Darren O'Day and the Braves won the NL East and face the Cardinals in the first round.
Four Gators Enter MLB Playoffs
Tuesday, October 1, 2019 | Baseball
The MLB regular season is in the books and the 2019 postseason begins tonight with the National League Wild Card matchup.
Four Gators helped their teams earn a spot in the postseason: Harrison Bader (Cardinals), Darren O'Day (Braves), A.J. Puk (A's) and Mike Zunino (Rays).
Oakland and Tampa match up in the American League Wild Card matchup on Wednesday (8 pm, ESPN) while the Cardinals and the Braves will meet in the first round of the Division Series.
Another Gators alum took the headlines in the final weekend of the regular season, as Pete Alonso (pictured right) broke the MLB rookie record with 53 home runs in his debut season. He finished the year with 120 RBI and 103 runs scored for the Mets. His 53 home runs also set a Mets' franchise record for homers in a season.
Below is a look at the rest of the active Gators in the pros and how they performed in September:
Following is a final look at how the Gators in the minor leagues fared during the 2019 season:
Four Gators helped their teams earn a spot in the postseason: Harrison Bader (Cardinals), Darren O'Day (Braves), A.J. Puk (A's) and Mike Zunino (Rays).
Oakland and Tampa match up in the American League Wild Card matchup on Wednesday (8 pm, ESPN) while the Cardinals and the Braves will meet in the first round of the Division Series.
Another Gators alum took the headlines in the final weekend of the regular season, as Pete Alonso (pictured right) broke the MLB rookie record with 53 home runs in his debut season. He finished the year with 120 RBI and 103 runs scored for the Mets. His 53 home runs also set a Mets' franchise record for homers in a season.Below is a look at the rest of the active Gators in the pros and how they performed in September:
MLB | Player (Lettered at UF) | Team
- Pete Alonso (2014-16) | New York Mets: launched 11 home runs in September, his most in a single month all season, to set a MLB rookie record with 53 home runs
- Shaun Anderson (2014-16) | San Francisco Giants: made 10 appearances out of the bullpen with a 6.10 ERA; struck out 15 batters in 10.1 innings
- Harrison Bader (2013-15) | St. Louis Cardinals: had five home runs and 13 RBI down the stretch to help the Cardinals win the NL Central
- Anthony DeSclafani (2009-11) | Cincinnati Reds: posted a 3.19 ERA over five starts with a .164 batting average against
- Brian Johnson (2010-12) | Boston Red Sox: allowed three runs in 7.1 innings out of the bullpen for the Red Sox
- Richie Martin (2013-15) | Baltimore Orioles: finished the season strong, hitting .379 over 17 games in September with two homers
- Darren O'Day (2003-06) | Atlanta Braves: was activated from the DL and made eight appearances for the Braves with a 1.69 ERA
- Bobby Poyner (2012-15) | Boston Red Sox: posted a 2.35 ERA over 10 outings for the Red Sox in September
- A.J. Puk (2014-16) | Oakland A's: allowed three runs with 11 strikeouts over nine innings out of the bullpen
- Justin Shafer (2012-14) | Toronto Blue Jays: made eight appearances and totaled 10 strikeouts in 8.2 innings
- Mike Zunino (2010-12) | Tampa Bay Rays: had one home run and three RBI in 14 games for the Rays
Following is a final look at how the Gators in the minor leagues fared during the 2019 season:
Minor Leagues | Player (Lettered at UF) | Team
- Austin Maddox (2010-12) | Pawtucket Red Sox (AAA)/Boston Red Sox: injured, on DL
- Paco Rodriguez (2010-12) | El Paso Chihuahuas (AAA)/San Diego Padres: made 28 appearances and posted a 3.35 ERA over 48.1 innings
- Taylor Gushue (2012-14) | Fresno Grizzlies (AAA)/Washington Nationals: had the best year of his professional career, hitting .312 with 11 home runs and 39 RBI for AAA Fresno
- Josh Tobias (2012-15} | Portland Sea Dogs (AA)/Boston Red Sox: hit .298 over 68 games between AA Portland and AAA Pawtucket
- Danny Young (2013-15) | New Hampshire Fisher Cats (AA)/Toronto Blue Jays: finished with a 2.76 ERA in 49 innings pitched between AA New Hampshire and AAA Buffalo
- Eric Hanhold (2013-15) | Syracuse Mets (AAA)/New York Mets (40 man): appeared in 48 games with a 3.84 ERA over 63.1 innings, mostly with AAA Syracuse
- Buddy Reed (2014-16) | Amarillo Sod Poodles (AA)/San Diego Padres: played in 121 games for Amarillo and batted .228 with 14 home runs and 50 RBI
- Dane Dunning (2014-16) | Birmingham Barons (AA)/Chicago White Sox: injured, on DL
- Kirby Snead (2014-16) | Buffalo Bisons (AAA)/Toronto Blue Jays: made 50 appearances out of the bullpen with a 3.45 ERA in 62.2 innings
- Logan Shore (2014-16) | Erie SeaWolves (AA)/Detroit Tigers: made 16 starts for Erie with a 3.43 ERA over 97 innings
- Scott Moss (2016) | Columbus Clippers (AAA)/Cleveland Indians: spent most of the season with AA Chattanooga, making 20 starts and posting a 3.44 ERA in 102 innings; made his final four starts of the year with AAA Columbus and allowed just four runs in 18.2 innings (1.93 ERA)
- Frank Rubio (2014-17) | San Jose Giants (A Advanced)/San Francisco Giants: finished with a 2.98 ERA over 60.1 innings pitched
- Alex Faedo (2015-17) | Erie SeaWolves (AA)/Detroit Tigers: spent the season with Erie and posted a 3.90 ERA over 22 starts; struck out 134 batters in 115.1 innings pitched with just 25 walks
- Dalton Guthrie (2015-17) | Clearwater Threshers (A Advanced)/Philadelphia Phillies: batted .243 over 88 games with Clearwater with 16 doubles, four triples and four home runs
- Mark Kolozsvary (2015-17) | Daytona Tortugas (A Advanced)/Cincinnati Reds: played in 79 games and hit .188 with six home runs and 21 RBI
- Mike Rivera (2015-17) | Lynchburg Hillcats (A Advanced)/Cleveland Indians: played in 62 games and hit .201 with 17 extra-base hits and 23 RBI
- JJ Schwarz (2015-18) | Beloit Snappers (A)/Oakland A's: limited to 44 games due to injury and hit .148 with three homers and 14 RBI
- Brady Singer (2016-18) | NW Arkansas Naturals (AA)/Kansas City Royals: went 12-5 in his first professional season with a 2.85 ERA over 26 starts; struck out 138 in 148.1 innings between A Wilmington and AA NW Arkansas
- Deacon Liput (2016-18) | Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (A Advanced)/Los Angeles Dodgers: played in 85 games and batted .219 with 11 doubles, four triples, six home runs and 34 RBI
- Jackson Kowar (2016-18) | NW Arkansas Naturals (AA)/Kansas City Royals: posted a 3.52 ERA over 26 starts between A Wilmington and AA NW Arkansas; totaled 144 strikeouts in 148.1 innings pitched
- Jonathan India (2016-18) | Chattanooga Lookouts (AA)/Cincinnati Reds: batted .259 with 18 doubles, five triples, 11 home runs and 44 RBI over 121 games
- Michael Byrne (2016-18) | Daytona Tortugas (A Advanced)/Cincinnati Reds: made 37 appearances, including six starts, and finished with a 4.27 ERA in 65.1 innings; had a 2.23 ERA in 31 relief appearances
- Nick Horvath (2016-18) | Delmarva Shorebirds (A)/Baltimore Orioles: batted .200 over 113 games with 17 doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 40 RBI
- Nelson Maldonado (2016-19) | South Bend Cubs (A)/Chicago Cubs: jumpstarted his professional career by hitting .332 over 56 games this summer with 13 doubles, three triples, three homers and 37 RBI
- Tyler Dyson (2017-19) | Auburn Doubledays (A)/Washington Nationals: made nine starts and allowed just four earned runs in 33.2 innings (1.07 ERA)
- Brady McConnell (2018-19) | Idaho Falls Chukars (ROOK Advanced)/Kansas City Royals: played in 40 games and hit .213 with 13 doubles, a triple, five homers and 23 RBI
- Wil Dalton (2018-19) | Lowell Spinners (A)/Boston Red Sox: played in 37 games and hit .203 with three doubles, three triples, two homers and 15 RBI
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