San Jacinto College is as prolific as any two-year college in the nation when it comes to sending players to the professional ranks. In the last four years, 12 San Jacinto College baseball players have been selected in the Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft. Houston area baseball fans are well versed in the success of former players Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens, but the list does not end there. Pitchers Matt Albers (Chicago White Sox), David Rollins (Chicago Cubs), Sean Nolin (Milwaukee Brewers) and Daniel Stumpf (Detroit Tigers), and San Francisco first baseman Brandon Belt are former Gators now on major league rosters.
Albers was originally drafted by the Houston Astros in the 23rd round of the 2001 First Year Player Draft. He has spent time on the roster in Baltimore, Boston, Arizona, Cleveland, Houston, and most recently with the Chicago White Sox. Since his debut on July 25, 2006, Albers has gone 29-37 with a 4.38 ERA. He has started 24 games, pitching 604.0 innings.
Rollins was called up to the major leagues on July 4, 2015. Last year he saw action in 11 games, going 1-0 with a 7.71 ERA in 9.1 innings pitched. He went 0-2 with a 7.56 ERA in 25 innings pitched in 2015. Prior to his major league debut, he played five years in the minor leagues with eight different teams, where he was 23-16 with a 3.30 ERA.
Nolin made his major league debut on May 24, 2013 with the Toronto Blue Jays, prior to spending three and a half seasons in the minors. He was with the Oakland Athletics in 2015 and spent much of 2016 on the disabled list. In three seasons in the major leagues, he is 1-3 with a 6.89 ERA in 31.1 innings pitched.
Stumpf made his major league debut on April 7, 2016. He appeared in seven games with a 10.80 ERA in five innings pitched. Stumpf spent the entire season with Northwest Arkansas, finishing third among all Texas League relievers in shut-outs per nine innings, and had the lowest opponent’s average.
Belt helped the San Francisco Giants win the 2012 and 2014 World Series. He made his major league debut on March 31, 2011, with the Giants, and has been with the organization ever since. In 2016, Belt hit .394 with 17 home runs, 82 RBI and 77 runs scored in 542 at-bats.
San Jac Players in the Professional Ranks
Anthony Banda, Arizona (P)
2016: Played for the Reno Aces and Mobile BayBears. Went 10-6 with a 2.88 ERA in 150 innings pitched and 26 game appearances.
Jamie Bagley, Tampa Bay (P)
2008: After being selected in the 35th round, played for the Class A Hudson Valley Renegades where he was 1-1 with a 5.59 ERA.
Jeremy Barfield, Colorado (OF)
2008: Eighth-round selection by the Athletics. Played for the Class-A Vancouver Canadians where he hit .271 with three home runs and 41 RBI.
Casey Beck, (P)
2012: (last season played): Saw action in give games and just 6.0 innings.
Toller Boardman, Detroit (P)
2016: Spent the season with the West Michigan Whitecaps. Posted a 2.10 ERA with an 8-3 record in 85.2 innings pitched.
Tommy Collier, Detroit (P)
2016: Posted a 9-7 record for the Erie Seawolves. In 130.2 innings pitched, had a 4.20 ERA.
Jake Cowan, (P)
2012: (last season played): Went 1-0 with a 2.22 ERA in 28.1 innings pitched for the Bowie Baysox.
Ben Cox, San Francisco (P)
2007: Began the season in San Jose, where he was 1-1 with a 2.81 ERA in 17 games. Promoted to AA Connecticut, Cox struggled as a starter for the Defenders, going 0-8 with a 4.50 ERA.
2006: Appeared in 31 games, going 4-3 with a 3.31 ERA and 2 saves for the San Jose Giants, a Class A team for San Francisco.
Jesse Crain, (P)
Crain spent 10 years in the majors. He made his debut in August 2004 with the Minnesota Twins. He was 45-30 overall with a 3.05 ERA and four saves in 532 innings pitched.
Jesse Floyd, San Francisco (P)
2007: Spent the season at Minnesota Twins’ Class AA affiliate New Britain Rock Cats (Conn.), where he was 7-9 with an ERA of 5.05 in 27 games, including 23 starts. He was selected in the Rule V draft by the Twins on Dec. 7, 2006.
2006: Posted a 4-14 overall record as a starter for the Connecticut Defenders, a Class AA team of the Giants, but had a relatively low ERA of 4.00 over 25 starts. In 135 innings, Floyd allowed 125 hits but fanned 100.
Eric Fry, Texas Rangers (OF)
2008: Spent the season with the Spokane Indiana of the Class A Short-Season Northwest League. Hit .296 in 216 at bats with 64 hits, including 10 doubles and six home runs.
Jared Gayhart, (P)
2012: (last season played): Went 1-6 with a 4.58 ERA for the Erie SeaWolves. Pitched in 35 games and 92.1 innings.
Clint Goocher, Arizona (P)
2008: Was 0-2 with 13 strikeouts for the Triple-A Tucson Sidewinders.
2007: Posted a 5-4 record with an ERA of 3.42 as a reliever at Class AA Mobile. In 52 games, all in relief, Goocher had six saves.
2006: Went 7-7 with a 3.49 ERA for the Class AA Tennessee Smokies, an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Pitched in 42 total games, including 10 starts. Logged 85 innings of work.
Mike Gonzalez, (P)
Mike Gonzalez made his major league debut on August 11, 2003 in Pittsburgh, where he spent four seasons with the Pirates before moving on to Atlanta, Baltimore, Texas, Washington, and Milwaukee. In his 11 year MLB career, he posted a 3.14 ERA with an overall record of 17-24 with 56 saves.
Mark Herrera, (P)
2011: (last season played): Played in five games for the GCL Nationals. Played in just five games and 5.1 innings with a 3.38 ERA.
Brandon Hicks, Los Angeles (SS)
2008: Split time with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans and double-A Mississippi Braves, hitting .235 in 109 games with 93 total hits, including 20 home runs.
2007: Opened the season with Rookie-level Danville before being promoted to Class-A Rome in July. Hit .188 with three doubles, two home runs and eight RBI.
Rex Hill, Kansas City (P)
2016: Spent the season with the AZL Royals. In 11 games, posted a 2-2 record with a 4.04 ERA.
Riley Hornback, (C)
2011: (last season played): Spent time with the Aberdeen IronBirds and Delmarva Shorebirds. Hit .213 in 221 at bats, behind 47 hits, including eight doubles and two homeruns.
Ryan Hornback, (C)
2016: Spent the season with the Missoula Osprey, hitting .273 in 183 at-bats. Posted 10 home runs and 26 RBI.
John Killen, (P)
2012: (last season played): Appeared in just 10.1 innings for the Idaho Falls Chukars.
Christopher Kelley, Washington, (P)
2008: Recorded a 3.32 ERA with a 3-2 overall record, striking out 21.
Lucas Luetge, (P)
2016: Went 1-1 with a 4.85 ERA for the Salt Lake Bees of the Pacific Coast League. Pitched in 55.2 innings. In 2012 he was called up to the Mariners and was part of a six-pitcher no-hitter versus the Dodgers on June 8 of that year. In four seasons in the big leagues, all with the Seattle Mariners, Luetge went 3-5 with a 4.35 ERA in 89 innings pitched.
2008: Went 601 with a 2.68 ERA with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and the Helena Brewers.
Robert Manuel, Cincinnati (P)
2008: Was 6-3 with a 1.25 ERA for three different teams. Is currently on the roster for the Peoria Javelinas.
2007: Performed best as a reliever for the Class A Sarasota team in the Reds’ organization. Overall, was 6-5 with a 4.03 ERA, and as a reliever was 4-1 with a 1.65 ERA.
Stephen Marek, (P)
2012: (last season played): Went a combined 2-1 with a 5.40 ERA for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and the Dunedin Blue Jays.
2008: Posted a 3-8 record and 3.56 ERA while playing for two different minor league teams.
2007: Started 25 games for Rancho Cucamonga of the Class A advanced division for the Angels, going 8-10 with a 4.30 ERA.
Sean McGraw, (C)
2011: (last season played): Hit .188 for the Class A Brevard County Manatees. In 149 at bats, scored 16 runs and posted 21 RBI. 2007: Hit .272 in 50 games for the Savannah Sands Gnats, a Class A team for the Mets. Along the way, hit four homers and drove in 19 runs. He played winter league baseball this past offseason in Hawaii.
2006: Played for the Brooklyn Cyclones, a Class A team of the New York Mets. Hit .262 over 145 at bats with 5 home runs and 25 RBI.
Chris McKenzie, (P)
2013: (last season played): Went 0-1 with a 5.25 ERA for the Hagertown Suns.
Cody Nesbit, Kansas City(P)
2016: Played in five games for the AZL Royals. Posted a 3.18 ERA in 5.2 innings.
David Newmann, (P)
2011: (last season played): Played the entire season for the Double A Montgomery Biscuits. Pitched just 4.2 innings with a 9.64 ERA.
Zach Parker, Colorado (P)
2007: Pitched at AA Tulsa, an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, where he was 2-1 in 16 games with a 6.55 ERA. Allowed 35 hits in 33 innings of work.
2006: Went 4-8 with an earned run average of 7.85 for the Tulsa Drillers.
Miguel Pena, (P)
2014: (last season played): Went 2-2 with a 6.41 ERA as a member of the Portland Sea Dogs.
Benino Pruneda, Atlanta (P)
2008: Was 4-4 with a 2.83 ERA with the Rome Braves.
2007: Signed with Atlanta after pitching for San Jac’s world series team. Last summer, pitched in six total innings with three strikeouts for the Rome Braves.
Jonathan Runnels, Los Angeles Dodgers (P)
2008: Recorded a 3-0 record with a 6.39 ERA in 31 innings for the Ogden Raptors of the Rookie Pioneer League.
Kevin Russo, (3B)
2013: (last season played): Hit .213 with 34 runs, 27 doubles, three triples, and nine stolen bases in 103 games with the AAA Toledo Mud Hens.
2010: Russo made his major league debut on May 8, 2010. That season was his last in the majors, and he hit .184 in 31 games and 49 plate appearances.
2008: Hit .309 with three home runs and 16 RBI for the Peoria Javelinas.
2007: Had a solid season for the Class A Tampa Yankees, hitting .279 with 45 RBIs and 19 stolen bases.
Clay Schrader, Atlanta (P)
2014: (last season played): Spent the season with the Lynchburg Hillcats going 0-1 in just 4.0 innings pitched.
Nick Shumpert Atlanta (SS)
2016: Hit .189 for the GCL Braves. Played in 26 games with 74 plate appearances. Had one home run, seven RBI and 14 hits.
Devin Smeltzert, Los Angeles (P)
2016: Spent the season with the AZL Dodgers. In 10.2 innings pitched, recorded a 7.59 ERA and an 0-2 record.
Riley Smith, Arizona (P)
2016: With the Hillsboro Hops, pitched in 25 games with a 2-0 record and 2.51 ERA.
Nick Stavinoha, St. Louis (RF)
2008: Called up to the big leagues on June 22, 2008. Hit .193 with four RBI for the Cardinals. As a member of the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds, hit .337 with 16 home runs and 74 RBI.
2007: Played in the outfield for AAA Memphis, delivering good power numbers. In 501 at bats, socked 13 homers and drove in 49 runs while hitting 27 doubles. Hit .261 overall and scored 50 runs.
Randall Thorpe, (OF)
2011: (last season played): Appeared in 46 games for the Great Falls Voyagers. Hit .242 in 157 at bats, behind 38 hits including nine doubles and two home runs.
Jared Wells, San Diego (P)
2008: Made his major league debut on June 7, 2008 against the Cincinnati Reds. Pitched in 8.1 innings as a member of the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres.
2007: Pitched at AAA Portland, primarily in relief. Went 3-7 with a 5.24 ERA in 47 games. Collecting nine saves, Wells seemed suited for relief with 87 strikeouts in 92 innings.
Garrett White, Los Angeles Dodgers (P)
2008: Pitched for the Class A Great Lake Loons, going 3-3 with a 3.67 ERA and two saves.
2007: Pitched at AA Midland, where he was 1-4 with a 3.33 ERA in 23 games.
Hank Williamson, Baltimore (P)
2008: Was 0-1 with a 3.72 ERA for the Class A Delmarva Shorebirds.
2007: Signed with the Orioles after helping San Jac to a third-place finish at the national tournament. At Bluefield, Williamson was 2-5 in 16 games with an ERA of 4.13. Started five games and notched two saves.