Midsummer Check-In: Hawkeyes in Pro Ball
July is nearing and so is the midway point of the professional baseball season. 14 former Hawkeyes are in action across several levels. Two former Iowa Baseball players are playing their ball at the Triple-A level, while five other players are in the Double-A level.
We take a look at each Hawkeye and check-in on how they are doing on the diamond this season.
TRIPLE-A
LHP Nick Allgeyer – Sugar Land Space Cowboys – Houston Astros
Nick Allgeyer spent three years with Iowa, including 15 starts with a 2.41 ERA in 2018. He was drafted in the 12th ound of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.
He made his MLB debut back in July of 2021 against the Tampa Bay Rays and threw a scoreless inning. This season, Allgeyer has been traded twice and is currently with Triple-A Sugar Land in the Houston Astros organization.
Over 12 appearances and eight starts, Allgeyer has a 5.08 ERA over 44.1 innings, including 45 strikeouts to 22 walks. He continues to be the closest Hawkeye to the majors.
SS Mason McCoy – Tacoma Rainiers – Seattle Mariners
Mason McCoy played in 117 games over two seasons with Iowa and was drafted by Baltimore in the 6th round of the 2017 draft. He was traded to Seattle last season and was a non-roster invitee to spring training, but is currently playing with Triple-A Tacoma.
McCoy is batting .264 with a .354 on-base percentage over 65 games, including 15 doubles, seven home runs and 38 RBI’s. Despite playing 301 career games at the AAA level, Mason is still looking to make his MLB debut.
DOUBLE-A
LHP Trenton Wallace – New Hampshire Fisher Cats – Toronto Blue Jays
2021 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Trenton Wallace was drafted in the 11th round of the 2021 draft and has been on a steady climb in the Toronto Blue Jays system. After 16 appearances over two seasons with Single-A Dunedin, Wallace was moved up to High-A Vancouver, where he started 17 games over two seasons.
So far this season, Trenton has a 2.56 ERA over 48.2 innings and ten starts. He has racked up 54 strikeouts to 14 walks and has allowed just 0.68 hits per inning. He was recently moved up to Double-A New Hampshire, but is currently on the 7-day injured list.
RHP Cole McDonald – Corpus Christi Hooks – Houston Astros
Cole McDonald started 45 games on the mound for the Hawkeyes over his four-year career and was drafted in the 15th round of the 2019 draft by the Houston Astros.
McDonald has played on four different teams over the course of his five-year career, but is currently with Double-A Corpus-Christi, which is his highest level.
Cole has a 3.38 ERA over 18.2 innings and 14 appearances this year for the Hooks, including 29 strikeouts to just eight walks. He is allowing just 0.48 hits per inning.
C Tyler Cropley – Northwest Arkansas Naturals – Kansas City Royals
Tyler Cropley had a two-year career with the Hawkeyes, but was a semifinalist Johnny Bench Catcher of the Year Award as a senior and was drafted in the 8th round of the 2018 draft by the Washington Nationals.
The Nationals released him back in 2020 and he has spent the last couple of seasons in the Kansas City organization. Cropley is currently playing with Double-A Northwest Arkansas.
He has a .269 average and a .356 on-base percentage over 16 games for the Naturals this season.
RHP Nick Gallagher – Birmingham Barons – Chicago White Sox
Nick Gallagher started 24 games on the mound for Iowa over three seasons and was drafted in the 16th round of the 2017 draft by the Cleveland Indians. He was released in 2022, but the White Sox picked him up and he as worked his way up to Double-A Birmingham.
Gallagher has a 7.45 ERA over 19.1 innings this season, including 26 strikeouts to 13 walks.
OF Ben Norman – Birmingham Barons – Chicago White Sox
Ben Norman tied the Iowa school record for most career games played (220) and went undrafted in 2021. He spent that summer playing in the Independent Pioneer League with the Great Falls Voyagers. He caught the attention of the White Sox and was picked up in November of 2021.
After playing in 63 games with High-A Winston-Salem over two years, including 11 doubles and 11 home runs, Norman was promoted to Double-A Birmingham.
It hasn’t been the best run for him, as he is batting just .172 with a .295 on-base percentage over 37 games. He has two home runs and 15 RBI’s for the Barons.
SINGLE-A
RHP Adam Mazur – High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps – San Diego Padres
The 2022 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Adam Mazur was drafted in the 2nd round by the San Diego Padres last summer and has been electric in his first pro season.
Over nine appearances and eight starts, Mazur has a 1.71 ERA over 42.0 innings. He has racked up 34 strikeouts to just seven walks and opponents are hitting just .206 against him. He has three starts of 5.0+ innings and no runs given up this season. Mazur may be in line for a promotion sooner rather than later.
1B Peyton Williams – High-A Vancouver Canadians – Toronto Blue Jays
The former Iowa slugger was drafted in the 7th round of the 2022 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.
He started his year with Single-A Dunedin, but was promoted after hitting .273 with ten doubles, seven home runs and 33 RBI’s over 41 games. In nine games with High-A Vancouver, Williams has a pair of home runs, but is currently on the 7-day injured list.
RHP Duncan Davitt – High-A Bowling Green Hot Rods – Tampa Bay Rays
Duncan Davitt appeared in 53 games over four seasons as a Hawkeye, but it was his breakout year as a senior that gave him a pro ball opportunity. He was drafted in the 18th round of the 2022 draft by the Tampa Bay Rays.
He appeared in three games last year for the FCL Rays, but started this season with Single-A Charleston. After ten appearances there, Davitt was promoted to High-A Bowling Green. In five games with the Hot Rods, Duncan has a 1.80 ERA over 10.1 innings, including 12 strikeouts to six walks.
LHP Jack Dreyer – High-A Great Lakes Loons – Los Angeles Dodgers
A shoulder injury, a canceled season due to Covid and Tommy John surgery limited Jack Dreyer to just 20 appearances over four years with the program.
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After appearing in 12 games with a 1.50 ERA over 12 appearances with the ACL Dodgers, Dreyer was moved up to High-A Great Lakes this season.
In 21 games this season, Jack has a 1.90 ERA over 23.2 innings, including 28 strikeouts to 20 walks. Opponents are hitting just .167 against him.
RHP Dylan Nedved – Single-A Lake Elsinore Storm – San Diego Padres
Dylan Nedved spent three years with the Hawkeyes and moved over to the pitching staff full-time as a senior, filling the role of do-it-all. He was drafted in the 9th round of the 2022 draft by the San Diego Padres.
Nedved has spent his first two years with Single-A Lake Elsinore. In 17 appearances this season, Dylan has a 7.25 ERA over 22.1 innings, including 26 strikeouts to six walks.
LHP Ben Beutel – Single-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers – Chicago White Sox
Ben Beutel may be the best story of all the Hawkeyes in the minor leagues. In his first two years with Iowa, Ben had an 11.12 ERA and a 10.61 ERA. He fixed some things and put up a 1.47 ERA in his final season in Iowa City and was signed by the Chicago White Sox.
Beutel started last year with the ACL White Sox, but is pitching with Single-A Kannapolis this season. In nine appearances, Ben has an impressive 0.69 ERA, including 13 strikeouts to just two walks over 13.0 innings.
INDEPENDENT BASEBALL
RHP Connor Schultz – Pioneer League Missoula PaddleHeads
After four seasons with the Butler Bulldogs, Connor Schultz transferred to Iowa and appeared in 16 games as a grad senior. He went undrafted and opted to play in the Independent Pioneer League with the Missoula PaddleHeads.
In four games this season, Schultz has a 5.09 ERA, with 15 strikeouts to just two walks over 17.2 innings pitched.
RELEASED
RHP Drew Irvine – Pittsburgh Pirates
Drew Irvine appeared in 33 games with ten starts over three years with the Hawkeyes. He was drafted in the 19th round of the 2021 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Irvine appeared in a combined 19 games with the FCL Pirates, Single-A Bradenton Marauders and High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers. Drew had a 4.20 ERA over 30.0 innings, including 26 strikeouts and 19 walks. He was released by the Pirates on June 1st.
OF Robert Neustrom – Baltimore Orioles
Robert Neustrom played in 166 games for the Hawkeyes over three seasons and was drafted in the 5th round of the 2018 draft by the Baltimore Orioles.
He worked his way up the ranks from Single-A Shortseason Aberdeen all the way to Triple-A Norfolk. He spent two years with the Tides and played in 165 games, but never got the call up to the big leagues with the Orioles.
Neustrom was a non-roster invitee to spring training each of the last two seasons, but was released by the Orioles in March.
RHP CJ Eldred – Kansas City Royals
CJ Eldred notched seven quality starts for the Hawkeyes in 2016, but underweat UCL surgery after one game in 2017. After going undrafted, the Kansas City Royals signed him in August of 2017.
Eldred appeared in 69 games over a four-year career in the Royals system. Last season, he started the year with the AZL Royals, but was promoted to Double-A Northwest Arkansas after five appearances. He posted a 4.38 ERA over 12.1 innings and seven appearances with the Naturals. Kansas City opted to release him in March of 2023.
