Cowboy Baseball In The Pros, Sept. 12

Jordy Mercer

Photo by: Dave Arrigo/Pittsburgh Pirates

September 12, 2017 | Cowboy Baseball

Oklahoma State currently has 23 former players in the professional baseball ranks, including three active on big league rosters in Pittsburgh shortstop Jordy Mercer, St. Louis pitcher Tyler Lyons and Los Angeles Angels pitcher Andrew Heaney.

The majority of those Cowboys in the minor leagues have completed their 2017 seasons, though some are still competing on playoff teams.

Another former OSU star, John Farrell, is in his fifth season as the manager of the Boston Red Sox. Farrell has guided Boston to an 81-62 record this season, and the Red Sox are in first place in the American League East standings. Farrell led Boston to a 2013 World Series title and has managed the Red Sox to pair of AL East championships.

Koda Glover, Washington Nationals – OSU Career: 2015
In his third professional season, Glover emerged as the Nationals closer early in the season but back and shoulder injuries have kept him on the disabled list since June 11. He was placed on the 60-day disabled list on July 17 and spent the last few months rehabbing at the National's spring training complex in Florida, but it is unlikely he will pitch for the Nationals again in 2017. In 23 games this season, he recorded eight saves and 17 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings of work.

Glover made his MLB debut in 2016 and went 2-0 with 16 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings in 19 appearances.

Andrew Heaney, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – OSU Career: 2010-12
Heaney underwent Tommy John surgery last July, and the road to recovery ended on Aug. 18 when the southpaw took the mound for the Angels in Baltimore. He has now made five starts this season, going 1-2 and striking out 27 in 21 2/3 innings, including a career-high 10 in a win over Oakland on Aug. 28.

In his first season with the Angels in 2015, Heaney went 6-4 with a 3.59 ERA in 18 starts. He has pitched in 31 games, 29 of them as a starter, over his three MLB seasons and is 7-10 with a 4.48 ERA.

Tyler Lyons, St. Louis Cardinals – OSU Career: 2007-10
In his fifth year with St. Louis, Lyons is enjoying his best big league season as one of the Cardinals' top arms out of the bullpen. The southpaw has made a career-high 43 relief appearances and is 4-0 with two saves and a 2.47 ERA while recording 55 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings of work.

Lyons has recorded all four of his wins during August and September as he's made 16 appearances over the two months and allowed only one run over 15 2/3 innings while striking out 18.

A year ago, the southpaw took the mound in 30 games and was 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 48.0 innings.

For his MLB career, Lyons is 8-9 with a 3.84 ERA in 104 appearances, including 20 starts, and he has 231 strikeouts in 236 2/3 innings.

Jordy Mercer, Pittsburgh Pirates – OSU Career: 2006-08
In his sixth year in the big leagues, Mercer is entrenched as the Pirates' starting shortstop. In 136 games this season, he is hitting .255 with 14 home runs and 53 RBIs. His 14 homers is a career high as is his four triples, while he is also only six RBIs shy of a career best. He also owns a .985 fielding percentage, having committed just eight errors on the year.

In six seasons with Pittsburgh, Mercer is a career .256 hitter with 49 homers, 120 doubles and 233 RBIs in 695 games.

A trio of former Cowboys have completed their seasons at the Triple A level.

Tim Arakawa, Salt Lake Bees (Angels) – OSU Career: 2014-15
Arakawa spent most of the season at Double A Mobile but finished the year in Salt Lake, where he went 1-for-3 with a walk in his only game with the Bees.

In 76 games with Mobile this season, Arakawa hit .245 with four homers, 15 RBIs and eight stolen bases.

Arakawa spent the majority of 2016 at Class A Advanced Inland Empire, where he was a California League Mid-Season All-Star and hit .254 with two homers, 13 doubles, three triples and 25 RBIs in 83 games. He also turned in a 21-game hitting streak, the longest by an Inland Empire player since 2012.

A 23^rd-round draft pick of the Angels in 2015, Arakawa has played at every level of the minor league and is a .246 hitter in 271 games.

Matt Hague, Rochester Red Wings (Twins) – OSU Career: 2008
Hague signed a minor league deal with Minnesota last December after spending 2016 playing in Japan. In 136 games with Rochester this season, he hit .297 with 10 homers, 30 doubles and 65 RBIs. Hague ranked third in the International League in batting average and ninth in doubles.

During his nine-year minor league career, Hague has been a part of three organizations — Pittsburgh, Toronto and Minnesota — and has played in 1,073 games, compiling a .300 career batting average to go along with 89 homers, 250 doubles and 599 RBIs.

Hague has had cups of coffee with Pittsburgh, where he played in 30 games with the Pirates in 2012 and in three games in 2014, and Toronto, where in 2015 he appeared in 10 games.

Jason Hursh, Gwinnett Braves (Braves) – OSU Career: 2011-13
Hursh completed his fifth season in the Braves' organization in 2017, a year the righty spent bouncing between the big leagues and Triple A. Part of Atlanta's 40-man roster, he ended the year in Gwinnett, where he posted a 3-4 record in 28 relief appearances for the Triple A affiliate this season.

Hursh made nine relief appearances for Atlanta in 2017 and went 1-0 with a 5.06 ERA. He earned his first-career big league win on June 22 against San Francisco.

A first-round pick in 2013, Hursh was named the Atlanta Braves organization's minor league pitcher of the year in 2014.

Brendan McCurry, Fresno Grizzlies (Astros) – OSU Career: 2013-14
After serving a 50-game suspension to open 2017, McCurry finished the year with 35 relief appearances, going 4-2 with six saves and a 4.43 ERA while recording 52 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings pitched.

In 2016, McCurry was named to the Texas League Post-Season and Mid-Season All-Star teams for his performance at Double A Corpus Christi as he went 2-4 with 13 saves and a 2.27 ERA for the Hooks.

An All-American at OSU in 2014 and the school's all-time leader in saves, McCurry is 10-8 with 49 saves and a 2.37 ERA in four professional seasons.

At the Double A level, a former OSU hurler turned in a strong 2017.

Jon Perrin, Biloxi Shuckers (Brewers) – OSU Career: 2012-15
In his third professional season, Perrin made the move to Double A in 2017 and went 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA in 23 games (12 starts). He recorded 91 strikeouts in 105 1/3 innings.

In his pro career, Perrin has made 62 career appearances, 44 of those starts, and is 11-18 with a 3.10 ERA and 277 strikeouts in 305.0 innings.

The Cowboys have 10 former stars on various levels of Class A rosters, including three in Class A-Advanced leagues.

Garrett Benge, Lowell Spinners (Red Sox) – OSU Career: 2016-17
Benge was a 13^th-round draft pick of Boston in June and made his professional debut for Class A-Short Season Lowell on June 23, going 1-for 3 with a double.

In 52 games with the Spinners, Benge hit .230 with nine doubles, two triples, 25 walks and 21 RBIs, and he was named a New York-Penn League All-Star. In an August 1 game against Connecticut, he went 5-for-5, five-RBI night at the plate and finished a home run shy of hitting for the cycle.

Trey Cobb, Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets) – OSU Career: 2015
Following four seasons in an OSU uniform, Cobb was an eighth-round pick of the New York Mets in June's draft. He made his pro debut on June 26 for Class A-Short Season Brooklyn and tossed a scoreless inning of relief in which he struck out two.

Cobb made 20 relief appearances for Brooklyn and went 1-2 with a save and a 2.63 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings of work. He earned his first professional win on July 16 by hurling 1 2/3 scoreless innings and striking out four against State College.

Cobb ended his OSU career as the program's all-time leader in appearances with 92, and he ranks sixth all-time on the Cowboys with 11 saves.

J.R. Davis, Peoria Chiefs (Cardinals) – OSU Career: 2016
Following his lone season with the Cowboys in 2016 in which he led OSU in hitting and was an All-Big 12 First Team selection, Davis signed a pro contract after being drafted in the 15^th round by St. Louis.

Named to the 2017 Midwest League Mid-Season All-Star Team, Davis hit .245 with four homers, 18 doubles and 32 RBIs this season for Peoria, which he helped lead to the first round of the Midwest League Playoffs.

Davis' first pro season in 2016 saw him named an Appalachian League Post-Season All-Star after hitting .333 with 11 stolen bases for the Rookie League Johnson City Cardinals.

Thomas Hatch, Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Cubs) – OSU Career: 2014-16
A third-round pick by the Chicago Cubs after an All-American season at OSU in 2016, Hatch made his professional debut this season. In 26 starts for Class A-Advanced Myrtle Beach, he was 5-11 with a 4.04 ERA, and he ranked seventh in the Carolina League with 126 strikeouts in 124 2/3 innings.

Hatch was named the Chicago Cubs' Minor League Pitcher of the Month in June after going 3-2 with a 0.98 ERA in five outings and allowing just three earned runs in 27 2/3 innings.

Hatch was the 2016 Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year after going 9-3 with a 2.14 ERA and tossing four complete games in 19 starts. He collected 112 strikeouts in 130 1/3 innings of work.

Garrett McCain, Connecticut Tigers (Tigers) – OSU Career: 2015-17
A 10^th-round draft pick of Detroit following an All-American junior season at OSU in 2017, McCain made his pro debut with Connecticut, the Tigers' Class A-Short Season club, on June 23 and went 1-for-4 at the plate.

In 53 games with the Tigers, McCain hit .259 with six doubles, three homers and 22 RBIs, and he was named a New York-Penn League Mid-Season All-Star.

Michael Mertz, Greensboro Grasshoppers (Marlins) – OSU Career: 2015-16
Following two seasons in an OSU uniform, Mertz signed with Miami after being drafted in the 14^th round. In 2016, he made 13 appearances between the Rookie League and Class A Short-Season levels.

Mertz thrived at Class A Greensboro this season, coming out of the bullpen in 39 of his 40 games for the Grasshoppers and going 9-1 with four saves and a 1.80 ERA to go along with 78 strikeouts in 75.0 innings. He recorded a save in a 2-1 win over Hickory on Sept. 4 that clinched a berth in the South Atlantic League playoffs.

Remey Reed, Batavia Muckdogs (Marlins) – OSU Career: 2015-16
A sixth-round pick of the Marlins in 2016, Reed made four relief appearances in his first pro season and went 1-0 at the Rookie League and Class A Short Season levels. He took the mound in 15 games (11 starts) for Batavia this season, pitching 50 2/3 innings and compiling a 3-4 record, 47strikeouts and a 4.44 ERA.

Reed made 47 appearances in two seasons with the Cowboys and went 7-3 with a save and a 2.53 ERA.

Collin Theroux, Beloit Snappers (Athletics) – OSU Career: 2016
A 32^nd-round draft pick, Theroux signed with Oakland after his lone season in an OSU uniform in 2016 and played in 18 games at the Rookie League and Class A levels.

Theroux returned to Class A Beloit in 2017 and hit .147 with 13 homers, 11 doubles and 30 RBIs in 84 games.

Donnie Walton, Modesto Nuts (Mariners) – OSU Career: 2013-16
A fifth-round pick of Seattle after an All-American senior season at OSU last year, Walton is playing at Class A-Advanced Modesto in 2017 and currently competing for the Nuts in the California League Championship series after they claimed the North Division title.

In 67 games for the Nuts this season, Walton is hitting .269 with two homers, 16 doubles and 24 RBIs.

Walton earned Northwest League Mid-Season All-Star honors in his first pro season at Class A Short Season Everett in 2016.

Garrett Williams, San Joes Giants (Giants) – OSU Career: 2014-16
Williams signed with San Francisco after being selected in the seventh round in 2016 and went 2-2 with a 5.01 ERA in 10 games in his first pro season.

In 2017, Williams was promoted to Class A-Advanced San Jose on July 31 and flourished with the move, going 2-2 with a 2.45 ERA in six appearances (five starts) and also racking up 38 strikeouts in 33.0 innings. He was named the California League Pitcher of the Week on Aug. 13 after tossing six scoreless innings and striking out eight in a win over Stockton.

Prior to San Jose, Williams pitched this season for Class A Augusta and was 4-3 with a 2.25 ERA in 12 outings (11 starts).

In 48 career appearances at OSU, Williams was 7-1 with two saves and a 5.42 ERA.

Three former Cowboys completed their 2017 seasons on Rookie League rosters.

Blake Battenfield, Great Falls Voyagers (White Sox) – OSU Career: 2014-2017
Battenfield signed with Chicago after being a 17^th-round draft pick of Chicago in June. He made his pro debut on June 20 and tossed a scoreless inning in relief while striking out a pair; he earned his first professional win on Aug. 8 by striking out three in two innings of work against Ogden.

In 21 relief appearances for the Voyagers, Battenfield has worked 31 1/3 innings, going 1-4 with a 4.88 ERA and 40 strikeouts, and he has helped lead Great Falls to a berth in the Pioneer League Championship Series.

Battenfield ended his OSU career sixth all time in appearances with 79 and was 10-6 with five saves and a 3.55 ERA during his time in Stillwater.

Tyler Buffett, Billings Mustangs (Reds) – OSU Career: 2014-2017
Buffett was OSU's highest draft pick in 2017 as he was chosen by Cincinnati in the sixth round following his senior season. The right-hander made his debut in the Rookie League on June 21, and he picked up his first save as a pro with a scoreless inning on June 23. Four days later, he earned his first-career win after working two innings of relief.

In 22 relief appearances with Billings, Buffett posted a 4-2 record, three saves and a 3.86 ERA in 44 1/3 innings of work.

Buffett's four seasons in an OSU uniform saw him record 20 wins, nine saves and 226 strikeouts, and he ranks in the top 10 on the Cowboys' all-time lists in appearances (87) and innings pitched (275 2/3).

Conor Costello, Ogden Raptors (Dodgers) – OSU Career: 2013-2016
Costello spent time with two different Rookie League teams in 2016 after signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization following his senior season at OSU. He returned to Ogden this season and has made 22 relief appearances, tossing 30 2/3 innings and posting a 5-4 record while recording 25 strikeouts.

Costello has helped Ogden to a berth in the Pioneer League Championship Series; he struck out two in two innings of work in last night's South Championship Series clinching win over Orem.

After being used as an outfielder, DH and pitcher in Stillwater, Costello has made the full-time move to the mound in pro ball and was 2-1 with a 6.23 ERA in 12 relief outings last season.

One former Cowboy spent 2017 in the Mexican League at its Triple A level.

Corey Brown, Toros de Tijuana – OSU Career: 2005-07
After spending 2016 with the Triple A Oklahoma City Dodgers, Brown traveled to Mexico and capped an impressive season by leading the Toros to a Mexican League championship. Named a Mid-Season All-Star, the outfielder hit .291 and ranked second in the league with 24 homers. He also recorded 23 doubles, four triples and 85 RBIs in 106 games while posting a .562 slugging percentage.

The 2017 season was Brown's 11^th as a professional, and he owns a .262 career batting average to go along with 206 homers and 666 RBIs.

Brown spent parts of three seasons with the Washington Nationals (2011-13) and played in three games for the Red Sox in 2014. He's appeared in 39 games at the Major League Baseball level and hit .171 with two homers and four RBIs in those games.

For informative links on former Cowboys in the pros, click here.