As a visiting baseball team warmed up for a non-league game at Hart High earlier this season, the gaze of one player fell on a list of names entitled “Hart Grads in MLB” hanging along the fence.
“They have a sh– ton of major leaguers,” the player exclaimed.
Hart had as many as six graduates in the big leagues at once last season — and the final two pitchers to throw in the World Series.
Hart started the 2017 season — which opened regular season play Sunday — with four players in The Show.
But it isn’t the only local school represented. Here’s a look at Santa Clarita Valley products on opening day Major League Baseball rosters:
Trevor Bauer (Cleveland Indians, Hart High grad)
Indians manager Terry Francona said last week that Bauer will open the season as the team’s fifth starter, according to MLB.com. That means his first outing will be Saturday at the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Bauer went 3-0 this spring with a 4.74 ERA in 24 2/3 innings. He’s coming off a season in which he posted a 12-8 record and 4.26 ERA in 28 starts and ultimately recorded two crucial outs in Cleveland’s World Series Game 7 loss to the Chicago Cubs.
Zach Britton (Baltimore Orioles, former Canyon High player)
After leading the American League in saves (47) and finishing fourth in AL CY Young voting last season, Britton will look to build on his burgeoning reputation as one of the sport’s best closers this year.
He threw two scoreless innings Monday in Baltimore’s 3-2 win over Toronto in 11 innings.
Trevor Brown (San Francisco Giants, Hart High grad)
Brown, the Giants’ incumbent backup catcher, was placed on the 10-day disabled list on April 2. According to MLB.com, it appears newcomer Nick Hundley will serve as the Giants’ backup to Buster Posey this year.
But San Francisco has, MLB.com reported, worked out Brown at both second base and shortstop. While at UCLA, Brown played catcher, first base, second base, third base and right field.
Tyler Glasnow (Pittsburgh Pirates, Hart High grad)
Glasnow, the Pirates’ top pitching prospect, won the fifth spot in Pittsburgh’s starting rotation this spring. He could start Saturday against the Atlanta Braves, though that hasn’t officially been announced.
Glasnow, a fifth round draft pick in 2011, made four starts in the majors last season, posting a 4.24 ERA in 23 1/3 innings. He went 0-2, spending the rest of the year in AAA (with a brief stint in AA).
Tommy Milone (Milwaukee Brewers, Saugus High grad)
After two plus seasons with the Minnesota Twins, Milone signed a one-year contract with the Brewers in December.
He competed for a spot in Milwaukee’s starting rotation this spring, according to MLB.com, but was assigned to the bullpen. Milone threw two innings Monday in a 7-5 loss to Colorado, allowing two earned runs on three hits.
Mike Montgomery (Chicago Cubs, Hart High grad)
A candidate this spring for the fifth spot in the Cubs’ starting rotation, Montgomery will start the season coming out the bullpen, a role he thrived last year after a midseason trade to Chicago.
The Cubs elected to slot newcomer Brett Anderson, a former Dodger, into the rotation. But according to a quote on MLB.com, the move didn’t bother Montgomery, who recorded the save in Game 7 of last season’s historic World Series.
“I feel good about it,” he said. “I’m here to get outs and it doesn’t matter when or where it is. … Either way, it’s a win-win for me.”
After a so-so spring training, Montgomery took the loss in Chicago’s season opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.
James Shields (Chicago White Sox, Hart High grad)
Entering his 12th major league season, Shields is set to pitch Wednesday against the Detroit Tigers. Detroit acquired Shields in a trade with the San Diego Padres last June, and the veteran righty struggled down the stretch, posting a 6.77 ERA in 22 starts with the White Sox.
Shields was solid this spring, though, posting a 3.45 ERA in four starts.
Look for The Signal’s annual Minor League Baseball report in the coming months.
