Category: Auburn in MLB

Auburn set to honor Frank Thomas with statue at Plainsman Park

Auburn Baseball will honor the SEC’s lone member of the Baseball Hall of Fame with a statue this upcoming season.

When college sports fans associate legends with Auburn University, their minds usually go to the three B’s… Bo, Barkley, and the Big Hurt.

[autotag]Bo Jackson[/autotag], who won the Heisman Trophy in 1985, has a statue at the entrance of Jordan-Hare Stadium alongside the program’s other two winners, [autotag]Pat Sullivan[/autotag] and [autotag]Cam Newton[/autotag].

Soon after Jackson’s statue was unveiled, a statue was constructed to honor [autotag]Charles Barkley[/autotag]. That statue now welcomes scholarship donors to Neville Arena on Auburn Basketball game days.

The only statue missing is one honoring [autotag]Frank Thomas[/autotag]. Those days are now numbered.

Thomas, who played baseball and football at Auburn in the late 1980s before enjoying an MLB career that spanned from 1990-2008, will have a statue unveiled at Plainsman Park in his honor on April 8, 2023, according to officials with Auburn Baseball.

Thomas was selected No. 7 overall by the Chicago White Sox during the 1989 Major League Baseball draft and would play for the White Sox from 1990-2005. He spent the final three seasons of his career with the Oakland Athletics and the Toronto Blue Jays.

During his 19-year career, Thomas hit 521 home runs and drove in 1,704 runs while batting .301. He was also a five-time all-star and a two-time winner of the Most Valuable Player award. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame as a first-ballot selection in 2014, and remains the SEC’s lone member.

Auburn Baseball head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] says that Thomas’ statue is a testament to the strong history of the program.

“I think it just gives another degree and shows how good our history is with Auburn baseball,” Thompson said in a recent interview with Auburn Undercover. “There are so many other players that I’m not mentioning, but none are bigger than Frank Thomas. For him to get our first statue, I think it’s in line with the other amazing Auburn men and women that have gotten statues.”

Thomas’ statue will be unveiled during a crucial SEC weekend for Auburn Baseball. The Tigers welcome fellow 2022 College World Series participant, Texas A&M, from April 6-8, and the statue reveal will be the icing on the cake.

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Auburn Morning Rush: Cadillac Williams presented game ball, Edouard Julien named 2022 AFL Breakout Player of the year

The scene in Jordan-Hare over the weekend is something that will be remembered for quite some time.

What a weekend on the Plains.

The Tigers showed what Auburn football is all about, beating the Texas A&M Aggies 13-10, and the fans did more than their part, packing Jordan-Hare and creating an insane atmosphere despite a disappointing season.

A ton of credit has to go to interim head coach [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] who picked up his first win as the head coach and was given the game ball after the game by his players.

A former Tiger baseball player also made a statement over the weekend. [autotag]Edouard Julien [/autotag] was named the breakout player of the Arizona Fall League.

Finally, the atmosphere inside Jordan-Hare made quite an impact on Auburn target [autotag]Joseph Edwin[/autotag], who called it the best atmosphere he’s ever seen.

Read more about these stories in the Monday edition of the Auburn Morning Rush.

Donaldson, New York Yankees face elimination Sunday in ALCS

The Astros shut out the Yankees on Saturday, forcing a must-win situation for the Yankees on Sunday afternoon.

Following another disappointing performance in the American League Championship Series, the New York Yankees need to earn a win on Sunday in order to stay alive in their quest for a World Series crown.

Houston’s Chas McCormick hit a two-run blast in the 3rd inning on Saturday’s Game Three, while Trey Mancini and Christian Vasquez combined to plate three runs in the 6th inning to lift the Astros to a 5-0 win over the Yankees at Yankee Stadium to take a 3-0 lead in the American League Championship Series.

Auburn’s tie to the American League Championship Series, third baseman [autotag]Josh Donaldson[/autotag], went 0-for-3 in the game, striking out twice. Including Saturday’s game, Donaldson has struck out 13 times over a span of six postseason games, while only recording three hits. This postseason, Donaldson is batting .200 with one double and seven RBI.

Game four between the Yankees and Astros is set for a 3:07 p.m. CT start time live from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. The game can be seen live on TBS.

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Donaldson, Yankees drop game two to Houston Astros

The Yankees are down 2-0 to the Houston Astros as the ALCS shifts to the Bronx.

[autotag]Josh Donaldson[/autotag]’s struggles at the plate continue as the New York Yankees drop the second game of the American League Championship Series to the Houston Astros on Thursday night, 3-2 at Minute Maid Park in Houston. The Yankees’ loss extends the Astros lead in the series to 2-0 as the series heads to New York for game three.

The former Auburn Tiger went 1-for-3 with a double in the Yankees’ loss, with two strikeouts. Over the last five postseason games, Donaldson has struck out 11 times while only reaching base four times.

All scoring in the game took place in the 3rd and 4th innings. The Astros scored all three of their runs on one swing by Houston’s Alex Bregman in the bottom of the 3rd inning. His three-run blast broke the scoreless tie and put his team up 3-0.

The Yankees responded by scoring two runs in the top of the 4th inning, one run on an Anthony Rizzo groundout that scored Aaron Judge, and an RBI infield single by Gleyber Torres that scored Giancarlo Stanton.

Donaldson and the Yankees will take Friday off, and pick back up for game three at Yankee Stadium. Saturday’s game in the Bronx will begin at 4:07 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcasted on TBS.

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Josh Donaldson, New York Yankees advance to ALCS

Former Tiger Josh Donaldson’s World Series hopes are still alive after the Yankees’ win over Cleveland on Tuesday.

Auburn’s lone representative in the Major League Baseball postseason advances to the next round.

[autotag]Josh Donaldson[/autotag] and the New York Yankees returned to the Bronx on Tuesday to face the Cleveland Guardians in a winner-take-all Game Five of the American League Division Series. Behind a three-run home run by Giancarlo Stanton in the bottom of the 1st inning, the Yankees were able to take care of the Guardians, winning 5-1 to win the series.

Donaldson went 1-for-4 in the game and finishes the ALDS with a .250 average (4-for-16). His best game in the series came in game one of the series when he went 2-for-2 at the plate with a walk in the Yankees’ 4-1 win at Yankee Stadium.

Donaldson and the Yankees will have a quick turnaround, as they meet the Houston Astros for game one of the American League Championship Series beginning Wednesday. The best-of-seven series begins at 6:37 p.m. CT at Minute Maid Park in Houston. The game will be broadcasted live on TBS.

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Auburn Morning Rush: Gymnastics releases home schedule, Daniel wins pitcher of the month

Gymnastics, NIL, Baseball, and Josh Donaldson headline Thursday’s edition of the Auburn Morning Rush

Good morning, Tiger fans. It is time for the Thursday edition of the Auburn Morning Rush.

First up on the rush is Gymnastics news. The Tigers released their home slate of meets for the 2023 season, which included three meets against challenging SEC foes such as LSU, Arkansas, and Georgia.

The next item involves a former Auburn pitcher Davis Daniel. Daniel, who was a key part of the Tiger rotation in the late 2010s, ends the season as the Pitcher of the Month in the Pacific Coast League. We look at what made the last month of the season so special for Daniel.

In the world of NIL, soccer star Anna Haddock is the most recent Auburn athlete to sign a deal through the Auburn NIL collective, On To Victory. What local business is relying on Haddock for promotion?

Finally, it is a big day for former Auburn Tiger Josh Donaldson, who is set to play game two of the American League Division Series with the New York Yankees this evening in the Bronx.

Without further delay, here is the Thursday edition of the Auburn Morning Rush:

Auburn Morning Rush: Tigers name honorary captain, former Tiger excels in ALDS

Here is the latest Auburn news you may have missed for the Auburn Morning Rush:

We’re halfway through the week, which means that we’re halfway there to Auburn football this Saturday.

But that isn’t the only Auburn sport being played this fall season. Both the women’s soccer team and Auburn’s women’s golf team deserve some credit for the way those squads have been playing, and on top of that, a former Auburn alum got the job done for his baseball team in the first round of the ALDS between the Yankees and the Guardians on Tuesday night.

Check out the latest Auburn news stories you may not have caught as you ready yourself for your morning commute down below:

Former Tiger Josh Donaldson heading to MLB Postseason with New York Yankees

The former Auburn third baseman is set to make another postseason appearance. This time, he will do so wearing pinstripes.

Auburn Baseball will have one representative in the upcoming Major League Baseball Postseason, and he is perhaps its’ most famous current player.

Former Tiger [autotag]Josh Donaldson[/autotag] is playoff bound in his first season with the New York Yankees after the team finished with 99 wins and the American League East crown.

This season, Donaldson hit for a .222 average with 15 home runs and 62 RBI while playing in 132 games, making 546 plate appearances.

The postseason appearance will be the first for Donaldson since 2019 when he was the starting third baseman for the Atlanta Braves. That season, Donaldson reached his second-highest season home run total by cranking out 37 home runs. He also ended that season with 94 RBI.

His most notable appearance in the postseason came in 2015 when he was a key member of the Toronto Blue Jays team that played for an American League Championship. He was also named American League Most Valuable Player that season.

You can watch Donaldson and the Yankees compete for a World Series title beginning Tuesday, Oct. 11. The Yankees will meet the winner of the American League Wild Card series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Guardians that will take place this weekend.

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Sonny DiChiara hits first professional home run

Watch Sonny DiChiara crush his first professional home run for the Rocket City Trash Pandas.

To say that former Auburn slugger [autotag]Sonny DiChiara[/autotag] is comfortable as a professional baseball player would be an understatement.

Since beginning his assignment on July 30 with the Los Angeles Angels’ double-A affiliate, the Rocket City Trash Pandas, DiChiara has racked up six hits and four RBI in five total games.

On Friday, he got to mark another “first” off of his checklist, hitting his first professional home run.

In the first inning of Rocket City’s 4-1 win over the Tennessee Smokies, DiChiara crushed a two-home blast to left field to give the Trash Pandas the early 4-0 lead. His home run was the second two-run shot of the inning for Rocket City.

DiChiara is quickly becoming a fan favorite among the Huntsville locals. He is currently batting .353 with a double, a home run, and four RBIs. So far into his assignment, DiChiara has split time between the designated hitter role in the lineup and his more familiar position, first base. In two games at first base, DiChiara is 21-for-21 in put-out opportunities.

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Baltimore Orioles agree to terms with Trace Bright

Contract details have emerged for RHP Trace Bright and the Baltimore Orioles.

Another key piece of Auburn’s rotation is officially going pro.

Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline has reported that the Baltimore Orioles have agreed to terms with their fifth-round selection, Auburn RHP [autotag]Trace Bright[/autotag].

Bright, who recorded 17 starts for Auburn in 2022, was taken with the 137th overall selection and has signed a contract worth $400,000, which is below slot value, but still considered a pretty hefty payday.

The Montgomery product ends his three-year stint at Auburn with an ERA of 6.01 in 139.1 innings of work. He struck out 149 batters and issued just 63 walks in 40 total appearances, posting a 10-9 record.

In 2022, Bright got the nod in 17 weekend games, and making one additional appearance as a reliever. In 18 appearances, Bright struck out 94 batters while issuing just 38 walks. His longest outing of the season was 6.0 innings, which he accomplished in three straight starts in nonconference weekend action.

His best outing came in the Auburn Regional against Southeastern Louisiana, where he struck out ten batters in Auburn’s 19-7 win over the Lions at Plainsman Park. Bright also got the start against Stanford in the College World Series, where he struck out eight batters in five innings of work in Auburn’s lone win in Omaha.

Bright becomes the fifth draft pick from Auburn to sign with an MLB Organization. Details have yet to emerge for [autotag]Brody Moore[/autotag] (517th overall pick by Cardinals), [autotag]Hayden Mullins[/autotag] (369th pick by Red Sox), and [autotag]Carson Skipper[/autotag] (326th pick by Rockies). It is expected that all three will sign with their respective organizations.

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