Jayhawks in the Pros

May 11, 2012

Complete List of Jayhawks in the Pros

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Throughout the course of the 2012 season, kuathletics.com will check in with the 14 former Jayhawks that are playing professional baseball. Former KU pitcher Brett Bochy’s fast start to the 2012 season highlights this edition of Jayhawks in the Pros. Prior to Thursday evening, the 6-foot-2 right-hander did not allow a run in his first 11 appearances of the season.

Jayhawks in the Majors

  • LHP Tom Gorzelanny, who pitched at KU in 2002, is in his second season with the Washington Nationals. Gorzelanny is 1-1 with a 5.54 ERA in nine appearances out of the Nationals’ bullpen with five walks and eight strikeouts. The veteran lefty pitched a scoreless inning on May 4 against the Philadelphia Phillies in his latest action. In six big league seasons, Gorzelanny is 41-44 with a 4.59 ERA in 157 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs and Nationals. Gorzelanny was originally selected by Pittsburgh in the 2003 Draft.
  • LHP Mike Zagurski, who pitched at KU from 2004-05, was recalled to the major leagues by the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 24. In five appearances for the Diamondbacks, Zagurski has pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed four runs on six hits with no walks and three strikeouts. In four seasons in the majors, Zagurski has a 1-0 record with a 6.81 ERA in 42 relief appearances with 19 walks, 39 strikeouts and a 1.68 WHIP for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Diamondbacks. Zagurski was originally selected by the Phillies in the 12th round of the 2005 Draft.

Jayhawks in Double-A

  • RHP Brett Bochy, who pitched at KU from 2008-10, is in his first season with the Richmond Flying Squirrels – the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Bochy allowed his first earned runs of the season last night and suffered his first defeat, but is still 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA with two saves and 20 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings. Prior to Thursday’s outing, Bochy had not allowed an earned run in his first 18 innings of the season. The right-handed reliever was a 20th round selection by the Giants in 2010.
  • LHP Sam Freeman, who pitched at KU in 2008, is in his second season with the Springfield Cardinals – the Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. In his first 14 games, Freeman is 1-2 with a 1.10 ERA with three walks and 10 strikeouts. Freeman has made five-straight scoreless appearances and picked up his first win of the year on May 2 against Northwest Arkansas. He was originally selected by the Cardinals in the 32nd round of the 2008 Draft.
  • LHP Shaeffer Hall, who pitched at KU from 2008-09, is in his second season with the Trenton Thunder – the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. In his first seven starts of the year, Hall is 2-4 with a 4.17 ERA with eight walks and 22 strikeouts in 41 innings pitched. Hall suffered a tough-luck loss in his last start on Wednesday, pitching seven innings and allowing three earned runs against Reading. He was originally drafted by the Yankees in the 25th round in 2009.
  • IF Erik Morrison, who played at KU from 2005-08, is in his first season with the Birmingham Barons – the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. Through seven games this season, Morrison is 7-for-28 with three doubles, three RBIs and a pair of runs scored. Morrison hit .316 during the month of April, but is off to a slow start in May. He was originally drafted by the Texas Rangers in 2008 and played four years in the Rangers’ organization before being picked up by the White Sox this offseason.
  • RHP Paul Smyth, who pitched at KU from 2006-09, is in his second season with the Midland Rockhounds – the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Smyth has gotten off to a slow start in 2012, posting an 0-1 record with a 9.31 ERA in his first nine appearances. While he has been hit hard, Smyth has still managed to record 13 strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings. He was originally a 35th round draft pick by the Oakland A’s in 2009.

Jayhawks in Single-A

  • SS Brandon Macias, who played at KU from 2010-11, is in his first season with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers – a Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. Macias has played in 33 games for the Timber Rattlers and is batting .282 with 11 doubles, two homers and 21 runs scored this season. Macias has swung a hot bat recently, going 8-for-20 (.400) with three doubles, two homers and five RBIs during the current homestand. Macias signed as an undrafted free agent with the Brewers’ organization following his senior year at KU.
  • RHP Colton Murray, who pitched at KU from 2009-11, is in his first season with the Lakewood BlueClaws – a Single-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. Murray got off to a slow start this year, but has not allowed an earned run in his last four appearances and recorded his first victory of the season on April 28 against Greenville. In nine games this season, Murray is 1-1 with a 6.46 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings. He was selected in the 13th round by the Phillies in the 2011 Draft.
  • IF Robby Price, who played at KU from 2007-10, is in his first season with the Charlotte Stone Crabs – the Advanced Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. Price has also swung the bat well recently after a slow start. The former KU infielder went 3-for-5 in his May 4 game at Clearwater with a three-run homer and three runs scored. Over his last 10 games, Price is 11-for-38 (.289) with three doubles, a homer and six RBIs. He was originally drafted by the Rays in the 13th round of the 2010 Draft.
  • RHP Cameron Selik, who pitched at KU from 2009-10, is in his second season with the Potomac Nationals – the Advanced Single-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. Selik has pitched well in his first month of the season, going 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA and four saves in 10 relief appearances for the Nationals. He has not allowed a run in three appearances in May, which includes a two-inning save last night in Salem. Over his last four appearances, Selik has fanned 13 in seven innings and allowed just five base runners. He was selected by the Nationals in the 22nd round of the 2010 Draft.
  • 3B Tony Thompson, who played at KU from 2008-10, is in his first season with the Stockton Ports – the Advanced Single-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Through his first 29 games, Thompson is batting .252 with 12 doubles, three homers and 11 RBIs. He got off to a fast start, batting .270 with 12 extra base hits in April, but has cooled at the beginning of May. Thompson went 3-for-11 with a double and a walk in a recent series at Visalia. The 6-foot-4 infielder was drafted by the A’s in the sixth round of the 2010 Draft.
  • RHP T.J. Walz, who pitched at KU from 2008-11, is in his first season with the Stockton Ports – the Advanced Single-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Walz has made six starts for the Ports and is 2-2 with a 2.72 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings on the hill. The 6-foot righty suffered a tough-luck loss in his most recent start, on Tuesday, allowing just two runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings in a 6-1 loss to Visalia. Walz was selected by the A’s in the 15th round of the 2011 Draft.
Powered by WMT Digital