The first weekend: Jacksonville alumni in The Show
We made it through one weekend of baseball. Let’s feel fortunate for that, because who knows how the current Marlins situation will play out.
If you are anything like me, even with no fans in the stands, it felt great to watch regular season MLB games again.
Most notably for Shrimp & Grits, there also were 32 Jacksonville alumni playing for 19 different teams on MLB Opening Weekend rosters:
ATLANTA BRAVES
Grant Dayton: G, 1.0 IP, H, 2 K
Marcell Ozuna: 4-for-12, 3 R, 2 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBIs, BB
BOSTON RED SOX
Austin Brice: 2 G, 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, HR, 2 K
Nathan Eovaldi: G, GS, W, 6.0 IP, 5 H, R, ER, BB, 4 K
CINCINNATI REDS
Luis Castillo: G, GS, 6.0 IP, 6 H, R, ER, BB, 11 K
CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Steve Cishek: G, H, R, ER, HR
CLEVELAND INDIANS
Brad Hand: G, SV, 1.0 IP, HBP, 2 K
Nick Wittgren: 2 G, 2.0 IP, H, HBP, 2 K
COLORADO ROCKIES
Matt Kemp: 1-for-4, RBI, BB
LOS ANGELES ANGELS
Andrew Heaney: G, GS, 4.2 IP, 2 H, R, ER, HR, 6 K
LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Austin Barnes: 2-for-6, RBI, BB
MIAMI MARLINS
Brian Anderson: 3-for-10, 3 R, HR, 3 RBIs, 2 BB
Jeff Brigham: G, 1.0 IP, 2 H, R, ER
Isan Díaz: 2-for-9, 2 R
Robert Dugger: G, GS, 3.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, HR, BB, 2 K
Nick Neidert: G, 2.1 IP, H, BB *MADE MLB DEBUT*
Miguel Rojas: 7-for-10, 4 R, 2B, 3B, HR, 5 RBIs, BB, SB
Magneuris Sierra: 2-for-3, 2B, 3B, 2 RBIs, BB
Caleb Smith: G, GS, 3.0 IP, H, R, ER, HR, 6 BB, 3 K
Alex Vesia: G, 0.2 IP, H, 2 R, 2 ER, HR, BB, K *MADE MLB DEBUT*
MILWAUKEE BREWERS
Logan Morrison: 0-for-4
Christian Yelich: 1-for-13, HR, 2 RBIs
NEW YORK METS
Jake Marisnick: 1-for-2
René Rivera: 1-for-1
NEW YORK YANKEES
Giancarlo Stanton: 4-for-9, 2 R, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBIs, 2 BB
OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Mark Canha: 2-for-8, R, 2 RBIs
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
J.T. Realmuto: 2-for-13, R, HR, 3 RBIs
PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Trevor Williams: G, GS, L, 3.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, HR, HBP, BB, 3 K
SEATTLE MARINERS
Austin Nola: 2-for-7, R, 2B, BB
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Andrew Miller: G, 1.0 IP, H, R, ER, BB, K
TAMPA BAY RAYS
Trevor Richards: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 K
TEXAS RANGERS
Jeff Mathis: 1-for-1, 3B, BB
As noted above, both Nick Neidert and Alex Vesia made their major league debuts, becoming the first Jacksonville alumni to do so in 2020. Nine different Jacksonville alumni reached The Show during the 2019 campaign.