Category: Gators in MLB

Former Florida star Pete Alonso announces 2024 charity initiative

Pete Alonso and the Alonso Foundation are pledging $1,000 to animal shelters for every home run the former Gator hits in 2024.

Former Florida Gator and current New York Mets first baseman [autotag]Pete Alonso[/autotag] has announced a charity initiative ahead of the 2024 MLB season.

On Saturday, he announced the Alonso Foundation would donate $1,000 to animal rescues for each home run he hits this season. The money will go toward the transport of animals, beds, toys and more to help them get out of kill shelters.

“Hopefully there’s a lot of homers and we get to save a lot of animals.”

Donations can be made at alonsofoundation.org.

Alonso has been one of the premiere power hitters in baseball since arriving to MLB in 2019. He’s never hit fewer than 37 home runs in a full season (16 during the COVID-shortened 2020 season). He should push for 40-plus longballs again in 2024.

This isn’t the first time Alonso has used his power for good. He’s used prize money from the Home Run Derby to donate to Wounded Warriors, which is what prompted him and his wife, Hayley, to organize their foundation.

Alonso also donated $50,000 to Tunnels to Towers, a charity that helps families of New York first responders who died on the job.

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Former Florida OF signs free agent deal with New York Mets

Former Florida outfielder Harrison Bader is headed back to New York, but this time he’ll play for the Mets instead of the Yankees.

After playing for both the New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds in 2023, former Florida Gators outfielder and seven-year MLB veteran Harrison Bader has agreed to a one-year, $10.5 million deal with the New York Mets, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feisand.

The contract is the largest of Bader’s career and a significant pay increase from his arbitration extension with St. Louis in 2022 worth $10.4 million over two years.

Bader joins his former Florida teammate Pete Alonso on the Mets. The two won a College World Series together in 2015, and Alonso welcomed Bader to New York with open arms.

Bader’s best year came in 2021 when he finished with 3.2 wins above replacement (WAR), according to FanGraphs, but that number has dropped to 1.0 since. He’s a career .243/.310/.396 hitter, but it’s the glove that MLB teams are paying for.

Capable centerfielders are some of the hottest commodities at the highest level of the game. There’s no guarantee that Bader finds his way into the starting lineup, but the Mets are banged up enough to have added some outfield depth over the past few weeks.

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Former Gator wins 2023 World Series with Texas Rangers

Former Florida right-hander Dane Dunning finished on top of the baseball mountain this year, winning a World Series with the Texas Rangers.

Texas Rangers fans across the country are celebrating following the team’s World Series run, and there’s reason for Gator Nation to join the party.

Former Florida right-hander Dane Dunning pitched in three of the five World Series games for Texas, helping secure the Commissioner’s Trophy. Dunning didn’t win it all at UF, but he was a member of the 2016 team that finished 52-16 and was eliminated in the College World Series.

As a junior, Dunning appeared in 33 games for Florida, mostly as a reliever. He finished his Florida career with 174 strikeouts, a 3.26 ERA and a .222 batting average against over 163 innings.

The Gators won it all the next year without Dunning, but it’s hard to turn down first-round money from the pros. The Washington Nationals selected Dunning with the 29th overall pick in the 2016 draft and traded him in 2017 for Adam Eaton.

He spent most of 2017 in High-A, starting 22 games for the Winston-Salem Dash. He returned to the Dash for just four starts in 2018 before being called up to Double-A Birmingham, where he finished the season. Dunning missed all of 2019 and half of 2020 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

The Rangers acquired him in 2021 and now his name is etched in the history books as a World Series champion.

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Pete Alonso makes history with third 40-homer season

Former Florida Gators first baseman Pete Alonso has joined a historic club with his third 40-homer season in five season as big leaguer.

All [autotag]Pete Alonso[/autotag] has done since leaving Gainesville is hit home runs.

On Sunday, the former Gator and current New York Met joined a historic group after homering twice in a 6-3 win over the Seattle Mariners. Alonso has reached 40 home runs in three of his five seasons in the MLB, joining Ralph Kiner, Eddie Mathews, Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols as the fifth player to accomplish the feat in league history, according to ESPN.

Kiner and Mathrews are already Hall of Famers, and Pujols most certainly will be a first-ballot member. Alonso is joining elite company and should go down as one of the best power hitters of his generation. It hasn’t been enough to win an MVP yet, but he finished in the top 10 in 2022 (also in 2019).

“Kind of mind-baffling,” Alonso said. “Impressive names. I had no idea.”

Alonso’s contact tool is what’s holding him back from being a legitimate MVP candidate, and his .225 average this season is the worst of his career. 2024 will be his final arbitration-eligible season with the Mets, meaning he could enter free agency in the summer of 2025. The former Gator is already being paid $14.5 million this year and should get a raise over the offseason.

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Former Gator OF Wyatt Langford called up to Double A

After just 24 games in High-A ball, former Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford is being called up to the Frisco Roughriders in Double-A.

Former Florida outfielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] continued to quickly climb up the Texas Rangers minor league system with a call-up to Double-A Frisco after just 24 games in High-A.

Langford is batting .340 with a 1.120 on-base-plus-slugging percentage over 100 career at-bats. He only spent three games in the Arizona Complex League before skipping Single-A entirely and moving to High-A Hickory. He’s dominated there and his power is showing to all fields, so it’s time to face tougher competition.

Former LSU Tiger Dylan Crews, the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, recently got promoted to Double-A after putting up similar number to Langford and is going through an adjustment period. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Langford struggle as well, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him pick up where he left off in High-A either.

Langford’s 17.0% walk rate and strikeout rate are both above average, meaning he is seeing the ball well in the pros. But the jump to Double-A is perhaps the most significant in the minors.

With only 12 games left in the regular season and the Roughriders five games back of Armarillo in the Texas League South Division, Langford won’t get much time in Double-A, but the plate appearances will still be significant for a player who was in college less than 10 weeks ago.

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Former Florida outfielder becomes 82nd Gator to play in MLB

Young joins a long list of Gators to crack the highest level of baseball on the planet.

Former Florida Gators standout outfielder [autotag]Jacob Young[/autotag] became the 82nd member of the Orange and Blue to play at the highest level of baseball on Saturday when he debuted for the Washington Nationals. He is now the 30th player that head coach Kevin O’Sullivan has sent to the majors from Gainesville.

The former seventh-round pick of the 2021 MLB draft (203rd overall) has spent the last couple of years working his way up the Nats’ organization, reaching Triple-A Rochester. There, he posted a .294 batting average along with a .471 slugging percentage and a .765 on-base plus slugging percentage, which despite the complete lack of walks earned him a trip to the big leagues.

In his first appearance, Young scored the game-tying run with two outs in the ninth inning in a pinch-running role. Washington went on to win the game, 3-2.

Over the course of his three-year career a the collegiate level, Young produced a slash line of .330 BA/.400 OBP/.447 OPS. He excelled out of the gates in the minors, scoring 118 runs — best in MiLB — in 2022 while batting .262/.360/.331 over 115 games.

The previous former Gator to debut in the big leagues was utility player Dalton Guthrie, who got his first cup of coffee last September with the Philadelphia Phillies after being taken in the sixth round of the 2017 MLB draft.

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Former Gator RHP Hurston Waldrep promoted to High-A Rome

Former Florida right-hander Hurston Waldrep is moving up to High-A ball after ONE dominant start in Single-A.

Wyatt Langford isn’t the only 2023 Florida baseball draftee moving up the minor league ranks rather quickly. Right-hander [autotag]Hurston Waldrep[/autotag], who was selected 24th overall by the Atlanta Braves in the 2023 MLB draft, is being called up to High-A Rome (Braves) after just one dominant start for the Augusta GreenJackets in Single-A.

Waldrep skipped the rookie levels of the minor almost entirely. The Braves sent him straight to Augusta, skipping over the complex league where most rookies wet their boots. All he did was strike out eight batters in three innings.

As usual, Waldrep’s splitter dropped off the table, baffling right-handers and setting up a high fastball that came in anywhere from 94-97 mph. He did give up two runs on three hits and a walk during the outing, but only one was earned.

Waldrep has a chance to quickly make his way into most top-100 prospect lists. His splitter might have been the most dominant pitch in college baseball last season and was getting MLB comparisons in May.

The Braves used a first-round pick and signed him to a deal worth 92% of the slot value. Their intention is to move him up as quickly as possible. All Waldrep has to do is pitch well at each level he reaches. So far, so good. Let’s see how High-A treats him.

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Former Gator Wyatt Langford promoted to High-A

Wyatt Langford needed just three games to prove he was ready for a promotion, and the Rangers are moving him up to their High-A affiliate in Hickory, North Carolina.

It only took three games in the Arizona Complex League for the Texas Rangers to decide that former Florida outfielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] needed some tougher competition.

Langford hit safely five times during his 14 plate appearances for the ACL Rangers, doubling three times and homering once. He went 3-for-4 on Monday with three runs batted in, a home run, a walk and a stolen base.

He’ll skip the Single-A affiliate Down East Wood Ducks entirely and move on to play for the High-A Hickory Crawdads in the South Atlantic League, according to Nick de la Torre of Gators Online.

Fangraphs thinks Langford will debut in the bigs by 2025 and ranks him 15th among all prospects in the league. High-A should be a bit more of a challenge for Langford, though. Some have compared that level of the minors to the SEC. While the comparison doesn’t always hold true, Langford was among the best hitters in all of college baseball. He should still perform well with the Crawdads.

Hickory is currently 19-10 (.655) and leading the South Division of the SAL. The Crawdads play nightly at 7:05 p.m. EDT through Saturday and are scheduled for 2:05 p.m. EDT on Sunday. Games are available on MiLB.tv.

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Former Gator INF Jonathan India could be traded by Cincinnati

It’s hard to imagine trading a Rookie of the Year just two years after he wins the award, but Cincinnati has enough young infield talent to market the former Gator.

Former Florida infielder [autotag]Jonathan India[/autotag] won the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year as a Cincinnati Red, but he could be wearing a different uniform less than two years later.

MLB.com executive reporter Mark Feinsand tweeted (X’d?) that the Reds were open to trading India due to an abundance of young infielders on Monday. India failed to follow up on his stellar rookie year last season, finishing the 2022 season with a 0.4 WAR after 103 games, but he’s bounced back nicely in 2023 and should be an attractive trade piece.

Through 101 games, India already has a 1.2 WAR and is striking out at a career-low rate. His power numbers are up a bit. He’s on pace for 20 homers and just under 100 runs batted in.

When it comes to possible landing spots, two AL East teams seem to be the popular choice among fans. Baltimore could use a young, controllable option at second base with 31-year-old Adam Frazier’s contract set to expire at the end of the year, and India still has three arbitration years left.

The return will need to be decent, though. The Reds want young and controllable pitchers in exchange for their primary second baseman. Otherwise, it’s unlikely that he’s dealt.

India responded to the trade rumors on Tuesday.

“I talked to people in the organization saying it’s just a rumor,” India said to Cincinnati.com. “At the end of the day, it’s out there for a reason.”

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Wyatt Langford drafted fourth overall by Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers drafted Wyatt Langford with the fourth overall pick of the 2023 MLB draft on Sunday.

Wyatt Langford’s is headed to Texas!

The Rangers used the fourth overall pick on the Florida outfielder, making him the highest-drafted player in program history since Mike Zunino at No. 3 in 2012.

Although there were rumblings of Langford jumping up to the No. 1 spot, LSU right-hander Paul Skenes was first off the board and his teammate Dylan Crews went second overall to Washington. Detroit surprised many by going with high school outfielder Max Clark, leaving Langford there for Texas to grab.

Langford played 134 games for Florida over three seasons. After spending his freshman year on the bench as a reserve catcher, Langford moved to the outfield in 2022, hoping to find more playing time. Any questions regarding his ability to play a new position quickly faded as he routinely made difficult plays in left field look simple.

Slashing .355/.447/.719 also meant that his bat was among the best in the entire country. He earned several All-American odds and tied the old Florida record of 26 home runs that Jac Caglianone beat this season.

Entering 2023 as one of the top draft-eligible college bats in the nation, Langford got off to a slow start, thanks in part to a groin injury that he returned early from. Instead of missing an expected 4-6 weeks, Langford came back in two, leaving the team without him for just seven games.

Still injured for most of the season, he slashed .373/.498/.784 and drove in 57 runs with 21 homers. He improved his eye a ton, walking 56 times to just 44 strikeouts, and flashed legitimate 70-grade speed once fully healed. He was a Golden Spikes semifinalist and one of the greatest Gators of all time.

Langford is the 18th first-round draft pick in program history and should be a generational talent for Texas.

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