Oklahoma State University Athletics
Koda Glover
Photo by: Washington Nationals
Cowboy Baseball In The Pros, Sept. 1
September 01, 2016 | Cowboy Baseball
Oklahoma State currently has 18 former players on professional baseball rosters, including a pair of active big leaguers in Pittsburgh shortstop Jordy Mercer and Washington pitcher Koda Glover.
Two ex-OSU stars are Major League Baseball managers — Robin Ventura of the Chicago White Sox and John Farrell with the Boston Red Sox. Farrell has guided Boston to a 74-59 record, and the Red Sox are in second place in the American League East standings, two games back of Toronto. Under Ventura, the White Sox own a 63-69 mark.
Koda Glover, Washington Nationals – OSU Career: 2015
In just his second professional season, Glover rocketed through the Nationals farm system and is now in his second stint in Washington. The right-hander made his Major League Baseball debut on July 20 and after briefly returning to Triple A, was called back up to the big leagues on Aug. 17.
In nine appearances with the Nationals, Glover is 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA and has racked up 10 strikeouts in 11 innings. He recorded his first big league win on Aug. 19 vs. Atlanta.
Glover has spent time at four different levels in 2016, opening the season at Class A Advanced Potomac before also making stops at the Double A and Triple A levels prior to jumping to the big leagues.
Andrew Heaney, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – OSU Career: 2010-12
Heaney underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery on July 1. The southpaw had been on the disabled list since his first start of the season on April 5.
Heaney is coming off a 2015 season, his first with the Angels, in which he went 6-4 with a 3.59 ERA in 18 starts.
Tyler Lyons, St. Louis Cardinals – OSU Career: 2007-10
Lyons went on the disabled list with a right knee stress fracture in early August and is now on the 60-day DL and will not pitch during the remainder of the regular season.
Lyons made 30 relief appearances for St. Louis this season and was 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 48.0 innings.
For his MLB career, which spans parts of four seasons with the Cardinals, Lyons is 7-9 with a 4.05 ERA in 70 appearances, including 20 starts.
Jordy Mercer, Pittsburgh Pirates – OSU Career: 2006-08
In his fifth year in the big leagues, Mercer is enjoying one of his best seasons. The Pirates' starting shortstop, Mercer is hitting .260 with 10 home runs, 19 doubles and 51 RBIs in 126 games; he is just two homers and four RBIs shy of career highs. He also owns a .987 fielding percentage, having committed just seven errors on the year.
In five seasons with Pittsburgh, Mercer is a career .258 hitter with 34 homers, 94 doubles and 172 RBIs in 536 games.
Five former Cowboys are currently at the Triple A level.
Tim Arakawa, Inland Empire 66ers (Angels) – OSU Career: 2014-15
Arakawa has spent time at the Class A Advanced, Double A and Triple A levels this season and is currently back in Triple A Salt Lake, where he is hitting .146 with a pair of RBIs in 15 games this season.
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.
Earlier this season, Arakawa turned in a 21-game hitting streak, the longest by an Inland Empire player since current Angels' slugger CJ Cron in 2012. Arakawa batted .393 during the streak.
A 23rd-round draft pick of the Angels in 2015, Arakawa split time between the Rookie League and Class A level a year ago and hit .278 with four homers and 31 RBIs.
Corey Brown, Oklahoma City Dodgers (Dodgers) – OSU Career: 2005-07
Brown joined the Los Angeles Dodgers organization in the offseason after spending 2015 in the Tampa Bay system and has helped lead Oklahoma City to a PCL American Northern Division title. In 112 games with Oklahoma City, he is hitting .246 with 21 homers, 20 doubles, seven triples and 68 RBIs. His 21 round trippers is tied for eighth most in the PCL this season.
Now in his 10th season in the minor leagues, Brown owns a .259 career average to go along with 180 homers and 579 RBIs.
Brown spent parts of three seasons with the Washington Nationals 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.
Jason Hursh, Gwinnett Braves (Braves) – OSU Career: 2011-13
Hursh is currently at Triple A Gwinnett after making his Major League Baseball debut last month, when he pitched 1 1/3 innings in a pair of relief appearances for Atlanta. He is currently on Atlanta's 40-man roster.
In seven appearances at Gwinnett, Hursh owns a 0.69 ERA in 13.0 innings of work. He spent the majority of 2016 at Double A Mississippi, where he was 3-2 with three saves and a 2.05 ERA in 35 relief appearances.
A first-round pick in 2013, 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 Mississippi.
Brendan McCurry, Fresno Grizzlies (Astros) – OSU Career: 2013-14
Another Cowboy on the cusp of the big leagues is Brendan McCurry, who made 28 appearances at Double A this season before moving up to Fresno on June 20. In 25 relief appearances with the Grizzlies, the righty is 1-1 with two saves and a 3.18 ERA.
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 6-8 with 44 saves and a 2.00 ERA in three professional seasons.
Andrew Oliver, Norfolk Tides (Orioles) – OSU Career: 2007-09
Oliver is 3-1 with a 2.99 ERA in 27 appearances for Norfolk, which includes 13 starts. In 84 1/3 innings for the Tides, the southpaw has recorded 82 strikeouts.
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's played for five minor league teams in seven seasons and is 37-40 with a 3.94 ERA and 14 saves in 222 appearances.
At the Double A level, a pair of OSU baseball alums are looking to move up the ranks.
Tom Belza, Biloxi Shuckers (Brewers) – OSU Career: 2008-10
After spending his first six-plus seasons in the Arizona organization, Belza was released on July 10 but signed a minor league contract with Milwaukee 10 days later and was assigned to Biloxi. In 27 games with the Shuckers, Belza is hitting .250 with three doubles and eight RBIs.
A 2014 Southern League Postseason All-Star, Belza is in his seventh minor league season and is a career .274 hitter in 664 games.
Michael Freeman, Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros) – OSU Career: 2014-15
In his second pro season, Freeman has made 35 relief appearances and is 3-3 with a 7.52 ERA and two saves in 52 2/3 innings.
Freeman was a seventh-round draft pick by Houston in 2015 after being named the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year as a senior at OSU.
The Cowboys have six former stars playing for Class A teams, including one at the Class A-Advanced level.
Gage Green, Great Lakes Loons (Dodgers) – OSU Career: 2012-15
In his second minor league season, Green has played in 96 games for Great Lakes and is hitting .213 with seven homers, seven doubles and 24 RBIs.
A two-time All-Big 12 First Team catcher and 35th-round pick of Los Angeles, Green played at three different levels in his first pro season in 2015 and hit .339 with four homers and 35 RBIs.
Michael Mertz, Batavia Muckdogs (Marlins) – OSU Career: 2015-16
Following two seasons in an OSU uniform, Mertz signed with Miami after being drafted in the 14th round last June. He made three appearances at the Rookie League level before moving to Class A Short Season Batavia, where he is 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA in 11 games, including five starts.
Jon Perrin, Brevard County Manatees (Brewers) – OSU Career: 2012-15
In his second professional season, Perrin moved up to the Class A-Advanced level in early May and has made 19 appearances (16 starts) for Brevard County, going 2-8 with a 2.60 ERA and striking out 95 in 110 2/3 innings.
In two pro seasons, Perrin has made 38 career appearances, 31 of those starts, and is 6-14 with a 2.84 ERA and 1484 strikeouts in 196 1/3 innings.
Remey Reed, Batavia Muckdogs (Marlins) – OSU Career: 2015-16
A sixth-round pick of the Marlins, Reed made three relief appearances and went 1-0 at the Rookie League level before moving to Class A Short Season. He worked 1 1/3 innings in his lone appearance at Batavia and is currently on the disabled list.
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
Theroux signed with Oakland after his lone season in an OSU uniform. A 32nd-round draft pick, Theroux hit .156 in 11 games in the Rookie League before moving to Beloit, where he has played in three games.
Donnie Walton, Everett AquaSox (Mariners) – OSU Career: 2013-16
A fifth-round pick of Seattle, Walton was named a Northwest League Mid-Season All-Star and is hitting .293 with five homers, seven doubles and 23 RBIs in 39 games for the AquaSox, who recently clinched a second-half division title.
Walton is on a tear of late. He's in the midst of a six-game hitting streak during which he has multiple hits in five of those games and has homered twice while recording seven RBIs.
An All-American and three-time All-Big 12 First Team performer in his four seasons with the Cowboys, Walton ended his career in the top 10 on OSU's all-time lists in a number of categories, including hits and games played.
Garrett Williams, Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (Giants) – OSU Career: 2014-16
Williams signed with San Francisco after being selected in the seventh round last June. The southpaw was 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA at the Rookie League level and has compiled a 1-1 mark and 4.63 ERA in six starts with Class A Short Season Salem-Keizer.
In 48 career appearances at OSU, Williams was 7-1 with two saves and a 5.42 ERA.
A trio of Cowboys are competing at the Rookie League level.
Kevin Bradley, AZL Indians (Indians) – OSU Career: 2015
Bradley spent one season in Stillwater, hitting .281 with three homers and 23 RBIs in 49 games, and signed a professional contract despite going undrafted.
In eight games this season, Bradley has had 15 at-bats and recorded an RBI triple.
Conor Costello, Ogden Raptors (Dodgers) – OSU Career: 2013-2016
Costello has spent time with two different Rookie League teams since joining the Los Angeles organization following his senior season at OSU.
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 is 2-1 with a 3.14 ERA in 10 relief appearances. He has recorded 12 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings.
J.R. Davis, Johnson City Cardinals (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 15th round by St. Louis.
Davis was recently named an Appalachian League Post-Season All-Star and is hitting .337 with three homers, nine doubles, two triples, 11 stolen bases and 12 RBIs in 45 games.
For informative links on former Cowboys in the pros, click here.
Two ex-OSU stars are Major League Baseball managers — Robin Ventura of the Chicago White Sox and John Farrell with the Boston Red Sox. Farrell has guided Boston to a 74-59 record, and the Red Sox are in second place in the American League East standings, two games back of Toronto. Under Ventura, the White Sox own a 63-69 mark.
Koda Glover, Washington Nationals – OSU Career: 2015
In just his second professional season, Glover rocketed through the Nationals farm system and is now in his second stint in Washington. The right-hander made his Major League Baseball debut on July 20 and after briefly returning to Triple A, was called back up to the big leagues on Aug. 17.
In nine appearances with the Nationals, Glover is 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA and has racked up 10 strikeouts in 11 innings. He recorded his first big league win on Aug. 19 vs. Atlanta.
Glover has spent time at four different levels in 2016, opening the season at Class A Advanced Potomac before also making stops at the Double A and Triple A levels prior to jumping to the big leagues.
Andrew Heaney, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – OSU Career: 2010-12
Heaney underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery on July 1. The southpaw had been on the disabled list since his first start of the season on April 5.
Heaney is coming off a 2015 season, his first with the Angels, in which he went 6-4 with a 3.59 ERA in 18 starts.
Tyler Lyons, St. Louis Cardinals – OSU Career: 2007-10
Lyons went on the disabled list with a right knee stress fracture in early August and is now on the 60-day DL and will not pitch during the remainder of the regular season.
Lyons made 30 relief appearances for St. Louis this season and was 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 48.0 innings.
For his MLB career, which spans parts of four seasons with the Cardinals, Lyons is 7-9 with a 4.05 ERA in 70 appearances, including 20 starts.
Jordy Mercer, Pittsburgh Pirates – OSU Career: 2006-08
In his fifth year in the big leagues, Mercer is enjoying one of his best seasons. The Pirates' starting shortstop, Mercer is hitting .260 with 10 home runs, 19 doubles and 51 RBIs in 126 games; he is just two homers and four RBIs shy of career highs. He also owns a .987 fielding percentage, having committed just seven errors on the year.
In five seasons with Pittsburgh, Mercer is a career .258 hitter with 34 homers, 94 doubles and 172 RBIs in 536 games.
Five former Cowboys are currently at the Triple A level.
Tim Arakawa, Inland Empire 66ers (Angels) – OSU Career: 2014-15
Arakawa has spent time at the Class A Advanced, Double A and Triple A levels this season and is currently back in Triple A Salt Lake, where he is hitting .146 with a pair of RBIs in 15 games this season.
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.
Earlier this season, Arakawa turned in a 21-game hitting streak, the longest by an Inland Empire player since current Angels' slugger CJ Cron in 2012. Arakawa batted .393 during the streak.
A 23rd-round draft pick of the Angels in 2015, Arakawa split time between the Rookie League and Class A level a year ago and hit .278 with four homers and 31 RBIs.
Corey Brown, Oklahoma City Dodgers (Dodgers) – OSU Career: 2005-07
Brown joined the Los Angeles Dodgers organization in the offseason after spending 2015 in the Tampa Bay system and has helped lead Oklahoma City to a PCL American Northern Division title. In 112 games with Oklahoma City, he is hitting .246 with 21 homers, 20 doubles, seven triples and 68 RBIs. His 21 round trippers is tied for eighth most in the PCL this season.
Now in his 10th season in the minor leagues, Brown owns a .259 career average to go along with 180 homers and 579 RBIs.
Brown spent parts of three seasons with the Washington Nationals 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.
Jason Hursh, Gwinnett Braves (Braves) – OSU Career: 2011-13
Hursh is currently at Triple A Gwinnett after making his Major League Baseball debut last month, when he pitched 1 1/3 innings in a pair of relief appearances for Atlanta. He is currently on Atlanta's 40-man roster.
In seven appearances at Gwinnett, Hursh owns a 0.69 ERA in 13.0 innings of work. He spent the majority of 2016 at Double A Mississippi, where he was 3-2 with three saves and a 2.05 ERA in 35 relief appearances.
A first-round pick in 2013, 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 Mississippi.
Brendan McCurry, Fresno Grizzlies (Astros) – OSU Career: 2013-14
Another Cowboy on the cusp of the big leagues is Brendan McCurry, who made 28 appearances at Double A this season before moving up to Fresno on June 20. In 25 relief appearances with the Grizzlies, the righty is 1-1 with two saves and a 3.18 ERA.
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 6-8 with 44 saves and a 2.00 ERA in three professional seasons.
Andrew Oliver, Norfolk Tides (Orioles) – OSU Career: 2007-09
Oliver is 3-1 with a 2.99 ERA in 27 appearances for Norfolk, which includes 13 starts. In 84 1/3 innings for the Tides, the southpaw has recorded 82 strikeouts.
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's played for five minor league teams in seven seasons and is 37-40 with a 3.94 ERA and 14 saves in 222 appearances.
At the Double A level, a pair of OSU baseball alums are looking to move up the ranks.
Tom Belza, Biloxi Shuckers (Brewers) – OSU Career: 2008-10
After spending his first six-plus seasons in the Arizona organization, Belza was released on July 10 but signed a minor league contract with Milwaukee 10 days later and was assigned to Biloxi. In 27 games with the Shuckers, Belza is hitting .250 with three doubles and eight RBIs.
A 2014 Southern League Postseason All-Star, Belza is in his seventh minor league season and is a career .274 hitter in 664 games.
Michael Freeman, Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros) – OSU Career: 2014-15
In his second pro season, Freeman has made 35 relief appearances and is 3-3 with a 7.52 ERA and two saves in 52 2/3 innings.
Freeman was a seventh-round draft pick by Houston in 2015 after being named the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year as a senior at OSU.
The Cowboys have six former stars playing for Class A teams, including one at the Class A-Advanced level.
Gage Green, Great Lakes Loons (Dodgers) – OSU Career: 2012-15
In his second minor league season, Green has played in 96 games for Great Lakes and is hitting .213 with seven homers, seven doubles and 24 RBIs.
A two-time All-Big 12 First Team catcher and 35th-round pick of Los Angeles, Green played at three different levels in his first pro season in 2015 and hit .339 with four homers and 35 RBIs.
Michael Mertz, Batavia Muckdogs (Marlins) – OSU Career: 2015-16
Following two seasons in an OSU uniform, Mertz signed with Miami after being drafted in the 14th round last June. He made three appearances at the Rookie League level before moving to Class A Short Season Batavia, where he is 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA in 11 games, including five starts.
Jon Perrin, Brevard County Manatees (Brewers) – OSU Career: 2012-15
In his second professional season, Perrin moved up to the Class A-Advanced level in early May and has made 19 appearances (16 starts) for Brevard County, going 2-8 with a 2.60 ERA and striking out 95 in 110 2/3 innings.
In two pro seasons, Perrin has made 38 career appearances, 31 of those starts, and is 6-14 with a 2.84 ERA and 1484 strikeouts in 196 1/3 innings.
Remey Reed, Batavia Muckdogs (Marlins) – OSU Career: 2015-16
A sixth-round pick of the Marlins, Reed made three relief appearances and went 1-0 at the Rookie League level before moving to Class A Short Season. He worked 1 1/3 innings in his lone appearance at Batavia and is currently on the disabled list.
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
Theroux signed with Oakland after his lone season in an OSU uniform. A 32nd-round draft pick, Theroux hit .156 in 11 games in the Rookie League before moving to Beloit, where he has played in three games.
Donnie Walton, Everett AquaSox (Mariners) – OSU Career: 2013-16
A fifth-round pick of Seattle, Walton was named a Northwest League Mid-Season All-Star and is hitting .293 with five homers, seven doubles and 23 RBIs in 39 games for the AquaSox, who recently clinched a second-half division title.
Walton is on a tear of late. He's in the midst of a six-game hitting streak during which he has multiple hits in five of those games and has homered twice while recording seven RBIs.
An All-American and three-time All-Big 12 First Team performer in his four seasons with the Cowboys, Walton ended his career in the top 10 on OSU's all-time lists in a number of categories, including hits and games played.
Garrett Williams, Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (Giants) – OSU Career: 2014-16
Williams signed with San Francisco after being selected in the seventh round last June. The southpaw was 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA at the Rookie League level and has compiled a 1-1 mark and 4.63 ERA in six starts with Class A Short Season Salem-Keizer.
In 48 career appearances at OSU, Williams was 7-1 with two saves and a 5.42 ERA.
A trio of Cowboys are competing at the Rookie League level.
Kevin Bradley, AZL Indians (Indians) – OSU Career: 2015
Bradley spent one season in Stillwater, hitting .281 with three homers and 23 RBIs in 49 games, and signed a professional contract despite going undrafted.
In eight games this season, Bradley has had 15 at-bats and recorded an RBI triple.
Conor Costello, Ogden Raptors (Dodgers) – OSU Career: 2013-2016
Costello has spent time with two different Rookie League teams since joining the Los Angeles organization following his senior season at OSU.
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 is 2-1 with a 3.14 ERA in 10 relief appearances. He has recorded 12 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings.
J.R. Davis, Johnson City Cardinals (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 15th round by St. Louis.
Davis was recently named an Appalachian League Post-Season All-Star and is hitting .337 with three homers, nine doubles, two triples, 11 stolen bases and 12 RBIs in 45 games.
For informative links on former Cowboys in the pros, click here.
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