P Eric Cerantola (2019-21), Royals
OF Kellum Clark (2021-23), Mets
C Gavin Collins (2014-16), Cardinals
OF Brad Cumbest (2019-22), Rockies
IF Justin Foscue (2018-20), Rangers
P Jackson Fristoe (2021-22), Yankees
P J.T. Ginn (2019-20), Athletics
P Houston Harding (2020-21), Angels
P Zac Houston (2014-16), Phillies
P K.C. Hunt (2021-23), Brewers
3B Kamren James (2020-22), Rays
P Preston Johnson (2021-22), Orioles
2B Rowdey Jordan (2018-21), Mets
Pitching coach Carlisle Koestler (2020-21), Rangers
OF Colton Ledbetter (2023), Rays
P Christian MacLeod (2020-21), Twins
OF Jake Mangum (2016-19), Rays
P Aaron Nixon (2023), Yankees
P Konnor Pilkington (2016-18), Diamondbacks
P Landon Sims (2020-22), Diamondbacks
P Cade Smith (2021-23), Yankees
IF Hunter Stovall (2016-18), Rockies
C Logan Tanner (2020-22), Reds
P Andrew Walling (2022), Phillies
P Colby White (2019), Rays
IF RJ Yeager (2022), Cardinals
