Cougars in the MLB: Mid-April

HOUSTON – Fifteen Houston Baseball legends started their respective professional seasons in the last month, including three at the Major League level and an additional six in AAA.

JOHN KING | MIAMI ORG. | MIAMI MARLINS | MLB

Started the season in the Marlins bullpen, earning a spot on their Opening Day roster
Made seven appearances, tossing 5.0 shutout innings so far this season
Earned first win with Miami on April 5 against the Yankees, throwing the final 0.1 innings
Hasn't allowed a hit or run this season while striking out five
Miami sits in second in the NL East, just two games out of first in the division

JARED TRIOLO | PITTSBURGH ORG. | PITTSBURGH PIRATES | MLB

Placed on the 10-day IL on April 5 with a knee injury
Pittsburgh Pirates on SI reported that Pirates GM Ben Cherington said it was a week-to-week injury rather than day-to-day
Triolo injured the knee during Pittsburgh's home opener on April 3
The 2019 draftee has appeared in six games this season, hitting with a .217/.308/.261 slash
Driving in one run while amassing a double and two walks
Pittsburgh owns a 10-7 record, tied for first in the NL Central

CONNOR WONG | BOSTON ORG. | BOSTON RED SOX | MLB

Appeared in six games as Boston's reserve catcher
Hitting .375 in 16 at-bats, collecting three doubles and an RBI
Ranks 17^th in Major League Baseball with a 58.3 hard-hit percentage among batters with at least 10 batted ball events
Boston holds a 6-11 record and is 3.5 games back of first in the AL East

JOSH EKNESS | MIAMI ORG. | JACKSONVILLE JUMBO SHRIMP | AAA

Appeared in four games so far for Jacksonville, allowing just one earned run in 7.0 innings pitched
Boasts a 1.29 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP out of the bullpen
Recorded 13 strikeouts on the year, sitting in fifth among all International League players with a 16.7 Ks per nine mark
Collected a win against Norfolk, tossing 1.0 shutout innings
Earned the save against Charlotte with another shutout inning
Recorded three outings without allowing an earned run
Jacksonville is 8-8 on the year, sitting in fourth in the International League East division

ROBERT GASSER | MILWAUKEE ORG. | NASHVILLE SOUNDS | AAA

Earned two starts for Nashville without receiving a decision in either
Tossed 9.0 innings on the mound, allowing nine hits and four runs
Recorded 15 strikeouts and just four walks
Threw 7.2 consecutive scoreless innings, tied for the longest streak on Nashville this season
Fanned 11 on March 27 against Norfolk
Ranks second among pitchers with at least 9.0 innings pitched with 15.0 strikeouts per nine innings
Nashville holds a 7-8 record, sitting 4.5 games out of first in the International League West
Tabbed the 17^th best prospect (2^nd best LHP) in the Milwaukee system by MLB.com

NICK HERNANDEZ | ATHLETICS ORG. | LAS VEGAS AVIATORS | AAA

Made three appearances so far this season for Las Vegas
Tossed 4.1 innings out of the bullpen, striking out six while posting a .625 strike percentage
Threw 2.0 shutout innings against Oklahoma City on April 3
Las Vegas is 8-6, sitting in second in the Pacific Coast League West

COREY JULKS | DETROIT ORG. | TOLEDO MUD HENS | AAA

Started 12 of Toledo's 16 games, split between outfield (9) and DH (3)
Tied for the team lead with nine RBIs
Posted a .273/.360/.477 slash with five extra-base hits this year, including a pair of homers
Hit .333 with three homers in Detroit's spring camp
Toledo holds a 7-9 record on the year in the International League West

BEN SEARS | KANSAS CITY ORG. | OMAHA STORM CHASERS | AAA

Started the season in AA with Northwest Arkansas but was called up to AAA on April 10
Made two appearances with Northwest Arkansas, tossing 3.1 innings in relief
Earned his first AAA start against Iowa on April 10, throwing 3.0 innings of one-run baseball
Omaha sits 3.5 games back of first in the International League West with an 8-7 record

PATRICK WEIGEL | COLORADO ORG. | ALBUQUERQUE ISOTOPES | AAA

Started his 12^th professional season with AAA Albuquerque
Made three appearances so far for the Isotopes, including back-to-back scoreless outings
Hasn't allowed a run in 5.0 innings while striking out four
Albuquerque has an 8-8 record and is third in the Pacific Coast League East division

HAROLD COLL | LOS ANGELES (AL) ORG. | ROCKET CITY TRASH PANDAS | AA

Started the year with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes before being promoted for AA Opening Day
One of 10 Southern League players to reach base in eight games this season
Tied for sixth in the league with seven RBIs
Hit a two-run homer on April 5 against Biloxi
Leads Rocket City with three multi-RBI games this season
Rocket City has a 4-6 record on the year

JAYCOB DEESE | PITTSBURGH ORG. | ALTOONA CURVE | AA

Started the year with High-A Greensboro but was promoted to Altoona on April 10
Made two appearances this season, tossing two innings with Greensboro in relief
Sixty-five percent of his pitches on the year have been strikes
Altoona is 0-10 on the year

CADE CITELLI | TAMPA BAY ORG. | BOWLING GREEN HOT RODS | HIGH-A

Made two appearances this season for High-A Bowling Green
Converted for his first High-A save on April 9 against Rome
Hasn't allowed a run in 3.1 innings this season while ceding only two hits and striking out four
Bowling Green is tied for first in the South Atlantic League with a 7-3 record

CONNOR MCGINNIS | NEW YORK (AL) ORG. | HUDSON VALLEY RENEGADES | HIGH-A

Posted two hits in three games this season while adding a pair of walks
Hudson Valley holds a 3-5 record and is three games back in the South Atlantic League

ANTOINE JEAN | COLORADO ORG. | SPOKANE INDIANS | HIGH-A

Placed on the 7-day injured list on April 8
Made one appearance for Spokane so far this season, tossing 1.1 shutout innings against Everett to earn a hold
Spokane holds a 5-5 record and is three games out of first in the Northwest League

RYAN DOLLAR | NEW YORK (NL) ORG. | ST. LUCIE METS | SINGLE-A

Appeared in three games for St. Lucie out of the bullpen this season
Earned first minor league save on April 14 against Daytona
In 2.2 innings of work, tallied four strikeouts, including striking out the side against Dunedin on April 11
Allowed just one run and one hit so far this season
St. Lucie is 5-5 in the Florida State League, sitting three games back in a tie for fifth

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