Former Gators pitcher Darren O'Day and the Orioles play Tuesday night in the AL Wild Card Game.
Two Former Gators Prep for MLB Postseason
Monday, October 3, 2016 | Baseball
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By: Daniel Apple
Another year of baseball is in the books and plenty of Gators saw action in the professional ranks.
Nearly 40 former Florida baseball players were active in professional organizations with nine seeing action at the Major League level.
Two Gators will begin postseason play this week. Right-handed pitcher Darren O'Day (at UF 2003-06) and the Baltimore Orioles earned a wild card berth and will face the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night. O'Day had a solid year for the Orioles, appearing in 34 games with 3.77 earned run average out of the bullpen.
David Ross (at UF 1998) and the Chicago Cubs enter the playoffs after posting the best record in baseball this year. They will begin the Division Series playoffs on Friday against the NL Wild Card winner.
Ross, who announced he is retiring after the season, played in 67 games as the backup catcher and hit .229 with 32 RBI on the year.
David Ross removed from the game for one last ovation. Awesome move by Joe. https://t.co/ps3ezGepg4
Former Gators pitcher Anthony DeSclafani (at UF 2009-11) was a fixture in the Cincinnati Reds rotation this season and posted a 9-5 record in 20 starts. He finished with a 3.28 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 123.1 innings pitched.
Anthony DeSclafani
Ryan Raburn (at UF 2000) saw the most action in the big leagues, playing in 113 games for the Colorado Rockies. Mike Zunino (at UF 2010-12) appeared in 55 games for the Seattle Mariners and hit 12 home runs after being recalled to Seattle in July.
Kevin Chapman (Houston Astros), Matt den Dekker (Washington Nationals), Cole Figueroa (Pittsburgh Pirates) and Preston Tucker (Astros) also made big league appearances this year at various times throughout the season.
At the minor league level, several recent Gators stood out this summer. On the mound, Taylor Lewis posted a 2.05 ERA over 66 innings in the Atlanta Braves organization while Johnny Magliozzi had a 2.70 ERA in 63.1 innings for the Columbia Fireflies (New York Mets organization).
At the plate, Peter Alonso made an instant impact for his Brooklyn Cyclones squad after being drafted in June by the New York Mets. He was named to the Baseball America Short-Season All-Star team after hitting .321 with five home runs and 21 RBI in 30 games.
Outfielder Harrison Bader split time between AA and AAA in the St. Louis Cardinals system and hit .267 with 19 home runs and 58 RBI in 131 games.
Infielder Josh Tobias also stood out, batting .291 with nine home runs and 69 RBI between two teams in the Philadelphia Phillies organization.
CLICK HERE for a full recap of all Gators in the professional ranks.
