Tag: Auburn in the MLB

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:

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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Former Auburn signee makes smashing Major League debut

Gunnar Henderson, an Auburn signee from the 2019 class, had an incredible debut for the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday.

A former Auburn baseball signee began his Major League Baseball career with a bang on Wednesday night.

Selma native and 2019 Mr. Baseball for the state of Alabama, [autotag]Gunnar Henderson[/autotag], made his much-awaited debut for the Baltimore Orioles Wednesday and did not disappoint. In his second at-bat, he crushed a 2-2 slider over the right field wall to extend the Orioles’ lead to 2-0 over the Cleveland Guardians in the 4th inning.

Henderson singled in the 9th inning for his second hit of the game, ending his first MLB appearance by going 2-for-4 at the plate.

He signed with Auburn originally before the Orioles selected him with the 42nd overall pick. Henderson elected to take the professional route after being offered a $2.3 million signing bonus.

Henderson was named Mr. Baseball in 2019 by the Alabama Sports Writers Association after a stellar senior season where he hit .559 with 11 home runs, nine triples, 17 doubles, and an astonishing 75 RBI with 32 stolen bases for Morgan Academy.

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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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Mason Barnett becomes latest Tiger to sign professional contract

The Kansas City Royals have agreed to terms with Mason Barnett, who recorded 83 strikeouts for Auburn in 2022.

[autotag]Mason Barnett[/autotag] becomes the fourth member of the 2022 Auburn Baseball roster to sign his rookie contract, as he has agreed to terms given by the Kansas City Royals, the club that drafted him with the 87th overall selection in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

According to Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline, Barnett has agreed to a rookie contract worth $697,500, which is just over $27,000 below slot value.

In three seasons at Auburn, Barnett posted a 5-7 record over 40 appearances with 21 starts. He made his most appearances during the 2022 season, where he started 14 games on the mound in a weekend-starter role.

In 63.2 innings pitched in 2022, Barnett struck out 87 batters while boasting a 4.38 ERA, and an opponent average of .256.

Barnett joins Blake Burkhalter (Braves), Sonny DiChiara (Angels), and Blake Rambusch (Mariners), as former Tigers to sign their professional contracts. Four more Tigers have yet to agree to terms with the organizations that drafted them. The next deal expected to be reported is for Brody Moore, who has penned a farewell tweet to Auburn fans after reportedly agreeing to terms with the St. Louis Cardinals.

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Blake Rambusch inks rookie deal with Seattle Mariners

Another Auburn baseball player has officially signed with their MLB team.

Another former Tiger has made the decision to take the next step in their baseball career.

Just a day after the official announcements that Blake Burkhalter and Sonny DiChiara had signed their rookie contract with their respective clubs, it was reported that a third MLB Draft selection from Auburn had reached a deal.

Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline reported Saturday the Seattle Mariners have agreed to terms with their 15th-round selection in the 2022 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, Auburn’s [autotag]Blake Rambusch[/autotag].

Rambusch, who was the 468th overall selection, has signed a rookie contract valued at $125,000.

In just one season on the Plains, Rambusch made an impact in both aspects of the game. At the plate, Rambusch had the team’s second-highest average with .327, fourth in RBI with 37, and stole 16 bases in 21 attempts.

In the field, Rambusch fielded at a .957 clip, committing just seven errors in 115 fielding attempts. He was also joins [autotag]Kason Howell[/autotag] as the only two players to start all 65 games of the 2022 season, staring primarily at third base.

Five of Auburn’s eight draft picks have yet to agree to terms with their respective franchises. MLB teams have until 4 p.m. CDT on August 1 to reach a deal with their draft picks.

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Burkhalter officially signs with Atlanta Braves

Blake Burkhalter joined the other Braves top draft choices on Friday by signing his rookie contract.

The Auburn Tigers had a total of eight players selected during the three-day Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft earlier this week. One of those picks has officially signed with the franchise that drafted him.

Right-handed pitcher [autotag]Blake Burkhalter[/autotag], who was used as the Tigers’ primary closer in 2022, signed his rookie deal with the Atlanta Braves on Friday, Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline has reported.

According to Callis, Burkhalter signed with the Braves for under slot value.

Burkhalter’s signing shuts the door on his Auburn career. In three seasons on the Plains, Burkhalter struck out 104 of the 298 batters he faced, issuing just 26 walks and allowing 24 earned runs in 71.2 innings pitched.

Last season, Burkhalter recorded an SEC-best 16 saves, which was the second-highest in the country behind Tristan Stivors of Texas State. Burkhalter appeared in 30 games for Auburn in 2021, where he struck out a career-best 71 batters in 46.1 innings pitched.

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