USC Baseball

Trojans in the MLB Performance Report

Some new former Trojans have recently emerged in the Big Leagues, including one former top catcher-turned-pitcher.

By Aaron Hendel@HendelTime Aug 6, 2018, 8:30am PDT

Brad Boxberger

Boxberger has performed better than any of his fellow Trojan alumni in the Majors this year, serving as the closer for the Arizona Diamondbacks. That said, he’s only converted 26 of 31 save opportunities—no one in the bigs has more than six blown saves.

Still, with a 3.40 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings, Boxberger has played a huge role for a team now tied for the NL West lead. He’s succeeded in 10 of his last 11 save chances.

Robert Stock

Stock made his Major League debut on June 24 at the age of 28 for the San Diego Padres. Since then, with the exception of one rough appearance against the Philadelphia Phillies, he’s given up just two runs in nine outings out of the bullpen, good for a 3.95 ERA. He has regularly hit 100 miles per hour with his fastball.

He’s also played nine games at catcher as a defensive replacement for the Padres, the position he was originally drafted for in 2009 in the second round. He was the top player in the country for his age between ages 13-15 according to Baseball America. Stock has yet to record an at-bat.

Stock played parts of seven seasons in the minor leagues for four organizations and two independent clubs before finally getting his opportunity at the highest level.

Lucas Duda

Duda missed over a month with a foot injury sustained in mid-May, early in his inaugural season with the Kansas City Royals. He’s been hitting cleanup since Mike Moustakas was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Duda has nine home runs and 39 RBI for a Royals side sitting in last place in the AL Central.

Tommy Milone

Veteran lefty Tommy Milone has returned to the team that drafted him back in 2008, the Washington Nationals.

He made his season debut on July 26 in a no-decision after Stephen Strasburg went on the DL, then earned his first win since he was a member of the Brewers in early 2017, going seven innings against his most recent former team, the New York Mets.

Milone was waived by the Brewers last season then claimed by the Mets, but had the worst year of his career with an 8.56 ERA that saw him sent back down to the Minors, where he’s split time with the Major Leagues every year since 2012.

Ian Kennedy

Duda’s Royals teammate Kennedy had started to rebound after a tough first few months of the 2018 season, with three straight starts of at least six innings back in June.

However, he landed on the disabled list with an oblique injury on June 29, and re-aggravated it in his attempted return on July 10. He has yet to be reactivated.

Kennedy is currently a brutal 1-8 with a 5.13 ERA.

Andrew Triggs

Triggs made the Oakland Athletics’ opening day roster and started nine games on the mound, but left his May 17 outing early with a strange tingling in his fingers.

The tingling turned out to be the result of a nerve issue. A few weeks ago, he was moved to the 60-day DL.

Triggs went down with a 3-1 record and a 5.23 ERA.

Ryan Cook

Cook was optioned down to the minors by the Seattle Mariners on June 22. He had been, and still is, an incredible comeback story after being out of the Majors since 2015 and out of baseball altogether since 2016 due to a series of serious injuries.

Cook started the season with five consecutive scoreless relief appearances, but spiraled to a 6.75 ERA afterward. He is on the 40-man roster.

Danny Coulombe

Coulombe is currently in the Minor Leagues but on a 40-man roster as well, and could see a call-up for the surging A’s when the Major League rosters expand to that size on Sept. 1.

He has been back and forth between the bigs and the minors a few times this season, and has looked sharp for Oakland when given the opportunity, going 1-1 with a 4.56 ERA. In his four years with the team, he’s been solidly consistent—this is his highest ERA yet.