MLB Opening Day Rosters Include 33 WCL Alumni
Published on April 7, 2022 under West Coast League (WCL) News Release
This year, a record 33 players with West Coast League experience have earned spots on Major League Baseball Opening Day rosters. It is the second consecutive season the WCL has set a new record for alumni on MLB Opening Day rosters after there were 31 in 2021.
Former WCL players gearing up to start the season in the big leagues include 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Guardians and both Mitch Haniger and Marco Gonzales of the Seattle Mariners.
Rising young standouts like Andrew Vaughn (Chicago White Sox), Keston Hiura (Milwaukee Brewers) and Nick Madrigal (Chicago Cubs) and pitchers Nick Pivetta (Boston Red Sox) and Tarik Skubal (Detroit Tigers) are also set to begin the 2022 campaign in the major leagues.
Here is the list of West Coast League alumni on MLB Opening Day rosters in 2022:
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Shane Bieber (Cowlitz), Cleveland Guardians
Seth Brown (Bend), Oakland A's
*Griffin Canning (Wenatchee), Los Angeles Angels
Adam Cimber (Kitsap), Toronto Blue Jays
Matt Duffy (Corvallis), Los Angeles Angels
Kyle Garlick (Cowlitz), Minnesota Twins
Marco Gonzales (Wenatchee), Seattle Mariners
Mitch Haniger (Corvallis), Seattle Mariners
Spencer Howard (Bellingham), Texas Rangers
Cole Irvin (Cowlitz), Oakland A's
*James Kaprielian (Wenatchee), Oakland A's
Steven Kwan (Corvallis), Cleveland Guardians
Nicky Lopez (Bend), Kansas City Royals
Phil Maton (Kelowna), Houston Astros
Eli Morgan (Yakima Valley), Cleveland Guardians
*James Paxton (Kelowna), Boston Red Sox
Nick Pivetta (Victoria), Boston Red Sox
Drew Rasmussen (Wenatchee), Tampa Bay Rays
Tarik Skubal (Kitsap), Detroit Tigers
Ryan Tepera (Kelowna), Los Angeles Angels
Andrew Vaughn (Victoria), Chicago White Sox
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Tyler Anderson (Corvallis), Los Angeles Dodgers
*Matt Boyd (Corvallis), San Francisco Giants
Justin Bruihl (Walla Walla), Los Angeles Dodgers
Keston Hiura (Wenatchee), Milwaukee Brewers
Rhys Hoskins (Kitsap), Philadelphia Phillies
Cooper Hummel (Bend/Walla Walla), Arizona Diamondbacks
Connor Joe (Kelowna), Colorado Rockies
Damon Jones (Cowlitz), Philadelphia Phillies
Nick Madrigal (Corvallis), Chicago Cubs
David Peterson (Medford), New York Mets
Cody Poteet (Walla Walla), Miami Marlins
Michael Rucker (Bellingham), Chicago Cubs
*On injured list.
That list of WCL/MLB players this year is sure to grow. During the 2021 MLB campaign season, a record 59 alumni of West Coast League teams played in the major leagues.
West Coast League Stories from April 7, 2022
- MLB Opening Day Rosters Include 33 WCL Alumni - WCL
- Sweets Alum Cooper Hummel Makes Arizona Diamondbacks Opening Day Roster - Walla Walla Sweets
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