MLB Opening Day Rosters Feature 37 Alumni
March 28, 2024 - West Coast League (WCL) News Release
This year, 37 players with West Coast League experience have earned spots on Major League Baseball Opening Day rosters.
Former WCL players starting the season in the big leagues include 2023 Silver Slugger Award winner and American League All-Star Adley Rutschman, 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber, and two-time American League Gold Glove Award winner Steven Kwan.
Rising young standouts like Andrew Vaughn (Chicago White Sox) and Jarren Duran (Boston Red Sox), along with pitchers Nick Pivetta (Boston Red Sox) and Tarik Skubal (Detroit Tigers) are also set to begin the 2024 campaign in the major leagues, with Skubal named Detroit's Opening Day starter.
Here is the list of West Coast League alumni on MLB Opening Day rosters in 2024:
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tyler Anderson (Corvallis), Los Angeles Angels
Shane Bieber (Cowlitz), Cleveland Guardians
Seth Brown (Bend), Oakland A's
Griffin Canning (Wenatchee), Los Angeles Angels
Adam Cimber (Kitsap), Los Angeles Angels
Jonny DeLuca (Yakima Valley), Tampa Bay Rays
Jarren Duran (Walla Walla), Boston Red Sox
Mitch Haniger (Corvallis), Seattle Mariners
Cole Irvin (Cowlitz), Baltimore Orioles
Steven Kwan (Corvallis), Cleveland Guardians
Ramon Laureano (Medford), Cleveland Guardians
Nicky Lopez (Bend), Chicago White Sox
Seth Martinez (Bellingham), Houston Astros
Phil Maton (Kelowna), Tampa Bay Rays
Eli Morgan (Yakima Valley), Cleveland Guardians
*Chris Murphy (Walla Walla), Boston Red Sox
Nick Pivetta (Victoria), Boston Red Sox
*Drew Rasmussen (Wenatchee), Tampa Bay Rays
Adley Rutschman (Corvallis), Baltimore Orioles
Austin Shenton (Bellingham), Tampa Bay Rays
Tarik Skubal (Kitsap), Detroit Tigers
Cade Smith (Victoria), Cleveland Guardians
Andrew Vaughn (Victoria), Chicago White Sox
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Jake Bird (Yakima Valley), Colorado Rockies
Marco Gonzales (Wenatchee), Pittsburgh Pirates
Rhys Hoskins (Kitsap), Milwaukee Brewers
Connor Joe (Kelowna), Pittsburgh Pirates
Nick Madrigal (Corvallis), Chicago Cubs
*Matt McLain (Bellingham), Cincinnati Reds
*Garrett Mitchell (Walla Walla), Milwaukee Brewers
Riley O'Brien (Kelowna), St. Louis Cardinals
James Paxton (Kelowna), Los Angeles Dodgers
*David Peterson (Medford), New York Mets
*Michael Rucker (Bellingham), Philadelphia Phillies
*Paul Sewald (Spokane), Arizona Diamondbacks
Michael Toglia (Wenatchee), Colorado Rockies
Ryan Walker (Corvallis), San Francisco Giants
* Opening season on injured list.
That list of WCL/MLB players this year is sure to grow. In 2023, a record-tying 62 alumni of West Coast League teams played in the majors for some or all of the season.
West Coast League Stories from March 28, 2024
- Four AppleSox Alums Crack MLB Opening Day Rosters - Wenatchee AppleSox
- MLB Opening Day Rosters Feature 37 Alumni - WCL
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