Tag: Keegan Thompson

Scott Foxhall returns to Auburn baseball staff

Foxhall previously served as Auburn’s pitching coach and recruiting coordinator from 2009-14.

Auburn baseball head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] has welcomed an old friend of the program back for his second stint.

[autotag]Scott Foxhall[/autotag], who served as Auburn’s pitching coach and recruiting coordinator from 2009-14, has returned to the Plains. He will serve as the Director of Player Development, taking the place of [autotag]Aaron Everett[/autotag] following his departure to serve as Jax State’s pitching coach.

During his initial tenure, Foxhall worked with the likes of [autotag]Grant Dayton[/autotag], [autotag]Cole Nelson[/autotag], [autotag]Derek Varnadore[/autotag], [autotag]Jon Luke Jacobs[/autotag], [autotag]Conner Kendrick[/autotag], [autotag]Keegan Thompson[/autotag], and [autotag]Dillon Ortman[/autotag], all of whom struck out 60-or-more batters under his watch.

“Scott Foxhall brings an abundance of experience to our player development position,” Thompson said in a press release. “His recruiting connections span across the country and his familiarity with Auburn will allow him to hit the ground running. A large number of former Auburn players and baseball supporters who love our program are going to be excited to see Scott and his amazing family back on The Plains.”

He comes to Auburn after most recently spending the last five seasons as Mississippi State’s pitching coach. During the Bulldogs’ College World Series championship season in 2021, three pitchers struck out 100-plus batters under Foxhall’s direction. Landon Sims posted an ERA of 1.44 while striking out 100 batters. The Bulldogs’ ace that season, Will Bednar, struck out 139 batters while walking just 26 batters in 92.1 innings.

According to the press release from Auburn Athletics, Foxhall will be responsible for assisting the coaching staff in the overall development of the student-athletes, from assisting with practice plans and scouting reports to reviewing analytical data and overseeing the academic progress of the program. He will also play a large role in on-campus recruiting.

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Moving on up: Ryan Bliss gets the call to join Triple-A Reno

The former Tiger shortstop hit .358 with 12 home runs in 68 games with the Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles this season.

One of Auburn’s best infielders in recent history is continuing to climb up the minor league ranks.

Thursday, former Auburn shortstop [autotag]Ryan Bliss[/autotag] learned that he will be moving up in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization by advancing to Triple-A Reno after a successful campaign at Double-A Amarillo.

Bliss has been on a tear this season with the Amarillo Sod Poodles in the Texas League. In 68 games, Bliss hit .358 with 105 hits, 25 doubles, four triples, and 12 home runs. He sent home 47 runs and stole 30 bases.

With Bliss now being one step away from the show, Sports Illustrated sheds light on Bliss’ path to Arizona.

FanGraphs rates his total offensive output to be 62% better than the average Texas League hitter, with a 162 wRC+. The strong season has improved the likelihood his bat could play in the major leagues. Defensively he profiles best to play second due to a below-average arm, although he is blocked by Ketel Marte. Marte is signed through the 2026 season, so Bliss will need to be an above-average bat to take over at second long term.

Bliss spent three seasons on the Plains from 2019-21. He started all 134 games of his collegiate career, and posted a .328 average, with 176 hits, 20 home runs, 99 RBI, and 22 stolen bases. His junior season was his most productive, where he hit .365 with 14 doubles, 15 home runs, 45 RBI, and six stolen bases.

Bliss now joins a long list of former Tigers that currently compete in Triple-A, which includes [autotag]Keegan Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Steven Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Ben Braymer[/autotag], and [autotag]Daniel Robert[/autotag].

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Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Watch: Edouard Julien hits first big league bomb

The former Auburn slugger accomplished the feat in just his second MLB game.

Auburn baseball alumni [autotag]Edouard Julien[/autotag] accomplished the important milestone of hitting his first major league home run. Julien made his MLB debut Wednesday for the Minnesota Twins and hit his first home run against the New York Yankees in his second game at the Major League level.

Additionally, Julien’s first hit at the Major League level came earlier in the inning.

The infielder hit .266/.393/.501 and had 27 home runs and 126 RBIs during his time on the Plains. Julien is the 58th former Tiger to appear on the big league scene and the seventh Auburn alumn to be called up since 2020. The others include [autotag]Casey Mize[/autotag], [autotag]Ben Braymer[/autotag], [autotag]Josh Palacios[/autotag], [autotag]Keegan Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Gabe Klobosits[/autotag], and [autotag]Davis Daniel[/autotag].

Per OptsStats, Julien is the fourth player since 1974 to get their first big league hit and home run in the same inning.

Julien’s bat is expected to be a big part of the Twins’ lineup for years to come.

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Former Auburn pitcher throws career-high strikeouts

He currently has a 3.27 ERA in 2022.

Former Auburn pitcher [autotag]Keegan Thompson[/autotag] wasn’t giving any mercy from the bump on Friday.

Thompson, who currently pitches for the Chicago Cubs, sat down a career-high nine batters in one game against the Atlanta Braves. Thompson pitched six innings on the mound and gave up just two hits to help propel the Cubs over the defending World Series champions 1-0. Despite the win, the Cubs are still struggling — the win brings them to 24-40 on the year.

The Alabama native was stellar at Auburn, finishing his career on the Plains with a 2.46 ERA and a 19-10 record over 46 appearances. Thompson also sat down 210 batters over 252.2 innings pitched. His ERA in 2017 also ranked sixth across all pitchers in the SEC. He was drafted by the Cubs in 2017 and was promoted to the bigs in May 2021.

So far in his MLB career, Thompson has a 3.32 ERA in 47 appearances with the Cubs. He currently boasts a 6-2 record and a 3.27 ERA in 15 games for 2020, but he’s also given up 45 hits in those 15 games — he only gave up 48 hits across 32 games in 2021, so that is likely an area he’ll look to improve on as he continues his tenure in the Windy City this year,

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Auburn pitcher gets the call to join the Los Angeles Angels

Daniel joins Keegan Thompson and Casey Mize as a member of Auburn’s 2017 starting rotation to get called up to the majors.

A key piece to Auburn’s stout pitching rotations in 2017 and 2018 is getting his chance to shine in the Major Leagues.

[autotag]Davis Daniel[/autotag], who was a starting pitcher for the Tigers from 2017-19, has been called up by the Los Angeles Angels and will be a part of the active roster for Saturday night’s game against the New York Mets in Anaheim, California.

Daniel, who is celebrating his 25th birthday on Saturday, says that he got the call from the manager of the Angels’ triple-A affiliate, Lou Marson, at 1 a.m. MDT, and was on a flight from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles at 8 a.m. MDT, according to Sam Blum of The Athletic.

In nine starts on the mound for the triple-A Salt Lake Bees, Daniel posted a  3-1 record with a 3.64 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 47.0 innings. It is unclear at the time of this post if Daniel will join the Angels rotation, or will be used as a bullpen arm.

Daniel was very instrumental during a significant era of Auburn pitching. In 2017, he was used as the Sunday starter in a weekend rotation that featured current Cubs starter [autotag]Keegan Thompson[/autotag] and Tigers starter [autotag]Casey Mize[/autotag]. Then, in 2018, he returned to the rotation with Mize as they added [autotag]Tanner Burns[/autotag] to the mix, who was later drafted by the Cleveland Indians with the No. 36 overall selection in 2020.

Prior to being taken in the 7th round by the Angels in 2019, Daniel made 37 career appearances and 27 starts for Auburn, where he posted a 7-7 record and 5.37 ERA to go along with 135 strikeouts in 139.0 innings.

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Update on former Auburn Tigers in MLB through May 26

A look at how Josh Donaldson and the quartet of former Tigers are doing in MLB this season.

The Auburn Tigers baseball squad is waiting to find out where they will play in the NCAA Regionals. It has been a good season for the team, including for newcomer Sonny DiChiara who won SEC co-player of the year.

They aren’t the only Tigers having success this year. Four former Tigers on Major League Baseball rosters are doing their part as well. Prior to the season, Josh Donaldson was dealt from Minnesota to the New York Yankees and he made an impact immediately.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Casey Mize hasn’t had the season he was expecting, mostly due to injuries that he is dealing with. He has made just two starts for the team.

We look at the former players through the first two months of the MLB season.

Garrett Cooper, First Baseman: Miami Marlins

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Stats through May 26

Games PA AB BA OBP HIts HRs RBIs
39 155 133 .263 .348 35 2 15

Josh Donaldson, Third Baseman: New York Yankees

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Stats through May 26

Games PA AB BA OBP Hits HRs RBIs
37 152 130 .238 .349 31 5 15

Next, a look at the pitchers

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

Former Auburn pitcher throwing lights out at Wrigley Field

Former Auburn pitcher Keegan Thompson shining so far this season for the Chicago Cubs.

According to the Marquee Sports Network, former Auburn pitcher and Cubs pitcher Keegan Thompson has flourished on the mound so far this season. He has pitched 21.2 innings in Wrigley Field this season. He has an astounding 0.83 ERA (earned run average) and 22 strikeouts. Overall, he is 3-0 with a 1.41 ERA.

In his time at Auburn, he had a 19-10 record with a 2.46 ERA. Thompson had his best season as a junior when he posted a 7-4 record with a solid 2.41 ERA. Following his junior season, he decided to declare for the 2017 MLB draft. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the third round.

The native of Cullman, Alabama has continued his success at the next level. In two seasons on the Cubs’ major league roster, he has a 6-3 record with a 2.64 ERA. As of right now, he leads the team in wins on the mound. He also has the lowest ERA out of all the starting pitchers on the Cubs roster. The organization hasn’t had a ton of success as they currently sit at third in the National League Central with a 15-20 record. However, the Auburn alumnus continues to bring the pain on the mound.

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Auburn baseball notes: Tigers drop series to LSU, Thompson earns first MLB win

Auburn dropped yet another SEC series, this time to LSU, to fall to 6-18 in conference play while Keegan Thompson earned first MLB win.

Auburn dropped yet another series in baseball this past weekend as the Tigers lost to LSU lost the first two games, 8-3 and 9-6, before pulling out a 2-1 walkout victory on Saturday.

In the finale, Richard Fitts allowed one run on one hit and two walks while striking out seven over six frames. The duo of Carson Swilling and Carson Skipper got the job done out of the bullpen, combining for three shutout innings.

Brody Moore came through in the bottom of the ninth with a game-winning RBI single, scoring Ryan Bliss.

Auburn now stands at 20-23 including 6-18 in the SEC.

Some other newsworthy notes:

Keegan Thompson earns first MLB win

After making his first career start earlier in the week against the Los Angeles Dodgers, former Auburn star Keegan Thompson earned his first MLB victory, coming out of the bullpen and pitching three scoreless frames in the Chicago Cubs’ 3-2 victory over Pittsburgh.

Thompson has not allowed a run in 7 2/3 innings of work since making his Majors debut on May 2 against Cincinnati.

Tanner Burns solid in pro debut

Life as a professional pitcher couldn’t have gotten off to a better star for former Auburn ace Tanner Burns who hurled four shutout innings, allowing three hits while fanning six in his debut for the Lake County Captains, the Cleveland Indians’ High-A team.

Burns was selected by the Indians with the 36th overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft.

Auburn baseball notes: Tigers drop series to LSU, Thompson earns first MLB win

Auburn dropped yet another SEC series, this time to LSU, to fall to 6-18 in conference play while Keegan Thompson earned first MLB win.

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Auburn dropped yet another series in baseball this past weekend as the Tigers lost to LSU lost the first two games, 8-3 and 9-6, before pulling out a 2-1 walkout victory on Saturday.

In the finale, Richard Fitts allowed one run on one hit and two walks while striking out seven over six frames. The duo of Carson Swilling and Carson Skipper got the job done out of the bullpen, combining for three shutout innings.

Brody Moore came through in the bottom of the ninth with a game-winning RBI single, scoring Ryan Bliss.

Auburn now stands at 20-23 including 6-18 in the SEC.

Some other newsworthy notes:

Keegan Thompson earns first MLB win

After making his first career start earlier in the week against the Los Angeles Dodgers, former Auburn star Keegan Thompson earned his first MLB victory, coming out of the bullpen and pitching three scoreless frames in the Chicago Cubs’ 3-2 victory over Pittsburgh.

Thompson has not allowed a run in 7 2/3 innings of work since making his Majors debut on May 2 against Cincinnati.

Tanner Burns solid in pro debut

Life as a professional pitcher couldn’t have gotten off to a better star for former Auburn ace Tanner Burns who hurled four shutout innings, allowing three hits while fanning six in his debut for the Lake County Captains, the Cleveland Indians’ High-A team.

Burns was selected by the Indians with the 36th overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft.

Keegan Thompson making first MLB start for Chicago Cubs on Tuesday

After making his MLB debut on Sunday for the Chicago Cubs, Keegan Thompson will make his first career start on Tuesday.

Keegan Thompson made his MLB debut for the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, pitching a scoreless inning against the Cincinnati Reds.

On Tuesday evening in Wrigley Field, he will make his first MLB start against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The former Auburn star got the call up to the majors on Saturday and earned his debut on Sunday, allowing two hits and a walk but getting out of the jam with a double-play ball and ground out.

Thompson was selected by the Cubs in the third round of the 2017 MLB draft.