Fresno State Athletics
Bulldogs in the Pros
2/7/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 7, 2012
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State baseball has an illustrious past of producing professional athletes from its programs. There have been 48 Bulldogs drafted since head coach Mike Batesole took the helm in 2002, including four first round picks.
In 2011, a record setting 10 Bulldogs were picked in the Major League Baseball draft.
There are currently three former 'Dogs on big league rosters, and three who finished the 2011 season on Triple-A squads, the highest level of the minor leagues. Matt Garza (Chicago Cubs), Doug Fister (Detroit Tigers) and Casey McGehee (Pittsburgh Pirates) have represented Fresno State and the Central Valley in Major League Baseball for several years.
 Garza was drafted in 2005.  | |
Matt Garza
Garza recently signed a one year/$9.5 million deal with the Chicago Cubs (February 2012) after having played for the Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay Rays during his career. The right-handed pitcher became the first Bulldog under Batesole to don a major league jersey on Aug. 11, 2006, when he debuted for Minnesota. Selected in the first round (25th overall) by the Twins in the 2005 draft, Garza was the 11th first round pick in Fresno State baseball history.
He moved quickly through the Twins organization, jumping from the Class-A Advanced Fort Myers Miracle to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings during the 2006 season. That year saw the Fresno, Calif. native earn Double-A Mid-Season All-Star and Pitcher of the Week (May 21) honors while throwing for the New Britain Rock Cats. Garza also garnered USA Today Minor League Player of the Year, Baseball America Minor League All-Star and MLB.com Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year honors with the Red Wings.
With the Twins from 2006-07, Garza started 24 of the 26 games he appeared in, struck out 105 batters in 133 innings pitched and finished with eight wins.
He was acquired by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008 and started 95 of the 96 games he appeared over three seasons. Finishing with a 34-32 record, Garza struck out 467 batters and had a career-high 15 wins in final season with the Rays. He was consistently ranked top 10 in the American League in shutouts, complete games and batting average against. Garza pitched three shutouts during his time with the Rays and was named the 2008 American League Championship Series Most Valuable Player after posting a 2-1 record, striking out 25 batters in 25 innings pitched in the postseason.
Moving to the Cubs before the 2011 season, Garza started all 31 games he appeared in, finishing with a career-best 3.32 ERA after striking out a career-high 197 batters in 198 innings pitched. He had a 10-10 record last season with two complete games and continued his presence in the top 25 of major categories, this time for the National League, finishing ninth in strikeouts and complete games.
 Fister led Detroit to the ALCS | |
Doug Fister
Fister led the Detroit Tigers to the American League Championship Series in 2011 after being traded during the season from the Seattle Mariners. Drafted in 2006 by the Mariners in the seventh round, Fister earned Pitcher of the Week (Apr. 4) while with the Double-A West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx in 2008.
The right-handed pitcher made his MLB debut on Aug. 8, 2009 for Seattle.
Fister started all 60 games he appeared in with the Mariners. He finished with 12 wins and a 3.80 ERA in 378 innings pitched. Fister struck out a career-high 93 batters in the 2010 season after going a career-best 171 innings.
Moving to Detroit in August of 2011, Fister started 10-of-11 games played. He posted an 8-1 record with a 1.79 ERA after striking out 57 batters in 70.1 innings pitched during the regular season. His performance on the mound earned him Pitcher of the Month honors for September. Fister started two games in the postseason where he went 2-1 with 13 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched. He finished the 2011 season in the top 25 in the American League for seven major categories; including fourth in ERA (2.83).
 McGehee has been with three organizations in MLB. | |
Casey McGehee
McGehee will start the 2012 season on the Pittsburgh Pirates roster after being traded by the Milwaukee Brewers in December of 2011. Picked by the Chicago Cubs in the 10th round of the 2003 draft, McGehee was a midseason All-Star twice at the Double-A level (2005 and 2007).
He made his MLB debut on Sept. 2, 2008, where he played in nine games and knocked in five runs on four hits, including one double.
McGehee moved to the Brewers before the start of the 2009 season and played in 428 games during his two years with the organization. He finished his first season in Milwaukee with a career-best .301 batting average and earned Rookie of the Month for honors September. McGehee knocked in 104 runs during the 2010 season on 174 hits, including 38 doubles and 23 home runs.
That year, he was named the Brewers Most Valuable Player. His performance that season also earned him the Brewers Heart and Hustle Award.
McGehee finished 2010 in the top 25 in the National League in four categories including sixth in runs batted in and ninth in hits.
After two season with the Bulldogs, Beau Mills transferred and was subsequently drafted in the first round (13th overall). He, along with Tanner Scheppers and Justin Wilson, completed the 2011 season in Triple-A leagues.
Tanner Scheppers • RHP • Laguna Niguel, Calif.
• Drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round (44th overall) of the 2009 draft
• Played for Round Rock Express (Pacific Coast League) in 2011
• Ranked No. 43 among Top 50 Prospects by MLB.com during 2011 preseason
Justin Wilson • RHP • Clovis, Calif.
• Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fifth round of the 2008 draft
• Played for the Indianapolis Indians (International League) in 2011
Beau Mills • IF • Visalia, Calif.
• Drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the first round (13th overall) of the 2007 draft
• Played for Columbus Clippers (International League) in 2011
• Named MiLB.com Organization All-Star
Fresno State opens the 2012 season at home against Butler on Feb. 17 at 6 p.m. Fans can purchase 2012 season and single-game tickets online or by calling the Bulldog Ticket Office at 559-278-3647.
"We Are Your Team!" Check out the action on game day from AM 940 KYNO, the flagship station for Bulldog baseball. Follow us on Facebook (fresnostateathletics) and Twitter (@FSAthletics) to stay up on all your 'Dogs.
