Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys In The Pros
September 10, 2014 | Cowboy Baseball
Oklahoma State currently has four players on active Major League Baseball rosters, and a pair of former Cowboys are big league managers — Robin Ventura (Chicago White Sox) and John Farrell (Boston).
Scott Baker, RHP – Texas Rangers
After missing much of the last two seasons with injuries, Baker has appeared in 24 games (seven starts) for Texas this season and is 3-4 with a 5.52 ERA. The righty has picked up wins in three of his last four outings.
In nine big league seasons, Baker is 66-52 with a 4.24 ERA in 190 games.
Andrew Heaney, LHP – Miami Marlins
The ninth overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft, Heaney made his major league debut in June and made four starts for the Marlins, going 0-3 before being sent back down to Triple A New Orleans.
However, the Marlins recalled Heaney on Sept. 2, and while he has yet to make an appearance, he's expected to help bolster their pitching staff as they eye a playoff run.
Heaney, who began the year in Double A, has been impressive in the minors. After earning Southern League Mid-Season All-Star honors, he's made 15 starts at Triple A New Orleans and was 5-4 with a 3.87 ERA to go along with a shutout and 91 strikeouts in 83.2 innings of work.
Tyler Lyons, LHP – St. Louis Cardinals
Lyons has had several big league stints in St. Louis this season after making his MLB debut in 2013, and he's currently back on the active roster. His latest outing came on Sept. 5 as he came out of the bullpen and worked a scoreless inning and recorded a strikeout.
In nine appearances with the Cardinals this season, including four starts, the lefty is 0-3 with a 4.54 ERA and has recorded 33 strikeouts in 33.2 innings.
Jordy Mercer, SS – Pittsburgh Pirates
Now in his MLB third season, Mercer has become a fixture at shortstop in the Pirates' lineup. In 133 games, he's hitting .260 with 11 homers and 50 RBIs to go along with 24 doubles and a .305 on-base percentage.
In the Pirates' last 10 games, Mercer is hitting .289 (11-for-38) and has had a power surge with four home runs. He's currently on a four-game hitting streak, with multiple hits in three of those games and multi-RBI efforts in two of them.
Mercer's hot hitting of late has helped Pittsburgh move into one of the top two spots in the NL Wild Card standings. The Pirates are just four games back of St. Louis in the National League Central Division standings, and they are two games back in the NL Wild Card standings.
A strong crop of former Cowboys competed at the minor league level in 2014, including seven at the Double or Triple A levels. The minor league regular seasons are now over, and the following is a wrap-up of the '14 seasons of former Cowboys.
Corey Brown, OF – Pawtucket Red Sox (Triple A - Red Sox)
In 91 games at Pawtucket, Brown hit .231 and recorded 17 homers and 42 RBIs to go along with 15 doubles.
Andrew Oliver, LHP – Indianapolis Indians (Triple A - Pirates)
In 48 relief appearances, Oliver was 3-4 with a 2.53 ERA and 13 saves in 16 opportunities. A Mid-Season International League All-Star, the southpaw racked up 85 strikeouts in 64 innings.
Scott Richmond, RHP – Round Rock Express (Triple A - Rangers)
Richmond made 21 appearances, including nine starts, and was 1-6 with a 7.65 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 57.2 innings.
Tom Belza, OF – Mobile BayBears (Double A - Diamondbacks)
Belza recently completed his fifth professional season and was named a Post-Season Southern League All-Star after hitting .305 with 21 doubles and 31 RBIs to go along with a .387 on-base percentage for the Mobile BayBears.
Luis Flores, C – Tennessee Smokies (Double A - Cubs)
Flores split time between Triple A Iowa and Double A Tennessee in 2014. In 31 games at Iowa, he hit .253 with two home runs and eight RBIs. He played in 36 games for the Smokies and hit .252 with three homers and 13 RBIs.
Jason Hursh, RHP – Mississippi Braves (Double A - Braves)
Hursh, a first-round draft pick of Atlanta in 2013, spent his second professional season in Double A. In 27 games, 26 of which he started, the righty was 11-7 with a 3.58 ERA.
Mike Strong, LHP – Huntsville Stars (Double A - Brewers)
Strong spent most of the year at Class A Advanced Brevard County and was 2-2 with four saves and a 2.50 ERA in 30 games. He appeared in one game with Huntsville, striking out six in four scoreless innings.
Brendan McCurry, RHP – Stockton Ports (Class A Advanced - A's)
McCurry was a man on the move after setting OSU's single-season and career saves records just a few months ago. Drafted in the 22nd round after leading the Cowboys to a 2014 Super Regional, McCurry began his pro career in Rookie ball but finished it pitching at the Class A Advanced level.
In 17 games with three different teams, McCurry was 2-0 with a pair of saves and a 0.31 ERA. He's recorded 37 strikeouts in 28.2 innings.
Vince Wheeland, RHP – Tri-City ValleyCats (Class A Short Season - Astros)
Wheeland made 15 relief appearances for Tri-City and was 1-1 with a 5.89 ERA. He recorded 10 strikeouts in 18.1 innings.
Zach Fish, OF – Great Falls Voyagers (Rookie – White Sox)
The 2014 Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, Fish got off to slow start in the pros but picked it up and turned in a solid rookie performance. In 54 games, he hit .255 with five homers and 21 RBIs to go along with 11 doubles and a .339 on-base percentage.
Tanner Krietemeier, 1B – Danville Braves (Rookie – Braves)
Krietemeier played at both the Class A and Rookie League levels. At Class A Rome, he hit .254 with 13 RBIs in 19 games, while he hit .280 and drove in six runs for the Braves' Rookie League team in Danville.
