SOUTH BEND, Ind. — A total of 16 Irish alumni are set to begin the baseball season as Major League Baseball kicks off on Thursday. The Irish have six players on MLB rosters and 10 more in minor league systems as all levels of baseball begin this weekend.
Coming off his return to baseball in 2021 and the Comeback Player of the Year Award, Trey Mancini is back with the Orioles as he signed a one-year contract extension in the offseason. He is joined in the AL East by Cavan Biggio and David Phelps, who are both north of the border with the Toronto Blue Jays.
A.J. Pollock has relocated from LA to the South Side as he was traded from the Dodgers to White Sox this past week. After making their MLB debuts last season, Matt Vierling (Phillies) and Sean Guenther (Marlins) both made the 40-man rosters for the 2022 season.
10 other Irish players will begin the season in the minors with four in Triple-A (Brandon Bielak, Joe Hudson, Nick Podkul and Peter Solomon), two in Double-A (Cole Daily and Torii Hunter Jr.), three in Single-A (Cameron Junker, Joe Boyle and Niko Kavadas) and Tanner Kohlhepp, who is waiting to be assigned.
Irish Baseball in MLB
Cavan Biggio – Toronto Blue Jays
Sean Guenther – Miami Marlins
Trey Mancini – Baltimore Orioles
David Phelps – Toronto Blue Jays
A.J. Pollock – Chicago White Sox
Matt Vierling – Philadelphia Phillies
Brandon Bielak – Sugar Land Space Cowboys (AAA – HOU)
Joe Hudson – Durham Bulls (AAA – TB)
Nick Podkul – Buffalo Bison (AAA – TOR)
Peter Solomon – Sugar Land Space Cowboys (AAA – HOU)
Cole Daily – Harrisburg Senators (AA – WSH)
Torii Hunter Jr. – Rocket City Trash Pandas (AA – LAA)
Cameron Junker – Greensboro Grasshoppers (High A – PIT)
Joe Boyle – Dayton Dragons (High A – CIN)
Niko Kavadas – Salem Red Sox (A – BOS)
Tanner Kohlhepp – Detroit Organization
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