Mormon Baseball

This April we begin the month looking forward to what comes from 12 men and a few more. We will watch what they do and say, perhaps learning some lessons from them. We may disagree and perhaps even be disappointed in what they do. But we will watch, and what we see will inform how we see the next six months. One of these men has already made a strong statement this week, raising our expectations for this year. Will our expectations be met?

I am, of course, referring to Bryce Harper, who began the year with back-t0-back home runs off of the Marlin’s Ricky Nolasco. Where exactly do you go from there?

But there are eleven other active players who began the season yesterday, two more on the DL, another two on the 40-man rosters of major league teams but who will start the year in the minors, and eleven more on minor league teams. There are also two minor league players who seem to be unassigned, when I looked at the rosters, and another playing in Japan, who started his season on March 30th. In all, I count 28 Mormon players in professional baseball (although I suspect that there are more that I haven’t learned of).

Here’s a run down of who is playing where:

Current Roster Players:

• Darwin Barney—infielder—Chicago Cubs
  15-day DL – normally starting second base
• John Buck — catcher — New York Mets
  starting catcher
• Jacoby Ellsbury — outfielder — Boston Red Sox
  starting center fielder
• Kyle Farnsworth — relief pitcher — Tampa Bay Rays
  setup for closer Fernando Rodney
• Jeremy Guthrie — starting pitcher (right handed) — Kansas City Royals
  starting pitcher, 3rd in Royals’ rotation
• Roy Halladay— starting pitcher (right handed) — Philadelphia Phillies
  starting pitcher, 2nd in Phillies’ rotation
• Bryce Harper — outfielder — Washington Nationals
  starting left field
• Elliot Johnson — infielder — Kansas City Royals
  backup second base, short stop and third base
• Josh Johnson — starting pitcher (right handed) – Toronto Blue Jays
  starting pitcher, 4th in the Blue Jays’ rotation
• Matt Lindstrom — relief pitcher (right handed) – Chicago White Sox
  reliever
• Brandon Lyon — relief pitcher (right handed) — New York Mets
  reliever
• Clayton Mortensen — relief pitcher (right handed) —Boston Red Sox
  reliever
• Adam Rosales — 2B — Oakland A’s
  15-day DL – normally backup infielder
• Eric Sogard — infielder — Oakland A’s
  backup second base, short stop and third base

In Minor Leagues

• Tyson Brummett — relief pitcher (right handed) — Toronto Blue Jays organization
  
  New Hampshire Fisher Cats of the Eastern League – AA (opening game April 4)
• Taylor Cole — starting pitcher (right handed) — Toronto Blue Jays organization
  Lansing Lugnuts of the Midwest League – A (opening game April 4)
• Jeff Gelalich — outfielder — Cincinnati Reds organization
  Dayton Dragons of the Midwest League – A (opening game April 4)
• Austin Hall — pitcher (right handed) — Milwaukee Brewers organization
  AZL Brewers of the Arizona Leauge – Rookie (opening game June 20)
• Bryan Harper — relief pitcher (left handed) — Washington Nationals organization Auburn Doubledays of the New York-Penn League – A short-season (opening game June 17)
• Blaine Howell — relief pitcher (left handed) — Cincinnati Reds organization
  unassigned?? (was with Bakersfield Blaze of the California League – A+ (opening game April 4)
• Marcus Littlewood — catcher — Seattle Mariners organization
  Everett WA AquaSox of the Northwest League – A (opening game June 12)
• Mitch Maier — outfielder — Boston Red Sox organization
  
  Pawtucket Red Sox of the International League – AAA (opening game April 4)
• Taylor Mangum — relief pitcher (right-handed) — Milwaukee Brewers organization
  
  Wisconsin Timber Rattlers of the Midwest League – A (opening game April 4)
• Matthew Neil — starting pitcher (right handed) — Miami Marlins organization
  Jacksonville Suns of the Southern League – AA (opening game April 4)
• Stephen Parker — 3rd base — Milwaukee Brewers organization
  Nashville Sounds of the Pacific Coast League – AAA (opening game April 4)
  Traded to the Brewers from the As in the off season
• Shane Peterson — outfielder — Oakland A’s organization (40-man MLB roster)
  Sacramento River Cats of the Pacific Coast League – AAA (opening game April 4)
• Mitch Talbot — starting pitcher (right handed) — Miami Marlins organization
  New Orleans Zephyrs of the Pacific Coast League – AAA (opening game April 4)
• Nik Turley — starting pitcher (right handed) — New York Yankees organization (40-man MLB roster)
  Trenton Thunder of the Eastern League – AA (opening game April 4)
• Jordan Whatcott — relief pitcher (right handed) — Philadelphia Phillies organization
  unassigned?? (was with Reading Fightin’ Phils of the Eastern League – AA (opening game April 4)

Foreign Leagues:

• Brandon Duckworth — starting pitcher (right handed) — Rakuten Golden Eagles

Last Year’s players released: (could still be picked up by other teams)

• Derek Cone — starting pitcher (right handed) — Los Angeles Dodgers organization Released.
  Cone has returned to school at ASU pursuing a degree in Accounting
• Willie Mays Eyre — starting pitcher (right handed) — Texas Rangers organization
  Retired
• Kyle Hurst — relief pitcher (right handed) — Independent
  Released
• Cale Iorg — Second base — Detroit Tigers organization
  Released, Played for Canada in WBC
  Seems like he might find another team.
• Lance Pendleton — starting pitcher (right handed) — Tampa Bay Ray’s organization
  Released
  Now a salesman with Baker Hughes

Other players who may be Mormon:

• Rick Anton – pitcher – LA Dodgers organization
• Tyler Hanks — pitcher — Washington Nationals organization
• Kam Mickolio — pitcher — Arizona Diamondbacks organization (apparently not Mormon, but I don’t have evidence either way)
• Brad Thompson — pitcher — Houston Astros organization
• Other remote possibilities: Jay Brossman, Brian Budrow, Tyler Chism, Dallas Christison, Stephen Fife, Steve Hirschfeld, Zachary Jones, Ryan Khoury, Cole Miles, A. J. Murray, Jordan Taylor Pratt, Tanner Robles, Braeden Schlehuber, Justin Smith, Matt Spring

Non-Mormons who may be confused for Mormons

• Matt Carson — non-Mormon who went to BYU
• Derek Christensen
• Egan Smith —
• Jordan Smith —

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