How Gamecock alums are performing at the MLB All-Star break
The first half of the Major League Baseball season is over, which means it’s the All-Star break. All of the festivities down in Arlington, Texas have concluded, which means the second half will get going on Friday.
It’s been a busy season so far for the multiple former Gamecocks in the big leagues. Here’s a look at how each player has performed so far this year.
Jonah Bride — Miami Marlins
Since the last update, Bride has seen more action in the majors. The Marlins recalled the infielder on July 4 and he played through the rest of the first half. Since his call-up, he’s hit .286 with four hits in 14 at-bats and three RBI. As a whole, he’s hitting .231 with five RBI. He hasn’t been sent back down yet, so there’s a chance he could stick with Miami after the break.
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Whit Merrifield — Free agent
This is undoubtedly the biggest change since the last update. If you’ve been paying close attention to the MLB this season, especially with former Gamecocks, you’ll know Merrifield hasn’t been playing well. In fact, it’s probably been his worst season to date since being called up back in 2016. In his first year with the Philadelphia Phillies, he hit .199/.277/.295 with three homers and 11 RBI in 156 at-bats. It could have to do with the fact that he’s getting older, now at 35 years old.
So what’s next for him? There’s a chance Merrifield could be signed by a team at any point the rest of the year. It really depends on what that team’s circumstance is and if they need an extra bat. He’s had a very good career so far, hitting .281 for his career with well over 1,000 hits. And he can play multiple positions. It’s just all about whether or not teams want to take a flyer on him.
Jordan Montgomery — Arizona Diamondbacks
Is it fair to say Montgomery has turned out to be one of the worst contracts in recent years? While it’s only a first half sample size, his time in Phoenix has been a major departure from what fans have been used to seeing. The 31-year-old left-hander is 6-5 with a 6.44 ERA and 45 strikeouts over 65.2 innings.
Montgomery hasn’t pitched since June 27, when he gave up seven earned runs in 2.2 innings against the Minnesota Twins. He was placed on the injured list back on July 2 with right knee inflammation, which could be a cause for why he hasn’t performed well this year.
With a player option in his contract for next year, it looks like he’s going to have to take it. Barring a massive second half turnaround, it doesn’t seem likely that he would test the free agency market again. He didn’t have much success doing so this past offseason after winning a World Series with the Texas Rangers.
Carmen Mlodzinski — Pittsburgh Pirates
Over the last two months, Mlodzinski has really turned his season around after starting the year out on the IL and having a rough month of May. On the year, he’s 1-3 with a 3.38 ERA in 29.1 innings. He’s struck out 26 and walked 11 while opponents are hitting just .217 against him. He’s been a big reason why the Pirates are .500 right now and only 1.5 games out of a wild card spot.
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Clarke Schmidt — New York Yankees
There isn’t much new to report on Schmidt. He’s been on the shelf since May 30 with a right lat strain. The Yankees transferred him to the 60-day IL on June 18. The latest update from the organization was that he had started throwing at the beginning of July.
Schmidt is 5-3 with a 2.52 ERA in 11 starts. He’s struck out 67 and walked 20 over 60.2 innings. His best outing came against the Minnesota Twins back on May 16 when he tossed eight shutout innings.
Christian Walker — Arizona Diamondbacks
On the year, Walker is hitting .264/.343/.495 with 22 homers and 66 RBI in 97 games, proving to be one of the top players on the Diamondbacks. But for some reason, it wasn’t enough for him to make the NL All-Star team. Many argued that Walker got snubbed in place of Pete Alonso, who was the New York Mets’ lone representative.
But even though he didn’t make the cut, he’s still having a tremendous year. And he’s doing it at 33 years old, which could be considered one of the final years of a player’s prime seasons. With only a few weeks to go until the trade deadline, Walker could be a name on the block for any teams in contention looking for a solid defender and hitter.
Bonus update: Jackie Bradley Jr. — Long Island Ducks
While Bradley might not be on a big league team this year, his playing career still goes on. After going unsigned in the offseason, he landed a deal with the Ducks, an Independent League team out on Long Island, NY.
In 35 games, Bradley is hitting .393/.463/.710 with 10 homers and 28 RBI. He also has a 1.174 OPS, which is one of the highest marks of his professional career. He’s always been known for being a fantastic defender in the outfield but the fact he’s been hitting the way he has is surprising after hitting just .225 in the MLB.
Bradley has spent 11 years at the major league level, playing with the Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays. He’s hit 109 homers, driven in 449 runs and picked up 839 hits. He turned 34 back on April 19.
