Former Notre Dame players in the minor leagues in 2022

Who should you keep tabs on this summer?

With Major League Baseball held up by a lockout, fans of America’s pastime might have to look elsewhere to get their fix for now. College baseball is the most obvious one at the moment since that season already has started. If fans have a little more patience, they will be able to keep up with the minor leagues in a month. Although there are much fewer teams than before, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of players to keep track of.

If you’re wondering if any former Notre Dame players are in the minors, you’re in luck. When the season begins, there will be quite a few players who once wore blue and gold working continuing their journey to baseball’s top level. If MLB gets its act together before it loses its whole season, you might see a few of these names with their parent club later this summer. Here’s who to look out for both this year and beyond:

Watch: Notre Dame alumnus Torii Hunter Jr. hits first Triple-A homer

A former Notre Dame baseball and football player hit for power Monday.

Torii Hunter Jr., son of MLB great Torii Hunter, is back on the diamond after COVID-19 wiped out the 2020 minor-league season. Hunter, who played both football and baseball at Notre Dame, has begun 2021 with the Salt Lake Bees, the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. He is not known for his power, only hitting four home runs as a professional heading into Monday’s game against the Reno Aces. If he wants to change that, he got off to a good start during the fifth inning of the contest, blasting a go-ahead homer:

Hunter played only 23 baseball games in two seasons for Notre Dame. He hit 2 for 12, stole two bases and had one RBI while putting up a slash line of .167/.286/.167.

As a receiver during three seasons of game action for the football team, Hunter caught 73 passes for 949 yards and six touchdowns. He saved his best game for last, totaling eight receptions and 104 receiving yards while also scoring a touchdown during the Irish’s 2016 loss to Navy.