Lindgren Becomes 52nd Diamond Dawg to Reach Big Leagues
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Former Mississippi State baseball left-hander Jacob Lindgren was signed to a Major League contract by the New York Yankees and selected to their 25-man roster, the 27-time World Series champions announced Sunday afternoon.
The 2014 MSU All-American will be in pinstripes Sunday night at 7:05 p.m. CT as the Yankees battle the Texas Rangers at Yankee Stadium. The game will be televised live on ESPN. New York selected his contract from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, their Triple-A affiliate.
Lindgren is the 52nd Diamond Dawg to reach MLB and the second this season, joining Ed Easley, who appeared in uniform for the St. Louis Cardinals April 10-12. Nicknamed “The Strikeout Factory” by Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, Lindgren is slated to become the first Bulldog to play for the Yankees, as well as the third Bulldog to wear pinstripes. Buck Showalter managed the Yankees from 1992-95, while Sammy Ellis served as the pitching coach from 1982-84 and again in 1986.
The Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, native was told the news just before 5 p.m. local time Saturday, 355 days after he threw his final collegiate pitch for the Bulldogs at the 2014 NCAA Lafayette Regional. Lindgren’s last season for the Maroon and White saw him lead the NCAA with 16.3 strikeouts per nine innings en route to earning first-team All-America honors from Baseball America and Perfect Game. The first-team All-SEC selection went 6-1 with a 0.81 ERA, holding hitters to a .124 batting average.
On June 5, 2014, the Yankees selected Lindgren with their first pick in the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft (55th overall in the second round). Lindgren skyrocketed through their farm system, starting in the Gulf Coast League and ending the fall with Double-A Trenton. The lefty finished his first year in pro ball going 2-1 with a 2.16 ERA, while leading all of professional baseball with 17.3 strikeouts per nine innings (48 in 25.0 IP).
This January, the southpaw was a non-roster invitee to Tampa for New York’s spring training. Lindgren started the regular season with the RailRiders, recording a 1.23 ERA in 22.0 innings with 29 strikeouts.
The Bulldog great will likely make his debut as battery mates with catcher Brian McCann, whose father Howie lettered at Mississippi State from 1977-78.
For live updates of Lindgren’s MLB debut, follow the team on Twitter, like the squad on Facebook and join the Diamond Dawgs on Instagram.