By: Ryan Gonzalez

 

With MLB Spring Training now underway, we wanted to take a look at our alum who are participating in Major League Spring Training. This first group of players are players who have already made their MLB debuts and are looking to make the 2021 Opening Day rosters.

 

C Austin Allen - Oakland A’s (40-Man)

FCSL Team: 2012 Lake Mary Loggerheads (Futures League)

Allen is the first alumni of the Futures League to make it to the MLB. Prior to attending Florida Tech, Allen suited up for the Lake Mary Loggerheads in the summer of 2012. He garnered MVP honors after slashing .391/.480/.641 with a league best four home runs and 15 RBI in 18 games. In his three years at Tech, he won numerous awards including Freshman of the Year, All-Region 1st Team, and was a 2nd Team All-American. He was also a three-time Minor League All-Star. He walked in his first career plate appearance against Colorado on May 11, 2019. On December 2, 2019, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics.

 

RHP Jharel Cotton - Chicago Cubs (NRI)

FCSL Team: 2009 DeLand Suns

Jharel and his brother Jamaine both played for Davey Johnson and the 2009 DeLand Suns. Jharel then went on to play at East Carolina University, and was drafted by the Dodgers in 2012. He was selected to play in the Futures Game in 2016, and was traded from the Dodgers to the Athletics in the Rich Hill trade late in July 2016. He debuted shortly thereafter, and excelled in his first game, allowing one run on two hits over 6.1 innings. He finished the season 2-0 with a 2.15 ERA over five games. After four years with the A's organization, Cotton was traded to the Chicago Cubs on November 23, 2019.

 

RHP Jacob deGrom - New York Mets (40-Man)

FCSL Team: 2009 and 2010 DeLand Suns

deGrom stayed home for parts of two summers, playing for the DeLand Suns at Conrad Park, home of the Stetson University Hatters. In 2009, deGrom played for Davey Johnson, making five appearances and allowing zero earned runs. In 2010, he started one game for the Suns before being drafted and signed by the Mets. He flew through the Mets farm system, and had a tremendous rookie year in 2014, earning National League Rookie of the Year honors with a 9-6 record and 2.69 ERA. His sophomore season was even more impressive, as he earned his first All-Star bid, and finished fourth in the league in ERA (2.54). He produced a banner year in 2018, stringing together 28 quality starts, a 1.70 ERA and 269 strikeouts en route to the National League Cy Young Award. In 2019, deGrom became the 11th pitcher in MLB history to win the Cy Young Award back-to-back years after he went 11-8 with a 2.43 ERA in 204.0 IP over 32 starts. He racked up 255 strikeouts over the course of the season.

 

RHP Montana Durapau - Oakland A’s (NRI)

FCSL Team: 2011 and 2012 DeLand Suns

Durapau played two full seasons for Rick Hall and the DeLand Suns. He posted a sterling 1.00 ERA over 36 innings for DeLand in 2011, and then dominated on the mound in 2012. In 38.2 total innings, he struck out 54 batters and was named an All-Star. He also helped the Suns win their first FCSL championship. He was a two-time MiLB All-Star, and struck out 295 hitters in 281 innings while saving 57 games over five years. He debuted for the Pirates on May 9, 2019, striking out one over two innings against the Cardinals.

 

RHP Seth Elledge - St. Louis Cardinals (40-Man)

FCSL Team: 2015 Altamonte Springs Boom

Elledge pitched for the Altamonte Springs Boom in 2015, earning 2015 All-Star Game honors and also pitched on the 2015 Prospect Showcase Team. He finished that summer 3-0 with a 0.44 ERA in 20.2 IP. He had 39 strikeouts in 15 games, only walking six batters and allowed ten hits in that span. After being drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2017, he was traded on July 27, 2018 to the St. Louis Cardinals. Elledge made his MLB debut on August 16th last year throwing a scoreless 2.1 innings out of the bullpen against the Chicago White Sox.

 

2B Santiago Espinal - Toronto Blue Jays (40-Man)

FCSL Team: 2015 Sanford River Rats

Espinal played for the Sanford River Rats in 2015 where he hit .339, smacking 56 hits over 48 games. He drove in 23 runs and had 24 walks to add to this resume, ultimately leading to the 2015 FCSL MVP Award. That summer, he earned his way on to the All-Star Team, Prospect Showcase Team, and the Korean Series team. After being drafted by the Red Sox in 2016, he was traded to the Blue Jays in 2018. He then made the 2020 Opening Day roster.

 

RHP Nick Goody - New York Yankees (NRI)

FCSL Team: 2010 Winter Park Diamond Dawgs

Representing State College of Florida, Goody starred for the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs in 2010, leading them to the Florida League Championship. He posted a 5-2 record across 10 games with a 1.52 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 41.1 innings. He then transferred to SEC power LSU, where he served as the closer for the 2012 SEC champs, saving eleven games. After three years in the Minors that included an All-Star nod in 2015, Goody made his debut with the Yankees, where he has served as a bullpen arm each of the past two years. He was traded to the Cleveland Indians in December 2016. On November 26, 2019, Goody was claimed by the Texas Rangers.

 

2B Dee Strange-Gordon - Cincinnati Reds (NRI)

FCSL Team: 2008 Belleview Bulldog

Gordon didn't last long as a Belleview Bulldog after being selected in the fourth round of the draft in 2008. He flew through the minors, earning accolades like Top Prospect, Player of the Year and numerous All-Star bids. Since his MLB debut in 2011, he has been a stolen base champion, 2x All-Star and 2015 Silver Slugger and N.L. Batting Champion with the Marlins.   

 

OF Austin Hays - Baltimore Orioles (40-Man)

FCSL Team: 2014 DeLand Suns

Hays was the 2014 Florida League MVP as a member of the DeLand Suns. After a great year at Seminole State (FL), Hays played for the Suns before heading to Jacksonville University in the fall. His summer was impressive, as he posted a slash line of .349/.383/.513 while leading the league in hits (53) and extra-base hits (15). He was a 3rd rounder in 2016 for Baltimore (#91 overall), and quickly made his mark in the Minors. He was an organizational All-Star in 2016 and a Carolina League All-Star in 2017. Hays earned three Player of the Week awards in 2017, and was named one of five finalists for the Minor League Player of the Year award. He was the first player from the 2016 draft to play in the Majors.  

 

RHP Codi Heuer - Chicago White Sox (40-Man)

FCSL Team: 2016 Altamonte Springs Boom

Heuer pitched for the Altamonte Springs Boom in 2016 and was named to the 2016 All-Star Game. The right hander from Wichita State went 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA and 2 saves in 22.0 IP, racking up 31 strikeouts and only allowing six walks over the course of the summer. After being drafted in 2018, Heuer made the Chicago White Sox Opening Day roster in 2020.

 

C Jonathan Lucroy - Chicago White Sox - (NRI)

FCSL Teams: 2005 Sanford River Rats and 2006 Winter Park Diamond Dawgs

Lucroy spent two seasons with the Florida League ... Sanford in 2005 and Winter Park in 2006. In those two years, he hit a combined .325 with 8 home runs and 41 RBI in 60 games. He collected an All-Star nomination in each of his three years in the minors, and debuted for the Brewers in 2010. He quickly became known as one of the top catchers in baseball, and was selected to the 2014 and 2016 MLB All-Star games. In July '16, he was traded to the Texas Rangers and helped them to the #1 seed in the American League playoffs. He set career highs of 24 home runs and 81 RBI in 2016. Since his time with the Rangers, Lucroy has spent time with the Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, Chicago Cubs, and the Boston Red Sox.

 

RHP Jimmy Nelson - Los Angeles Dodgers (NRI)

FCSL Teams: 2009 DeLand Suns

Nelson was yet another member of the loaded 2009 DeLand Suns team coached by Davey Johnson. The big righty from Alabama posted a 2.76 ERA in 11 games, and led the league in strikeouts with 75 in 58.2 innings. He pitched in the 2013 Futures Game, and was the AAA PCL Pitcher of the Year in 2014. He led the Brewers in strikeouts in 2015 (148) and 2016 (140). After a few more years with the Brewers, Nelson signed with the Dodgers on January 7, 2020.

 

C Roberto Perez - Cleveland Indians (40-Man)

FCSL Team: 2008 Belleview Bulldogs

Perez attended Florida Gateway College and was a member of the 2008 Belleview Bulldogs, where he hit .232 in 27 games with 9 runs and 13 RBI. After six years in the Cleveland Minor League system, he debuted in 2014 with the Tribe. He was a key component to the Indians World Series run in 2016, throwing out 50% of baserunners and starting every playoff game at catcher. He made headlines in Game One of the World Series when he hit two home runs off Cubs starter Jon Lester to lead Cleveland to a victory. In 2019, Perez led all AL catchers in putouts (1,082), caught stealing percentage (40.9%), defensive runs saved (29), and turned 12 double plays. He won the Gold Glove, Fielding Bible, and Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Awards at the conclusion of the season.

 

LHP Eric Skoglund - Kansas City Royals (NRI)

FCSL Team: 2013 College Park Freedom

Skoglund joined the College Park Freedom for the latter half of the 2013 summer season. The UCF Knight appeared in four games for the Freedom,  tossing 21 innings with a 17:4 K/BB ratio. The following spring, Skoglund was named the Top Pitcher in the American Athletic Conference and was selected by the Royals in the 3rd round. His debut came against Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers. Skoglund was masterful, spinning 6.1 innings while allowing only two hits and one walk while striking out five to earn the win.

 

RHP Aaron Slegers - Los Angeles Angels (40-Man)

FCSL Team: 2012 Orlando Freedom

Slegers suited up for the 2012 Orlando Freedom on behalf of the Indiana Hoosiers. He appeared in nine games. and over the course of 21 innings, struck out 29 batters against only 11 walks. He was selected by the Twins in the 5th round of the 2013 draft, and posted 43 wins in five seasons over all levels. He earned International League (AAA) Pitcher of the Week honors on July 23, and was called up to Minnesota a few weeks later. In his first career start, he allowed two runs on two hits in 6.1 innings against Cleveland. Slegers was claimed by the Pirates on January 11, 2019 before he was then traded to the Tampa Bay Rays on March 30th of that year.

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This group of players are players who have not made their MLB debuts just yet, but were invited to Spring Training to potentially win an Opening Day roster spot.

 

RHP Jason Bahr - Texas Rangers; (NRI)

FCSL Teams: 2015 Sanford River Rats and 2016 Altamonte Springs Boom

Bahr has a rare feat in the Florida League, and that’s playing for two different teams. As a member of the 2015 FCSL Champion Sanford River Rats, he had a 2.59 ERA over 24.1 innings, striking out 32 in that time. In 2016, he joined the Altamonte Springs Boom and had a 3.94 ERA over 29.2 innings, striking out 42. He was then drafted in the 5th round of the 2017 Draft by the San Francisco Giants before being traded to the Texas Rangers organization in 2018. In 2019, Bahr ended up winning the Texas Rangers Nolan Ryan Minor League Pitcher of the Year. He has been invited to big league camp as a non-roster invitee.

 

OF Zach Reks - Los Angeles Dodgers (40-Man)

FCSL Team: 2016 DeLand Suns

Reks played for the Suns when he was making his transition from the Air Force Academy to Kentucky. He ended up being drafted the following summer in the 10th round of the 2017 Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Reks has been a risen pretty quickly through the their farm system as he played a three different levels in 2017, two levels in 2018, and finished the 2019 season in Triple-A, batting .291 with 28 homers and 93 RBI over 121 games. He was then added to the Dodgers 50-Man Roster at the conclusion of the 2020 season.

 

OF Danny Woodrow - Detroit Tigers (NRI)

FCSL Team: 2015 Winter Park Diamond Dawgs

Woodrow had a fantastic showing in the Florida League in 2015 where he hit .352 in 34 games. He was then taken in 12th round of the 2016 Draft by the Detroit Tigers. He has progressed through the Tigers farm system pretty quickly as he spent the entire 2019 season at the Triple-A level, where he hit .274 with 23 stolen bases. He has been invited to big league camp as a non-roster invitee.

 

RHP Justin Lawrence - Colorado Rockies (40-Man)

FCSL Team: 2014 College Park Freedom

Lawrence had a busy summer for the league in 2014, pitching for the College Park Freedom, the Prospect Showcase team, and the Florida League team for the Korean Series. Over that time, he had a 2.56 ERA in 31.2 innings of work. He was drafted the following year by the Rockies in the 12th round. After working his way through the minors, he was added to the Rockies 40-Man roster following the 2018 season.

 

OF Forrest Wall - Toronto Blue Jays (NRI)

FCSL Team: 2014 Winter Park Diamond Dawgs

Wall was signed to the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs for the 2014 before he was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the first round of the MLB Draft. He made it up to their High-A level in 2018 before he was traded to the Blue Jays. He finished the 2019 season in Triple-A before hitting free agency after the 2020 MLB season. He re-signed with the Blue Jays on a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.

 

OF Drew Weeks - Arizona Diamondbacks (NRI)

FCSL Team: 2012 Sanford River Rats

Weeks had a solid season for the River Rats in 2012 as a college sophomore, where he batted .264 with 7 homers and 14 RBI. He was taken in the 7th round by the Rockies in 2014, making his way up to Triple-A in 2018. He played all of 2019 at that level, and ultimately became a free agent at the conclusion of the 2020 MLB season. He signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks with an invitation to Spring Training.

 

We wish good health and all the best to our former players, no matter what level of baseball they’re playing at. Now go play ball!