UF Baseball: SEC-Leading 18 Gators Featured on 60-Man MLB Rosters
Photo by Tim Casey
Courtesy of UF Athletic Association
A Southeastern Conference-leading 18 players with Gators ties are featured on Major League Baseball’s 60-man rosters.
The group includes 2019 National League Rookie of the Year Pete Alonso, who broke the New York Mets’ franchise and MLB Rookie records with 53 home runs last season. Another four Gators on 60-man rosters helped their teams into the playoffs last year: Harrison Bader (St. Louis Cardinals), Darren O’Day (Atlanta Braves), A.J. Puk (Oakland A’s), and Mike Zunino (Tampa Bay Rays).
Recent first-round picks Alex Faedo (No. 18 overall in 2017, Detroit Tigers), Jonathan India (No. 5 overall in 2018, Cincinnati Reds), Jackson Kowar (No. 33 overall in 2018, Kansas City Royals), and Brady Singer (No. 18 overall in 2018, Kansas City Royals) also earned spots on 60-man rosters with their respective organizations.
A recent MLB.com story projected Singer as a member of the Royals’ pitching rotation this season. The same story also projected A.J. Puk, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft who made his major league debut last year with 10 bullpen appearances, as part of the Oakland A’s five-man starting rotation. And 2011 sixth-rounder Anthony DeSclafani is once again projected to be among Cincinnati’s starting rotation following a season which saw him post a 3.89 earned run average across 31 starts.
In a separate MLB.com story, Faedo was listed as one of the “10 Tigers Players to Watch in Summer Camp.”
According to Mark Feinsand, MLB.com’s executive reporter, rosters will be cut to 30 players by Opening Day (currently scheduled July 23 or 24), then reduced to 28 players after two weeks and 26 players after four weeks.
Below is the full list of Gators who earned 60-man roster spots.
Gator – Team
Pete Alonso – New York Mets
Shaun Anderson – San Francisco
Harrison Bader – St. Louis
Anthony DeSclafani – Cincinnati
Dane Dunning – Chicago White Sox
Alex Faedo – Detroit
Eric Hanhold – Baltimore
Jonathan India – Cincinnati
Brian Johnson – Boston
Jackson Kowar – Kansas City
Richie Martin – Baltimore
Scott Moss – Cleveland
Darren O’Day – Atlanta
A.J. Puk – Oakland
Buddy Reed – Oakland
Justin Shafer – Cincinnati
Brady Singer – Kansas City
Mike Zunino – Tampa Bay