With more than a month of baseball in the books, here is how former Clemson players have performed at various levels of the professional ranks:
MLB
1B/3B Mike Freeman (Seattle Mariners) bounced back and forth from AAA to the big leagues. He has started four times for Seattle in two stints, banging his first career homer on April 12 against Houston.
RHP Dominic Leone (Toronto Blue Jays) has benefited from some injuries in the Jays’ bullpen. In ten April appearances, he threw 11.1 innings and finished with a 4.76 ERA. His ratios are mostly in line, except for his strikeout rate (10.8 K/9) that would be his best at any level.
2B Brad Miller (Tampa Bay Rays) has had a slow start at the plate, but a high walk rate has his on-base percentage at .351, 33 points above his career mark. He made 23 starts at second base in April.
LHP Tony Sipp (Houston Astros) has been mostly used as a low-leverage situational reliever in 2017. Not once has he entered when his team has been ahead, and though the Astros are 3-5 when he appears, Sipp has no wins or losses so far and sported a 5.79 ERA in 4.2 innings pitched in April.
AAA
RHP Daniel Gossett (Oakland Athletics/Nashville Sounds) struggled in April, posting an ERA of 6.27. His walk rate (4.7 BB/9) is out of line with his career trajectory, so if he cuts down on the free passes, he should start posting better numbers soon as a top prospect in the A’s system.
LF/1B Ben Paulsen (Minnesota Twins/Rochester Red Wings) has gotten off to a rough start in home games, but he has thrived on the road. His slash line of .282/.333/.590 away from home is outstanding, and all three of his homers have come in road contests.
LF Richie Shaffer (Cleveland Indians) has been a pleasant surprise after bouncing around to multiple organizations during the offseason. He slashed .271/.402/.543 with five homers in the season’s first month and appears to have found a home in left field.
AA
3B Jay Baum (Seattle Mariners/Arkansas Travelers) started the season with four straight two-hit games. He is batting .283 in 12 home games so far in 2017.
C Spencer Kieboom (Washington Nationals/Harrisburg Senators) started eight times behind the plate in April. He only managed four hits, but he walked five times and mashed a home run in 28 plate appearances.
2B Tyler Krieger (Cleveland Indians/Akron RubberDucks) has performed quite well in his first AA action. His April slash line (.299/.365/.463) was outstanding, as Krieger pounded out nine extra-base hits and stole six bases over the month.
LHP Will Lamb (Chicago White Sox/Birmingham Barons) has been terrific after beginning the season down at AA. In eight April appearances, he posted a 2.31 ERA. Lamb has allowed some walks and hits, but opponents are hitting just .130 against him with runners on base. His ability to strike guys out (10.5 K/9) is a big reason why.
A+
C/DH Garrett Boulware (Cincinnati Reds/Daytona Tortugas) had three multi-hit games in April. He has appeared in a dozen games, including five appearances behind the plate. Boulware has thrown out both potential base-stealers against him this season.
LHP Matt Crownover (Washington Nationals/Potomac) is off to a fast start. He sports a 3-0 record and posted a miniscule 0.98 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over five appearances in April. In two starts, he has allowed only one run on ten hits in ten innings with two walks and seven strikeouts.
C Chris Okey (Cincinnati Reds/Daytona Tortugas) has been the primary catcher for the Reds’ high-A affiliate. So far, he has made 23 starts behind the plate, throwing out 29 percent of base-stealers.
SS Eli White (Oakland Athletics/Stockton Ports) has had an efficient start to his professional career at the plate. He batted .302 in April with a .400 on-base percentage, scoring 12 runs in 22 games.
2B Steve Wilkerson (Baltimore Orioles/Frederick Keys) is enjoying his best offensive season, slashing .351/.442/.500 during the month of April. Eight of his 21 games in the lineup resulted in multi-hit performances.
UT Weston Wilson (Milwaukee Brewers/Carolina Mudcats) registered at least one hit in each of April’s final five games. Also, in case you missed it, he got engaged before a game.
A
LHP Alex Bostic (San Francisco Giants/Augusta GreenJackets) has gotten off to a tough start in single-A. In six appearances, he has a 7.71 ERA over 9.1 innings pitched.