Oklahoma State University Athletics
Photo by: Scott Wachtner, San Diego Padres
Cowboy Baseball In The Pros, Aug. 19
August 19, 2015 | Cowboy Baseball
Oklahoma State currently has 19 former players on professional baseball rosters, including four big leaguers in Toronto infielder Matt Hague, St. Louis pitcher Tyler Lyons, Pittsburgh shortstop Jordy Mercer and Los Angeles Angels pitcher Andrew Heaney. Two ex-OSU stars are MLB managers — Robin Ventura of the Chicago White Sox and John Farrell* with the Boston Red Sox (*Farrell was recently diagnosed with lymphoma and will not serve as Boston manager the remainder of the 2015 season as he undergoes chemotherapy).
Matt Hague, Toronto Blue Jays – OSU Career: 2008
Hague was called up by Toronto on Aug. 17 after wearing out International League pitching this season and living up to "The Hit Collector" nickname given to him by Pirates manager Clint Hurdle. In 121 games with the Buffalo Bisons, Hague led the International League with a .348 batting average (35 points higher than the next closest), 161 hits, 83 RBIs, 223 total bases and a .427 on-base percentage. He also ranked in the top five in the league in doubles (30), slugging percentage (.482), runs (67) and walks (57).
An International League midseason All-Star and the International League Player of the Month in July, Hague produced 51 multi-hit performances and recorded a 37-game streak of reaching base safely earlier this season.
Hague has two years of MLB experience with Pittsburgh in 2012 and 2014, where he played in 32 games and hit .222 with seven RBIs.
Andrew Heaney, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – OSU Career: 2010-12
Heaney was called up to the Angels on June 24 and has excelled as a member of Los Angeles' starting rotation. In 10 starts, the southpaw is 5-1 with a 2.43 ERA and has recorded 44 strikeouts and only 10 walks in 63.0 innings.
Heaney, who was named the American League Rookie of the Month for July after going 4-0 with a 1.98 ERA in four starts, has allowed more than two runs just once in 10 starts and has worked at least 5 1/3 innings each outing.
Tyler Lyons, St. Louis Cardinals – OSU Career: 2007-10
Lyons has bounced between Triple A Memphis and the big league club in St. Louis this season but is currently back up with the Cardinals.
Since rejoining the team on Aug. 7, Lyons has made a pair of relief appearances and worked 6 1/3 scoreless innings. In previous stints with St. Louis this season, Lyons made six starts and was 2-1 with a 5.02 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 28.2 innings of work.
For his MLB career, which spans parts of three seasons with the Cardinals, Lyons is 4-9 with a 4.48 ERA in 31 appearances, including 18 starts.
Jordy Mercer, Pittsburgh Pirates – OSU Career: 2006-08
Mercer has been on the disabled list since July 20 after suffering a lower leg contusion and sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during a play at second base, but he is now back in action on a rehab assignment at Triple A Indianapolis and has played in five games, going 3-for-17 at the plate.
In 80 games with Pittsburgh this season, his fourth in the big leagues, Mercer is hitting .242 with two home runs, 14 doubles and 19 RBIs, and over his last 30 games, his average is .266. He also owns a .981 fielding percentage and has committed just seven errors on the year.
Mercer established himself as Pittsburgh's starting shortstop last season, playing in 149 games and hitting .255 with 12 home runs and 55 RBIs.
In 374 career games with Pittsburgh, Mercer is hitting .258 with 23 homers, 62 doubles and 106 RBIs.
Five former Cowboys are currently at the Triple A level.
Scott Baker, Oklahoma City Dodgers (Dodgers) – OSU Career: 2001-03
Baker started the season with Oklahoma City and after going 1-1 with a 1.06 ERA and a complete game shutout, the right-hander was called up to Los Angeles. In two starts with the Dodgers, he was 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA before being designated for assignment by the club. He's now back in OKC, where he's 7-3 with a 3.39 ERA and two complete games in 13 starts but has been on the disabled list since early July.
Baker has played parts of 10 seasons in the big leagues with Minnesota, the Chicago Cubs, Texas and the Dodgers and is 66-53 with a 4.26 ERA.
Corey Brown, Durham Bulls (Rays) – OSU Career: 2005-07
Brown joined his hometown Tampa Bay organization in the offseason after spending 2014 in the Boston system. He is hitting .221 with 16 home runs and 48 RBIs in 98 games this season, with his 16 round trippers ranking fourth in the International League.
In nine seasons in the minor leagues, Brown owns a .258 career average to go along with 156 homers and 499 RBIs.
Brown spent parts of three seasons with the Washington Nationals and played in three games for the Red Sox last year. He's appeared in 39 games at the Major League Baseball level and is hitting .171 with two homers and four RBIs in those games.
Jason Hursh, Gwinnett Braves (Braves) – OSU Career: 2011-13
Hursh was called up to Triple A Gwinnett on Aug. 6 after making 24 appearances at Double A Mississippi. In four relief appearances with Gwinnett, the righty has worked 5 2/3 scoreless innings.
Hursh was named the Atlanta Braves organization's minor league pitcher of the year in 2014 after going 11-7 with a 3.58 ERA in 27 games (26 starts) at Double A Mississippi.
Andrew Oliver, Norfolk Tides (Orioles) – OSU Career: 2007-09
Oliver is with a new team after opting out of his minor league deal with Tampa Bay last month and signing with Baltimore.
Oliver won his debut with the Norfolk Tides after pitching two scoreless innings of relief, and the southpaw is 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA in nine appearances with the team.
Prior to joining Norfolk, he made 21 relief appearances in Durham and was 1-1 with a save and a 3.86 ERA to go along with 32 strikeouts in 28 innings.
Oliver spent parts of two major league seasons in Detroit (2010-11), where he was 0-5 with a 7.11 ERA in seven starts; he played the 2013 and 2014 with Pittsburgh's Triple A affiliate in Indianapolis.
Mike Strong, Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Brewers) – OSU Career: 2010-11
Strong was called up to Colorado Springs on Aug. 1 after starring at Double A Biloxi for much of the season.
In six appearances with the Sky Sox, the southpaw is 1-1 with a 4.35 ERA and has struck out 10 in 10 1/3 innings of work.
Strong is in his fifth minor league season, all in the Brewers organization. In 38 relief appearances at Biloxi, he was 4-1 with five saves and a 2.54 ERA, and he recorded 49 strikeouts in 49.2 innings of work with opponents hitting just .167 against him.
At the Double A level, a pair of OSU baseball alums are looking to move up the ranks.
Tom Belza, Mobile BayBears (Diamondbacks) – OSU Career: 2008-10
Belza has spent time at both the Triple A and Double A levels in 2015 and is currently with Mobile, where he's hitting .236 with four homers and 16 RBIs in 76 games. At Triple A Reno earlier this season, he hit .162 in 16 games.
A 2014 Southern League Postseason All-Star, Belza is in his sixth minor league season and second with Mobile, where he hit .305 with 31 RBIs a year ago.
Brendan McCurry, Midland RockHounds (A's) – OSU Career: 2013-14
McCurry's standout season at Class A Advanced Stockton was rewarded in late July with a call up to Double A Midland, where he's continued to thrive.
In eight appearances with the RockHounds, the right-hander is 0-1 with two saves and a 1.69 ERA. He's struck out 16 in 10 2/3 innings, and opponents are hitting just .162 against him.
In 36 appearances at Stockton, McCurry was 1-2 with 21 saves — a total that led the California League — and a 1.94 ERA; he racked up 56 strikeouts in 46.1 innings and opponents hit only .182 against him.
An All-American for the Cowboys in 2014 and the school's all-time leader in saves, McCurry was 2-0 with two saves and a 0.34 ERA to go along with 34 strikeouts in 26.1 innings at Class A Beloit last year.
A pair of recent Cowboy stars is currently playing at the Class A Advanced level.
Michael Freeman, Lancaster JetHawks (Astros) – OSU Career: 2014-15
The 2015 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, Freeman has moved up to Class A Advanced Lancaster after going 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA in eight relief outings for Class A Quad Cities.
In four appearances at Lancaster, the southpaw has a 0.90 ERA and a pair of saves. Opponents are hitting only .121 against him, and he's recorded nine strikeouts in 10.0 innings of work.
Freeman was a seventh-round draft pick of Houston in June.
Tanner Krietemeier, Carolina Mudcats (Braves) – OSU Career: 2013-14
Krietemeier began the year at Class A Rome and hit .243 with a homer and 23 RBIs before moving up to the Braves' Class A Advanced team at Carolina. He's gone 9-for-30 at the plate in his last 10 games and is hitting .203 on the season.
A trio of Cowboys who completed their OSU careers in 2015 has moved from the Rookie League to the Class A level.
Tim Arakawa, Burlington Bees (Angels) – OSU Career: 2014-15
A 23rd-round draft pick of the Angels, Arakawa began his pro career at Orem in the Rookie League. After just four games there, he moved up to Class A Burlington, where he's hitting .296 with four home runs, 25 RBIs and a .432 slugging percentage in 45 games.
Koda Glover, Hagerstown Suns (Nationals) – OSU Career: 2015
Glover inked a pro contract following one season in Stillwater after Washington drafted him in the eighth round in June. He made three appearances and recorded a save for Auburn at the Class A-Short Season level before moving to Class A Hagerstown. In 13 outings for the Suns, he is 1-1 with three saves and a 1.83 ERA and has recorded 20 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings.
Jon Perrin, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers) – OSU Career: 2012-15
After going 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA in three appearances for the AZL Brewers in the Rookie League, Perrin is with Class A Wisconsin. In nine outings with the Timber Rattlers, including seven starts, the right-hander is 1-4 with a 3.89 ERA but has allowed only four earned runs in 29 innings over his last seven appearances.
OSU also has three former players in the Rookie League.
Bryan Case, AZL Giants (Giants) – OSU Career: 2014-15
A 27th-round draft pick by San Francisco, Case has played in four games for the Giants' Rookie League team and is hitting .188 with an RBI. He is currently on the disabled list.
Zach Fish, Great Falls Voyagers (White Sox) – OSU Career: 2012-14
The 2014 Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, Fish started the season at Class A Kannapolis where he hit .125 with a homer and 10 RBIS in 20 games. He is now playing for Great Falls of the Pioneer League and is hitting .294 with 10 homers and 33 RBIs in 42 games.
Fish spent his first professional season in 2014 in the outfield but has moved to catcher this year. He was named a Pioneer League All-Star, and he ranks third in the league in home runs. He was named the Pioneer League Player of the Week on July 20 after going 9-for-24 with four homers and nine RBIs in games the week of July 13-19.
Gage Green, Ogden Raptors (Dodgers) – OSU Career: 2012-15
A two-time All-Big 12 First Team catcher and 35th-round pick of Los Angeles, Green played in 14 games for the AZL Dodgers before joining the Ogden in the Pioneer League. In 34 games with the Raptors, Green is hitting .312 with a home run, 11 doubles and 16 RBIs, and he has been red-hot of late, going 12-for-34 (.353) with five RBIs in his last five games.
For informative links on former Cowboys in the pros, click here.
Matt Hague, Toronto Blue Jays – OSU Career: 2008
Hague was called up by Toronto on Aug. 17 after wearing out International League pitching this season and living up to "The Hit Collector" nickname given to him by Pirates manager Clint Hurdle. In 121 games with the Buffalo Bisons, Hague led the International League with a .348 batting average (35 points higher than the next closest), 161 hits, 83 RBIs, 223 total bases and a .427 on-base percentage. He also ranked in the top five in the league in doubles (30), slugging percentage (.482), runs (67) and walks (57).
An International League midseason All-Star and the International League Player of the Month in July, Hague produced 51 multi-hit performances and recorded a 37-game streak of reaching base safely earlier this season.
Hague has two years of MLB experience with Pittsburgh in 2012 and 2014, where he played in 32 games and hit .222 with seven RBIs.
Andrew Heaney, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – OSU Career: 2010-12
Heaney was called up to the Angels on June 24 and has excelled as a member of Los Angeles' starting rotation. In 10 starts, the southpaw is 5-1 with a 2.43 ERA and has recorded 44 strikeouts and only 10 walks in 63.0 innings.
Heaney, who was named the American League Rookie of the Month for July after going 4-0 with a 1.98 ERA in four starts, has allowed more than two runs just once in 10 starts and has worked at least 5 1/3 innings each outing.
Tyler Lyons, St. Louis Cardinals – OSU Career: 2007-10
Lyons has bounced between Triple A Memphis and the big league club in St. Louis this season but is currently back up with the Cardinals.
Since rejoining the team on Aug. 7, Lyons has made a pair of relief appearances and worked 6 1/3 scoreless innings. In previous stints with St. Louis this season, Lyons made six starts and was 2-1 with a 5.02 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 28.2 innings of work.
For his MLB career, which spans parts of three seasons with the Cardinals, Lyons is 4-9 with a 4.48 ERA in 31 appearances, including 18 starts.
Jordy Mercer, Pittsburgh Pirates – OSU Career: 2006-08
Mercer has been on the disabled list since July 20 after suffering a lower leg contusion and sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during a play at second base, but he is now back in action on a rehab assignment at Triple A Indianapolis and has played in five games, going 3-for-17 at the plate.
In 80 games with Pittsburgh this season, his fourth in the big leagues, Mercer is hitting .242 with two home runs, 14 doubles and 19 RBIs, and over his last 30 games, his average is .266. He also owns a .981 fielding percentage and has committed just seven errors on the year.
Mercer established himself as Pittsburgh's starting shortstop last season, playing in 149 games and hitting .255 with 12 home runs and 55 RBIs.
In 374 career games with Pittsburgh, Mercer is hitting .258 with 23 homers, 62 doubles and 106 RBIs.
Five former Cowboys are currently at the Triple A level.
Scott Baker, Oklahoma City Dodgers (Dodgers) – OSU Career: 2001-03
Baker started the season with Oklahoma City and after going 1-1 with a 1.06 ERA and a complete game shutout, the right-hander was called up to Los Angeles. In two starts with the Dodgers, he was 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA before being designated for assignment by the club. He's now back in OKC, where he's 7-3 with a 3.39 ERA and two complete games in 13 starts but has been on the disabled list since early July.
Baker has played parts of 10 seasons in the big leagues with Minnesota, the Chicago Cubs, Texas and the Dodgers and is 66-53 with a 4.26 ERA.
Corey Brown, Durham Bulls (Rays) – OSU Career: 2005-07
Brown joined his hometown Tampa Bay organization in the offseason after spending 2014 in the Boston system. He is hitting .221 with 16 home runs and 48 RBIs in 98 games this season, with his 16 round trippers ranking fourth in the International League.
In nine seasons in the minor leagues, Brown owns a .258 career average to go along with 156 homers and 499 RBIs.
Brown spent parts of three seasons with the Washington Nationals and played in three games for the Red Sox last year. He's appeared in 39 games at the Major League Baseball level and is hitting .171 with two homers and four RBIs in those games.
Jason Hursh, Gwinnett Braves (Braves) – OSU Career: 2011-13
Hursh was called up to Triple A Gwinnett on Aug. 6 after making 24 appearances at Double A Mississippi. In four relief appearances with Gwinnett, the righty has worked 5 2/3 scoreless innings.
Hursh was named the Atlanta Braves organization's minor league pitcher of the year in 2014 after going 11-7 with a 3.58 ERA in 27 games (26 starts) at Double A Mississippi.
Andrew Oliver, Norfolk Tides (Orioles) – OSU Career: 2007-09
Oliver is with a new team after opting out of his minor league deal with Tampa Bay last month and signing with Baltimore.
Oliver won his debut with the Norfolk Tides after pitching two scoreless innings of relief, and the southpaw is 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA in nine appearances with the team.
Prior to joining Norfolk, he made 21 relief appearances in Durham and was 1-1 with a save and a 3.86 ERA to go along with 32 strikeouts in 28 innings.
Oliver spent parts of two major league seasons in Detroit (2010-11), where he was 0-5 with a 7.11 ERA in seven starts; he played the 2013 and 2014 with Pittsburgh's Triple A affiliate in Indianapolis.
Mike Strong, Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Brewers) – OSU Career: 2010-11
Strong was called up to Colorado Springs on Aug. 1 after starring at Double A Biloxi for much of the season.
In six appearances with the Sky Sox, the southpaw is 1-1 with a 4.35 ERA and has struck out 10 in 10 1/3 innings of work.
Strong is in his fifth minor league season, all in the Brewers organization. In 38 relief appearances at Biloxi, he was 4-1 with five saves and a 2.54 ERA, and he recorded 49 strikeouts in 49.2 innings of work with opponents hitting just .167 against him.
At the Double A level, a pair of OSU baseball alums are looking to move up the ranks.
Tom Belza, Mobile BayBears (Diamondbacks) – OSU Career: 2008-10
Belza has spent time at both the Triple A and Double A levels in 2015 and is currently with Mobile, where he's hitting .236 with four homers and 16 RBIs in 76 games. At Triple A Reno earlier this season, he hit .162 in 16 games.
A 2014 Southern League Postseason All-Star, Belza is in his sixth minor league season and second with Mobile, where he hit .305 with 31 RBIs a year ago.
Brendan McCurry, Midland RockHounds (A's) – OSU Career: 2013-14
McCurry's standout season at Class A Advanced Stockton was rewarded in late July with a call up to Double A Midland, where he's continued to thrive.
In eight appearances with the RockHounds, the right-hander is 0-1 with two saves and a 1.69 ERA. He's struck out 16 in 10 2/3 innings, and opponents are hitting just .162 against him.
In 36 appearances at Stockton, McCurry was 1-2 with 21 saves — a total that led the California League — and a 1.94 ERA; he racked up 56 strikeouts in 46.1 innings and opponents hit only .182 against him.
An All-American for the Cowboys in 2014 and the school's all-time leader in saves, McCurry was 2-0 with two saves and a 0.34 ERA to go along with 34 strikeouts in 26.1 innings at Class A Beloit last year.
A pair of recent Cowboy stars is currently playing at the Class A Advanced level.
Michael Freeman, Lancaster JetHawks (Astros) – OSU Career: 2014-15
The 2015 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, Freeman has moved up to Class A Advanced Lancaster after going 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA in eight relief outings for Class A Quad Cities.
In four appearances at Lancaster, the southpaw has a 0.90 ERA and a pair of saves. Opponents are hitting only .121 against him, and he's recorded nine strikeouts in 10.0 innings of work.
Freeman was a seventh-round draft pick of Houston in June.
Tanner Krietemeier, Carolina Mudcats (Braves) – OSU Career: 2013-14
Krietemeier began the year at Class A Rome and hit .243 with a homer and 23 RBIs before moving up to the Braves' Class A Advanced team at Carolina. He's gone 9-for-30 at the plate in his last 10 games and is hitting .203 on the season.
A trio of Cowboys who completed their OSU careers in 2015 has moved from the Rookie League to the Class A level.
Tim Arakawa, Burlington Bees (Angels) – OSU Career: 2014-15
A 23rd-round draft pick of the Angels, Arakawa began his pro career at Orem in the Rookie League. After just four games there, he moved up to Class A Burlington, where he's hitting .296 with four home runs, 25 RBIs and a .432 slugging percentage in 45 games.
Koda Glover, Hagerstown Suns (Nationals) – OSU Career: 2015
Glover inked a pro contract following one season in Stillwater after Washington drafted him in the eighth round in June. He made three appearances and recorded a save for Auburn at the Class A-Short Season level before moving to Class A Hagerstown. In 13 outings for the Suns, he is 1-1 with three saves and a 1.83 ERA and has recorded 20 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings.
Jon Perrin, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers) – OSU Career: 2012-15
After going 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA in three appearances for the AZL Brewers in the Rookie League, Perrin is with Class A Wisconsin. In nine outings with the Timber Rattlers, including seven starts, the right-hander is 1-4 with a 3.89 ERA but has allowed only four earned runs in 29 innings over his last seven appearances.
OSU also has three former players in the Rookie League.
Bryan Case, AZL Giants (Giants) – OSU Career: 2014-15
A 27th-round draft pick by San Francisco, Case has played in four games for the Giants' Rookie League team and is hitting .188 with an RBI. He is currently on the disabled list.
Zach Fish, Great Falls Voyagers (White Sox) – OSU Career: 2012-14
The 2014 Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, Fish started the season at Class A Kannapolis where he hit .125 with a homer and 10 RBIS in 20 games. He is now playing for Great Falls of the Pioneer League and is hitting .294 with 10 homers and 33 RBIs in 42 games.
Fish spent his first professional season in 2014 in the outfield but has moved to catcher this year. He was named a Pioneer League All-Star, and he ranks third in the league in home runs. He was named the Pioneer League Player of the Week on July 20 after going 9-for-24 with four homers and nine RBIs in games the week of July 13-19.
Gage Green, Ogden Raptors (Dodgers) – OSU Career: 2012-15
A two-time All-Big 12 First Team catcher and 35th-round pick of Los Angeles, Green played in 14 games for the AZL Dodgers before joining the Ogden in the Pioneer League. In 34 games with the Raptors, Green is hitting .312 with a home run, 11 doubles and 16 RBIs, and he has been red-hot of late, going 12-for-34 (.353) with five RBIs in his last five games.
For informative links on former Cowboys in the pros, click here.
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