Tag: Duke in the MLB

Former Duke baseball star Griffin Conine called up to the MLB by Miami Marlins

Griffin Conine, who played for Duke baseball from 2016-18, got the call from the Miami Marlins on Sunday, sending him to the big leagues.

Former Duke baseball star Griffin Conine got the call over the weekend.

The former Blue Devil and second-round pick in the 2018 MLB draft got called up to the majors by the Miami Marlins. The team announced the decision on Sunday.

Conine, whose father won two World Series titles with the Marlins, played for the Blue Devils for three seasons from 2016-18. He earned consecutive All-ACC Second Team nominations as a sophomore and junior, and his 31 home runs are the seventh-most in program history.

He compiled 26 doubles and 108 RBIs between his last two collegiate seasons, ending both campaigns with exactly 65 hits. He also drew 43 walks in 2018, finishing with an on-base percentage of .410.

Since being drafted by the Blue Jays, Conine has worked his way up through the minor leagues. The elevation marks his first time on an MLB roster, making him the third Blue Devil to make their big league debut in 2024.

Former Blue Devil Joey Loperfido, now a member of the Toronto Blue Jays himself after a mid-season trade, recently won a game with a solo home run for his new team.

Duke pitcher, second-round MLB draft pick Jonathan Santucci signs with New York Mets

Jonathan Santucci reportedly signed with the New York Mets, who took him in the second round of the 2024 MLB draft, for full slot value on Saturday.

Former Duke baseball pitcher [autotag]Jonathan Santucci[/autotag] is, finally and officially, an MLB player.

According to MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis, Santucci signed with the New York Mets for a little more than $2 million on Saturday night. The contract rewarded the former Blue Devil with full slot value for his status as the 46th overall pick in this month’s MLB draft.

Callis even offered his own small scouting thoughts on the Duke lefty during his report.

“(Intriguing) three-pitch mix (92-96 mph fastball w/carry, low-80s slider w/two-plane break, mid-80s changeup w/fade),” Callis wrote. “(Needs) to throw more strikes & has the athleticism to do so.”

Santucci, the first of five Duke pitchers drafted this month, validated his status as a preseason All-American candidate with an All-ACC season on the mound. He finished with a 3.41 ERA and a 6-1 record in 13 starts, striking out 90 batters in 58.0 innings. He only gave up an opposing batting average of .188, and he didn’t allow a run in five of his appearances.

Santucci missed time with a rib injury late in the season, but he returned to the hill during regional action and shouldn’t be affected at the next level.

Duke baseball player Alex Stone signs with Toronto Blue Jays as undrafted free agent

Alex Stone, Duke’s All-ACC catcher in 2024, signed with the Blue Jays on Friday after a senior season with 13 home runs and 59 RBIs.

A Duke position player finally found his way onto an MLB team during the 2024 draft cycle.

After five Blue Devils pitchers got drafted earlier this week, catcher Alex Stone signed with the Toronto Blue Jays as an undrafted free agent on Friday to begin his professional career.

Stone, the All-ACC Second Team catcher and a member of the All-ACC Tournament team after Duke’s title run, finished his senior season with 13 home runs and 59 runs batted in. He batted .312, the second-best average of his career, and cranked out a personal-best 19 doubles.

During the Blue Devils’ blitz to the conference tournament title, Stone hit two home runs and drove in three runs. His 59 RBIs finished as the most on the team (tied with two other teammates), and he was one of five Duke bats with 10 doubles, 10 home runs, and 50 RBIs last season.

Across his four-year, 172-game Duke career, Stone tallied 40 home runs and 138 RBIs. He finished his career with a .295 batting average and a .552 slugging percentage, and his on-base percentage ended at .357.

Jonathan Santucci, Duke’s ace southpaw, led the way among Duke’s draft picks when the New York Mets took him in the second round. Closer Charlie Beilenson, another All-ACC selection, also notably went in the fifth round to the Seattle Mariners.

Duke pitcher Jonathan Santucci drafted by New York Mets in second round

After an All-ACC First Team junior campaign, Blue Devils southpaw Jonathan Santucci will take his talents to Queens with the New York Mets.

Duke pitcher [autotag]Jonathan Santucci[/autotag]’s professional career finally began on Sunday night when the New York Mets took him in the second round of the 2024 MLB draft.

Santucci, a 6-foot-2 left-hander who made the All-ACC First Team this past season, became the first Blue Devil off the board.

After earning some preseason All-American honors, the third-year star finished 2024 with a career-best 3.41 ERA and a 6-1 record. He struck out 90 batters in 58.0 innings on the bump, giving him a stunning nine-inning split of 13.97, and he surrendered just 1.31 walks and hits per inning pitched.

He got off to a sterling start, not allowing an earned run through his first three appearances (17.0 innings pitched), and only 10 of his 40 hits went for extra bases.

Santucci missed some time near the end of the Duke season, sitting out for the North Carolina series and for the Blue Devils’ victorious ACC Tournament run with a rib injury on his non-throwing side. He returned for Duke’s regional game against Oral Roberts, allowing one hit and two walks in two scoreless innings of an elimination game.

Six other Duke baseball players joined Santucci on the all-conference team for 2024, and with the third round of the draft resuming on Monday, more Blue Devils may hear their names called alongside him.

Former Blue Devil Joey Loperfido dazzles with potential MLB catch of the year

Former Blue Devil Joey Loperfido made the potential catch of the year against the Minnesota Twins on Friday.

The Houston Astros did not draft former Duke Blue Devil [autotag]Joey Loperfido[/autotag] for his defensive prowess. Still, during a crazy 13-12 win over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night, Loperfido made a phenomenal catch that will be on highlight reels for the foreseeable future.

Minnesota’s Willi Castro barrelled up a 0-1 pitch and drove it deep to right field at Target Field. Loperfido ranged to his left, inching closer to the right field fence before he leaped and snagged the baseball into his glove.

The ball fell out on the way down, but Lopefido used his non-glove hand to catch it before it hit the ground, preventing what would have been a sure extra-base hit.

Initially, it was ruled no-catch, but after an Astros review, it was determined that the ball never hit the wall once it left Loperfido’s glove, thus making it fair play for the Duke grad to secure it for the final time.

Loperfido has had a lot of runway to play with the Astros’ missing two-time All-Star right fielder Kyle Tucker with a shin injury. Tucker is believed to be out through the All-Star break, meaning Loperfido will have even more opportunities to showcase himself.

Along with his terrific catch last night, he also had a two-run double that helped Houston’s cause as they continue to play much better baseball and look to fight their way into the AL West race.

Duke baseball star Joey Loperfido hits first MLB home run on Thursday night

Former Blue Devils baseball star Joey Loperfido smashed one into the stands against Oakland on Thursday night, his first big-league home run in his 11th MLB game.

The Duke baseball team beating North Carolina wasn’t the only good diamond news in Durham on Thursday night.

Joey Loperfido, the former Duke star, hit his first MLB home run on Thursday night. In his 11th MLB game, the newest Houston Astro drove a low bullet into the stands against the Oakland Athletics in front of his home crowd.

The two-run shot made it a 6-0 ballgame.

Loperfido got called up at the end of April shortly before being named the Pacific Coast League Player of the Month for his performance in the minors.

Across 34 career at-bats in the big leagues now, Loperfido is batting .324 with an on-base percentage of .378 due to his three walks. His home run on Thursday was the second extra-base hit of his career after a double two games before, and he’s already compiled five RBIs in the young season.

A seventh-round draft pick in 2021, Loperfido played for the Blue Devils from 2018-21. He was named ACC Baseball Tournament MVP when Duke took home its first conference tournament title during his senior season.

Loperfido and the Astros won the game 8-1 to round out a four-game sweep of the A’s.

Former Blue Devil Joey Loperfido named Pacific Coast League Player of the Month

Former Duke star Joey Loperfido was named the Pacific Coast League Player of the Month after he hit 10 home runs and drove home 20 runs in 22 games.

Former Duke baseball player Joey Loperfido was named the Pacific Coast League Player of the Month for April on Friday.

Loperfido, who played for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, hit 10 home runs and batted in 20 runs across 22 games in April. He ended the month with a .289 batting average.

The former Blue Devil notably hit three home runs in a single game on April 12. For the season with Sugar Land, Loperfido batted .287 with 13 home runs and 27 RBIs.

Loperfido won’t get the chance to defend his crown, however, as the Houston Astros called him up to the show this week. He drove in two runs with an RBI single in his debut game on Tuesday. He has two hits in his nine MLB at-bats thus far.

Loperfido played for the Blue Devils from 2018-21 before the Astros took him in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB draft.