Former Tigers on MLB rosters include infielder DJ LeMahieu (Yankees), infielder Alex Bregman (Astros), pitcher Aaron Nola (Phillies), pitcher Kevin Gausman (Blue Jays), catcher Austin Nola (Padres), outfielder Jake Fraley (Reds), pitcher Alex Lange (Tigers) and infielder Josh Smith (Rangers).
BATON ROUGE, La. – Eight former LSU players appear on Major League Baseball active rosters as the 2023 MLB season opens on Thursday.
Former Tigers appearing on MLB active rosters include infielder DJ LeMahieu (New York Yankees), infielder Alex Bregman (Houston Astros), pitcher Aaron Nola (Philadelphia Phillies), pitcher Kevin Gausman (Toronto Blue Jays), catcher Austin Nola (San Diego Padres), outfielder Jake Fraley (Cincinnati Reds), pitcher Alex Lange (Detroit Tigers) and infielder Josh Smith (Rangers).
LeMahieu, a native of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., is in his 13th MLB season and fifth with the Yankees. He is a three-time MLB All-Star and has earned batting titles in both the American League and the National League with the Yankees.
LeMahieu, a four-time Gold Glove and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner, attended LSU in 2008 and 2009 before signing with the Chicago Cubs after being chosen in the second round of the 2009 MLB Draft. LeMahieu was the starting second baseman for LSU’s CWS-winning squad in 2009.
Bregman, who is in his eighth season with the Astros, was a four-year starter at LSU from 2013 to 2015, leading the Tigers to two College World Series wins. Bregman was the Astros’ No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft. He was a two-time first-team all-American at LSU and won the Brooks Wallace Award as the nation’s finest shortstop in 2013.
Bregman, a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, made his MLB debut with the Astros in July 2016, and he has since helped guide the team to World Series victories in 2017 and 2022. After hitting the game-winning home run for the American League, he was dubbed the 2018 All-Star Game MVP.and he was named the recipient of the 2019 Silver Slugger Award as the best offensive player at third base in the AL.
Aaron Nola, a native of Baton Rouge, is entering his ninth season in the Philadelphia rotation after helping the Phillies win the National League pennant in 2022. The Phillies drafted him in the first round of the 2014 MLB Draft, and he was designated a National League All-Star in 2018. He placed third in the 2018 National League Cy Young Award voting with a 17-6 record and a 2.37 ERA.
At LSU, Aaron Nola was a two-time first-team All-American and two-time SEC Pitcher of the Year, as well as the 2014 National Collegiate Pitcher of the Year.
Gausman, who pitched at LSU in 2011 and 2012, begins his 11th MLB season and his second with the Blue Jays. He was a 2021 National League All-Star with the San Francisco Giants, recording a 14-6 mark with a 2.81 ERA and 227 strikeouts in 192 innings.
The native of Centennial, Colo., earned first-team All-America honors at LSU in 2012, and he was selected in the first round of the MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles.
Austin Nola, a native of Baton Rouge and Aaron’s older brother, made his MLB debut in 2019 with the Seattle Mariners, and he collected 10 home runs and 31 RBI in 79 games. He was traded to San Diego in August 2020, and he has contributed significantly to the Padres’ appearances in the 2020 and 2022 MLB playoffs as San Diego’s starting catcher.
Austin Nola was LSU’s starting shortstop for four seasons (2009-12), and he helped lead the Tigers to the 2009 College World Series title.
Fraley begins his fifth MLB season and his second with Cincinnati after three years with the Seattle Mariners. The Tampa Bay Rays’ second-round draft choice in 2016, he was traded to Seattle in November 2018 and first advanced to the Major League roster in August 2019.
Fraley, a native of Middletown, Del., helped lead LSU to the SEC championship and a College World Series berth in 2015, and he was named the recipient of LSU Baseball’s 2016 Skip Bertman Award as the player who best exemplifies the spirit of the program.
Lange, a product of Lee’s Summit, Mo., made his MLB debut with Detroit in April 2021. He was the 2017 first-round draft selection of the Chicago Cubs and finished his three-year career (2015-17) at LSU with a 30-9 record, becoming the 10th LSU pitcher to record 30 wins.
Lange compiled 406 career strikeouts, the second-highest total in LSU history, and he earned first-team All-America and All-SEC honors during his collegiate career.
Smith, a Baton Rouge product, was called up to the Rangers’ MLB roster in May of 2022. He was the second-round selection of the New York Yankees in the 2019 MLB Draft and was traded in July 2021 from the Yankees to the Rangers.
Smith was the Tigers’ regular shortstop in 2019 after missing the majority of the 2018 season due to a stress reaction in his vertebrae. He was the starting third baseman for LSU’s College World Series-winning squad in 2017, earning Freshman All-America and Freshman All-SEC honours.
Smith, a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member and finance major, led LSU in hitting in 2019, batting.346 (89-for-257) with 17 doubles, two triples, nine homers, 41 RBI, 72 runs, and 20 steals in 24 tries.
In 29 of the previous 32 seasons, at least one former LSU star has made his MLB debut. During their illustrious baseball existence, the Tigers have produced a total of 83 Major Leaguers.