It’s opening day for Major League Baseball and there is a handful of former West Virginia baseball players looking to make their marks this season.
Under head coach Randy Mazey, multiple Mountaineers have been selected in the MLB draft, with a couple having made it to the show. With the start of the season, today let’s take a look at former WVU players that will be on 26-man rosters this season.
Alek Manoah
Manoah a 6-foot-6 right-handed pitcher struggled last season, resulting in him being sent down to the minors to figure out his stuff. However, the Toronto Blue Jays still have hope for their former first-round draft pick who was an All-Star in 2022, starting 31 games, going 16-7 on the bump, with 180 strikeouts and a 2.24 ERA in 196.2 innings. It has been said that the Jays received calls from other franchises interested in acquiring Manoah, but they had no interest in dealing him. He pitched one game in spring training, throwing 1.2 innings allowing four earned runs. Manoah is currently dealing with right shoulder tightness and may not make his season debut for awhile as he fully recovers.
John Means
Means is another former WVU pitcher who will start the season on the IL as he deals with an elbow injury. He was drafted in the 11th round of the 2014 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles and debuted on Sept. 26, 2018. Means has pitched in six seasons for the O’s, becoming an All-Star in 2019 where he also finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. He has pitched in 74 games in his career, starting 69 with a 21-26 record and a 3.74 ERA, striking out 318 across 380.1 innings. Means will soon start a rehab assignment with the club’s triple-a team, the Norfolk Tides.
Michael Grove
Grove was drafted in the second round of the 2018 draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He made his MLB debut on May 15, 2022. Since then, he has spent some time between the majors and the minors. The 27-year-old played in the Seoul Series for the Dodgers to kick off the season, where he pitched two innings, allowing four earned runs and notching two strikeouts. In his career, he’s pitched in 26 games, starting 18, with a 3-3 record and career 5.92 ERA, with 99 strikeouts across 100.1 innings. Grove is expected to be utilized a long-reliever for LA this season.
Victor Scott II
Scott was a surprise addition to the St.Louis Cardinals opening day roster this season, as he’ll be starting in center field, making his major league debut. After a breakout junior season at West Virginia, he was drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 MLB draft by St.Louis. Scott won a MiLB gold glove last season and is one of the fastest prospects in baseball shown by his 94 stolen bases in the minors last season across 132 games. The highest level he reached was double-a where he hit .323, with 34 RBIs and seven homers in 66 games. The lefty is currently ranked the No. 4 prospect in the Cardinals organization with an 80 run grade, 70 field grade and a 55 hit grade.
Photo courtesy of WVU Athletics
