July 17, 2018
NASHVILLE – In total, 12 former Vanderbilt players have appeared in a Major League game this season, matching Arizona State for the most nationally. The Commodores lead the country with six pitchers who have made at least one start.
With the Major League Baseball All-Star break upon us, here’s a closer look at how the dozen fared during the first half of the season.
Pedro Alvarez (2006-08) – Baltimore Orioles
The 31-year-old, who signed a minor league deal with the Orioles prior to the season, has split time between Baltimore and the Triple-A Norfolk Tides this season. Alvarez is batting .302 (16-for-53) in 13 games with Norfolk and struck eight home runs while hitting .180 across 45 games in the bigs.
Tyler Beede (2012-14) – San Francisco Giants
Beede made his Major League debut on April 11, helping the Giants to a 5-4 victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 25-year-old, who made two starts with San Francisco, was optioned to the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats on May 31. The former first-round pick has not allowed an earned run in seven of his last nine outings.
Walker Buehler (2013-15) – Los Angeles Dodgers
Buehler has impressed in 11 games, including 10 starts, this season with the Dodgers. The 23-year-old, who has worked to recover from Tommy John surgery, owns a 4-2 record and 3.45 ERA in 57.1 innings pitched. The rookie, who was removed from the 10-day disabled list, made his first start since June 8 last Friday, holding the Los Angeles Angels to two runs on six hits across five innings.
Buehler’s Day On.
Walker Buehler and the @Dodgers throw a combined no-no to open the #MexicoSeries! pic.twitter.com/gmC61qryu7
— MLB (@MLB) May 5, 2018
Curt Casali (2008-11) – Cincinnati Reds
Casali was traded from the Tampa Bay Rays and has not disappointed. The catcher belted a home run and went 2-for-3 in his Reds’ debut on June 2. The 29-year-old batted .393 (11-for-28) in his first month with the team and has contributed a .310 average and .383 on-base percentage in 17 games.
Let us take this opportunity to remind you that @Curtcasali is 2-for-4 today and 11-for-27 (.407) as a Cincinnati Red. #RakeEmoji
Stretch time at STP, #Reds up 6-5. pic.twitter.com/SL9IouC8jM
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 27, 2018
Ryan Flaherty (2006-08) – Atlanta Braves
Flaherty started 23 of the club’s first 29 games and made a strong impact early on. Over his first 25 games, the 31-year-old batted .313, totaling 11 runs and nine RBIs. ‘Flash’ contributed a season-high four runs and two doubles on March 31 against the Philadelphia Phillies and a season-high four RBIs and his first home run of the season on April 18 against the Phillies. He enters the All-Star break batting .261 as a starter, helping Atlanta to a 17-14 record in those games. Flaherty has recorded a .364 on-base percentage in 32 home games.
Carson Fulmer (2013-15) – Chicago White Sox
Fulmer’s start to the season was up-and-down, highlighted by a seven-inning shutout performance at Kansas City on April 28. After recording a 4.32 ERA in six games (five starts) during April, the right-hander struggled in his next three starts and was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on May 19. Fulmer has limited opponents to three runs or fewer in seven of his 11 appearances with the Knights including three straight quality starts between May 25-June 5.
Sonny Gray (2009-11) – New York Yankees
Gray entered the All-Star break on a high note, continuing his dominance against Baltimore. The 28-year-old tossed six scoreless frames, limiting the Orioles to three hits on June 11. He retired 12 of the last 14 batters faced and did not allow a runner to reach scoring position after the second inning. The righty won two of his last three starts and lasted at least five innings in five of his last six outings.
Tony Kemp (2011-13) – Houston Astros
Kemp has been a sparkplug for the defending World Series Champions since being recalled on May 16. The Franklin, Tenn., native entered the All-Star break having recorded a hit in 12 of his last 16 starts while reaching base in 16 of his last 19 starts. Kemp trails only Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman with a .387 on-base percentage while batting .297 (35-for-118) with seven stolen bases in 10 tries. Kemp has started 50 games for the Astros at four different positions including 30 starts in left field.
Mike Minor (2007-09) – Texas Rangers
Minor leads the Rangers with six wins and is second — trailing only Cole Hamels — with 79 strikeouts. The southpaw went 2-1 with a 2.65 ERA in six straight starts from June 9-July 9 while limiting opponents to a .207 batting average during that span. The 30-year-old has worked 99.1 innings, already surpassing his inning total from 2017 (77.2) during his time as a reliever with Kansas City. Minor has worked seven innings three times and fanned a season-high nine batters at the White Sox on May 20.
David Price (2005-07) – Boston Red Sox
Price enters the All-Star break with a 10-6 record, helping the Red Sox become the first team since the 1977 Angels to have four 10-game winners before the All-Star break. The Red Sox went 10-2 in Price’s last 12 starts entering the break highlighted by nine consecutive starts (May 12-June 26) where the left-hander went 7-1 with a 2.72 ERA across 56.1 innings. During the stretch, the 32-year-old allowed three earned runs or fewer each time out, his longest since doing so in 10 straight games in 2015.
Dansby Swanson (2013-15) – Atlanta Braves
Swanson entered the break finding his stride. The 23-year-old batted .305 (18-for-59) over his final 17 games, dating to June 26. The shortstop is batting .327 (39-for-119) with runners on base and is hitting an impressive .362 (17-for-47) with three home runs in close and late situations. Swanson batted .287 (31-for-108) during the months of March and April. He has totaled eight multi-RBI performances and 19 multi-hit games while ranking third on the team with 20 two-out RBIs.
DANSBY WITH THE WALK-OFF!!
Dansby Swanson hits the walk-off single and gets the postgame interview with our @KelsWingert. #Braves | #ChopOn pic.twitter.com/kIRJCmZ3lm
— FOX Sports: Braves (@FOXSportsBraves) May 20, 2018
Drew VerHagen (2012) – Detroit Tigers
Verhagen has split time between Triple-A Toledo and Detroit, being activated by the Tigers on June 9 after spending time on the 10-day disabled list. Over his final six appearances (9.2 innings), the righty posted a 2.79 ERA. The 27-year-old capped the first half by limiting the Astros to one run and two hits in three innings to secure his first victory on July 15.
