Making it big time: MLB rosters loaded with Hogs, other SEC players

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Drew Smyly throws to a Los Angeles Dodgers batter during the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, July 26, 2020, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

FAYETTEVILLE — Drew Smyly is off to a nice start with the San Francisco Giants.

Smyly, a former Little Rock Central and University of Arkansas pitcher, allowed 1 run and 4 hits in 4 1/3 innings in two appearances against the Los Dodgers last week.

The Giants signed Smyly to a one-year, $4 million contract after he had went a combined 4-7 with a 6.42 ERA last season with the Texas Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies. It was his sixth season in the major leagues, but his first since 2016 after he missed the 2017 and 2018 seasons because of an elbow injury.

Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn watched Smyly’s debut Thursday night when he pitched a scoreless fifth inning in relief in the Dodgers’ 9-1 victory.

After Mookie Betts reached first base on a one-out error and Cody Bellinger walked, Smyly stranded both runners and kept the game tied 1-1 by getting Justin Turner on a line out and Corey Seager on a strikeout.

“Drew pitched around an error and went through some good hitters,” Van Horn said. “That was great to see.”

Smyly, a second-round draft pick by Detroit in 2010, went a combined 31-27 with a 3.71 ERA in five seasons with the Tigers and Tampa Bay Rays from 2012-16.

After being traded to the Seattle Mariners, Smyly missed the 2017 season when it was discovered he needed Tommy John surgery to for a torn ulnar nerve in his left elbow. Seattle traded Smyly to the Chicago Cubs, but he missed the 2018 season recovering from surgery.

The Cubs traded Smyly to the Rangers, who released him after he went 1-5 with an 8.42 ERA in 13 games, including nine starts. The Milwaukee Brewers signed Smyly to a minor league deal, then he signed as a free agent with the Phillies and was 3-2 with a 4.45 ERA in 12 starts.

Now Smyly, 31, is with his seventh organization in the last seven years.

“The fact teams keep giving him opportunities goes to show you that they know how good he was before he got hurt and they’re hoping to get some of that,” Van Horn said. “Hopefully, he can stay healthy and get to pitch for five or six more years and go out on his own terms.”

Smyly allowed 1 run in 3 1/3 innings in his start Sunday night when the Giants beat the Dodgers 3-1.

Smyly is among 77 former SEC players — including seven Razorbacks — who made opening day 30-man rosters for the 30 MLB teams.

Including 60-man rosters teams have in a season cut to 60 games because of the coronavirus pandemic, the SEC leads all conferences with 151 former players according to NCAA.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference is second with 101, followed by the Pac-12 (81), Big 12 (58), Big West (39) and Big Ten (33).

“How many players from the SEC are in the big leagues right now is pretty amazing,” Van Horn said. “But it doesn’t surprise me.

“I think what it says for the SEC is we’ve probably got more talent than any league in Division I baseball. We use that when we recruit, that if you want to play against the best every weekend — a lot of big leaguers — you’re going to come to the SEC.

“That attracts a lot of the kids that really want to play at the highest level and challenge themselves.”

Among the 60-man rosters, Florida leads all schools with 19 players. LSU and Vanderbilt with 16 each are in a tie for fourth. Arkansas is tied for seventh with Mississippi State and South Carolina with 13 players.

“It’s a compliment to our program as a whole and the job our coaching staff does,” Van Horn said. “It just kind of shows the talent we’ve drawn over the years.”

Van Horn has a 700-389 record in 18 seasons at Arkansas with 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, including six trips to the College World Series. Arkansas was going for a third consecutive College World Series appearance when last season was cancelled after 16 games because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Most of the guys that come through here get an opportunity to play pro ball, and a lot of them have the skills to play in the big leagues,” Van Horn said. “Or at least get a shot at it. It makes you proud as a coach to see these guys in the big leagues.”

On the 30-man rosters, LSU and Vanderbilt lead the SEC with nine players each. Mississippi State is third with eight players, while Arkansas and South Carolina each have seven.

Each of the 14 SEC schools have at least three players on the 30-man rosters.

“That just goes to show you the depth of our league,” Van Horn said. “That’s what we’re always selling.

“You can’t take a weekend off in the SEC and think you’re going to win two out of three, because you’ll get swept. We talk to our players about that all the time.”

This year’s MLB Draft was reduced to five rounds, but the SEC still had 26 players selected, including six first-rounders led by Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad going No. 2 overall to the Baltimore Orioles. Razorbacks shortstop Casey Martin was a third-round pick by the Phillies.

“There are so many good players across the SEC,” Van Horn said. “A team may be having a down year, or they might have had some injuries and things aren’t going their way. But you still have to compete and play your best to win a series.

“Every team has a couple, three guys — whether they’re starting pitchers or relievers, or maybe a position player or two – that are going to play in the big leagues. They may not a full, well-rounded team, but they’ve got big league talent on their roster.”

Along with Smyly the other Razorbacks on opening day MLB rosters are pitcher Dallas Keuchel and catcher James McCann with the Chicago White Sox; outfielder Andrew Benintendi with the Boston Red Sox; third baseman Brian Anderson and pitcher Ryne Stanek with the Miami Marlins; and pitcher Jalen Beeks (Prairie Grove) with Tampa Bay.

Keuchel and McCann were the starting battery for the White Sox in their 10-3 victory over Minnesota on Saturday. Keuchel started and held the Twins to 3 hits and 2 runs in 5 1/3 innings to get the victory in his White Sox debut and McCann, an all-star last season, went 3 for 4 — including a home run — and had 3 runs batted in.

“It’s really cool to see Dallas pitching to James again,” Van Horn said. “It’s like back in 2009 for us. That’s a pretty good combo.”

Anderson hit a three-run home run in the Marlins’ 11-6 victory at Philadelphia on Sunday. In 310 games for Miami since 2017, he’s batting .268 with 32 home runs and 142 RBI.

“Brian’s off to a really good start with his career,” Van Horn said. “He moved quick through the minor leagues, and I know they really have high expectations for Brian.

“If he stays healthy he’s going to have a really good big league career.”

Stanek, going into his fourth MLB season, has 200 strikeouts in 164 1/2 innings and a 3.94 ERA.

“At the big league level, they’ve got Ryne as more of a two, three-inning guy,” Van Horn said. “He’s really gotten big and strong. He’s throwing the ball in the upper 90s. He’s taken another step as far as his velocity and is doing a great job.”

Benintendi, in his fourth season as a starter for the Red Sox, was off to an 0 for 10 to start this season prior to Monday night’s game against the New York Mets.

“I’m usually a slow starter,” Benintendi said during a Zoom call with the media on Monday. “It’s been two games. So I think once that first [hit] falls, hopefully I’ll get things going.

“First one’s the toughest. I’m not panicking. So hopefully I’ll get that first one and then roll from there.”

The first hit finally came for Benintendi when he had a bunt single in the first inning of Monday night’s game at Fenway Park.

Benintendi batted .271 with 20 home runs and 90 RBI in 2017 to finish second in American League rookie of the year voting to the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge.

In 2018 Benintendi was a World Series champion and batted .290 with 16 home runs and 87 RBI. Last season he batted .266 with 13 home runs and 68 RBI.

“I think this is a big year for Andrew,” Van Horn said. “He’s had a couple pretty good years. I feel like last year maybe he got away from his game a little bit.”

Benitendi had a career-high 140 strikeouts in 615 at-bats last season.

“This is just me talking, but he was maybe trying to hit home runs too much and struck out more than he should,” Van Horn said. “This year they’re putting him in the leadoff spot. They want to set the table, get on base and score runs and play solid defense. I think he’ll do a good job with that.”

Beeks, a left-hander who is in his third MLB season, is 11-4 with a 4.62 ERA. He has two shutout innings this season.

“Jalen’s worked extremely hard since he got the opportunity to play pro ball,” Van Horn said. “He’s a tough lefty. He’s tough on left-handed hitters.

“He’s been used as a starter, a reliever, a middle guy. I think he’s done a great job whatever he’s been asked to do.

“Guys that work that have talent, they usually get to play in the big leagues.”

Like the 77 former SEC players this season.

SEC and MLB

There are 77 players from SEC schools on the 30-man opening day rosters for MLB teams. LSU and Florida each have nine players on MLB rosters to lead the SEC. Mississippi State is third with eight, and Arkansas and South Carolina are tied for fourth with seven each.

Each of the 14 SEC schools has at least three players on MLB rosters:

LSU – 9

Vanderbilt – 9

Mississippi State – 8

Arkansas – 7

South Carolina – 7

Texas A&M – 6

Alabama – 5

Florida – 5

Georgia – 4

Missouri – 4

Ole Miss – 4

Auburn – 3

Kentucky – 3

Tennessee – 3