Football and basketball dominate the collegiate track and field landscape, often leaving baseball (and softball) as the forgotten sports of the spring season.
It can be a missed opportunity for the Oregon Ducks to see high-profile athletes in both Eugene and the other side of the Pac-12, a conference that excels in both sports.
It’s also a chance to see future big league stars, as evidenced by the high number of pros the Ducks have guided through the baseball program in recent years.
A quick look at Fangraphs’ predictions for 2023 reveals nine Oregon alumni who are expected to make a difference in the big leagues this season, with the first pitch scheduled for Thursday, March 30.
Oregon has mostly succeeded in developing pitching, with seven of the nine big players coming off the mound and just two off the plate.
Below is a look at these nine players when they played in Oregon and how they’re likely to fare in the upcoming season:
Tyler Anderson – Los Angeles Angels
Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
Years at Oregon: 2009-2011
MLB Draft: Round 1, pick 20 (Rockies, 2011)
MLB Debut: 06/12/16
Career Stats: 44-43, 4.16 ERA, 680 deletions
Forecasts for 2023: 11-11, 4.48 ERA, 146 strikeouts
Garrett Cleavinger – Tampa Bay Rays
Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Years at Oregon: 2013-2015
MLB Draft: Round 3, Pick 102 (Orioles, 2015)
MLB Debut: 17.9.20
Career Stats: 41.6 innings, 3.67 ERA, 54 strikeouts
Forecasts for 2023: 62 innings, 3.19 ERA, 80 strikeouts
Kyle Garlick – Minnesota Twins
Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Years at Oregon: 2011-2014
MLB Draft: Round 28, Pick 852 (Dodgers, 2015)
MLB Debut: 05/19/19
Career Stats: 144 games, .229 average, 17 homers, 37 RBI
Forecasts for 2023: 77 games, .240 average, 11 home runs, 30 RBI
Cole Irvin – Baltimore Orioles
Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Years at Oregon: 2013-2016
MLB Draft: Round 5, Pick 137 (Phillies, 2016)
MLB Debut: 05/12/19
Career Stats: 21-30, 4.40 ERA, 288 deletions
Forecasts for 2023: 9-11, 4.54 ERA, 119 strikeouts
Ryne Nelson – Arizona Diamondbacks
Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Years at Oregon: 2017-2019
MLB Draft: Round 2, Pick 56 (Diamondbacks, 2019)
MLB Debut: 05.09.22
Career Stats: 1-1, 18.1 innings, 1.47 ERA, 16 strikeouts
Forecasts for 2023: 6-7, 110 innings, 4.61 ERA, 92 strikeouts
Stephen Nogosek – New York Mets
Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Years at Oregon: 2014-2016
MLB Draft: Round 6, Pick 178 (Red Sox, 2016)
MLB Debut: 06/19/19
Career Stats: 31.2 innings, 4.55 ERA, 32 strikeouts
Forecasts for 2023: 50 innings, 4.10 ERA, 50 strikeouts
David Peterson – New York Mets
Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Years at Oregon: 2015-2017
MLB Draft: Round 1, Pick 20 (Mets, 2017)
MLB Debut: 07/28/20
Career Stats: 15-13, 222 innings, 4.26 ERA, 235 strikeouts
Forecasts for 2023: 7-6, 110 innings, 3.37 ERA, 120 strikeouts
Jake Reed – Los Angeles Dodgers
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Years at Oregon: 2012-2014
MLB Draft: Round 5, Pick 140 (Gemini, 2014)
MLB Debut: 6.7.21
Career Stats: 26.2 innings, 5.74 ERA, 23 strikeouts
Forecasts for 2023: 10 innings, 4.68 ERA, 8 strikeouts
Spencer Steer – Cincinnati Reds
Syndication: The investigator
Years at Oregon: 2017-2019
MLB Draft: Round 3, Pick 90 (Gemini, 2019)
MLB Debut: 2.9.22
Career Stats: 28 games, .211 average, two homers, eight RBI
Forecasts for 2023: 123 games, .232 average, 17 homers, 56 RBI
Source : sports.yahoo.com