Mississippi State alumni are well represented in Major League baseball as the 2025 season officially begins this week. Highlighted by four players who have been all-stars at some point, 11 former Bulldogs have made Opening Day rosters across MLB.
Infielder Jordan Westburg had a breakout 2024 season with the Baltimore Orioles, becoming an all-star for the first time at age 25. He had a 129 OPS+, meaning he was 29 percent better than league average as a hitter, with 26 doubles and 18 home runs. Brent Rooker of the Athletics was one of the best hitters in MLB last year, with 39 homers and 112 RBI, finishing 10th in American League MVP voting.
His A’s teammate, pitcher JT Ginn, made his MLB debut in August of last year and earned the win in the franchise’s final game in Oakland. Veteran Kendall Graveman spent much of the early part of his career with the A’s but has played for five teams in nine seasons, and will add a sixth after signing a one-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks in February.
The Kansas City Royals, a surprise playoff team last year, have two former MSU players in outfielder Hunter Renfroe and pitcher Chris Stratton. When healthy, Brandon Woodruff has been a top-tier starting pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers, but he missed all of 2024 recovering from shoulder surgery.
Second baseman Adam Frazier was the third former Bulldog on the Royals last season, but he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, his original team, in the offseason. Another former MSU player who switched teams over the winter was Nathaniel Lowe, a first baseman who was traded from the Texas Rangers to the Washington Nationals in December.
J.P. France is entering his third big league season as a pitcher for the Houston Astros, though like Woodruff, he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery last year. Justin Foscue played 15 games in his first MLB cup of coffee last season with the Rangers.
In total, 70 former Bulldogs have played in MLB, including 13 all-stars and seven World Series champions. Lowe and Stratton were the last two to lift the Commissioner’s Trophy with the Rangers in 2023.
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