Former Oklahoma baseball players lead all Big 12 schools on openingday MLB rosters
By Chip Rouse
The 2024 Major League Baseball season opened for 26 big league teams last Thursday, and Oklahoma baseball was the best represented of all Big 12 schools on opening-day rosters.
Of the 13 Big 12 baseball schools, 38 players former players of those schools appeared on MLB opening day rosters. Oklahoma leads the list with six former players. TCU and Texas Tech are next in line with five each. All six OU major leaguers are pitchers.
According to Baseball Almanac, the number of University of Oklahoma MLB all-time alumni totals 81,
Following are the six former OU Sooners who began the 2024 season on MLB rosters:
Chase Anderson, a right-handed pitcher begins the 2024 MLB season on the roster of the Boston Red Sox. He spent two season at Oklahoma (2008-09). This will be his 11th season in Major League Baseball, which began with the Arizona Cardinals in 2014. His career record is 59-56 with an ERA of 4.35 in 218 MLB games. His best season was in 2017 with the National League Milwaukee Brewers, when he won 12 games and lost four with an ERA of 2.75.
Cade Cavalli is a right-handed pitcher with the Washington Nationals. He played three seasons at Oklahoma (2018-20) and was drafted by the Nationals in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft with the 22nd overall pick. This will be Cavalli's second season at the MLB level. Before this season, he had appeared in just one game for the Nationals (in 2022).
Jon Gray is the second eldest member of OU baseball alumni currently on an MLB roster as of 2024 opening day. This will be the right-handed pitcher's 10th MLB season. He played two seasons at Oklahoma (2012-13), where he was the ace of the staff. Gray was the third overall pick in the 2013 MLB Draft, selected by the Colorado Rockies. He debuted at the MLB level in 2015 and spent his first seven seasons in the major leagues with the Rockies, where he compiled an overall record of 53-49 in 204 starts with an ERA of 4.74. Gray signed with the Texas Rangers. His best season was in 2017 with the Rockies, when he posted a 10-4 record in 20 starts with an ERA of 3.67.
Jake Irvin is in his second full season with the Washington Nationals. The right-handed pitcher played three seasons at Oklahoma (2016-18) and was drafted by the Nationals in the fourth round of the 2018 MLB Draft, the 131st selection overall. He made his major league debut in 2023, going 3-7 in 24 starts with an ERA of 4.61.
Steven Okert is in his first season with the American League Minnesota Twins and his seventh MLB season overall. He was originally drafted out of high school in Rowlett, Texas, by the Milwaukke Brewers. The Brewers selected the left-handed pitcher in both 2010 and 2011, but Okert did not sign. He spent one season at Oklahoma in 2012, appearing in 20 games with five starts and compiling a record of 9-8 with a 3.11 ERA. He was a fourth-round pick of the San Francisco Giants in 2012. After several years in the minor leagues, Okert was called up by the Giants and made his major league debut on April 19, 2016 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He spent three seasons with the Giants (2016-18) and three with the Miami Marlins (2021-23). He owns a 12-9 career record and a 3.69 ERA in 229 games.
Burch Smith is a six-year major league pitcher who is in his first season with the National League Miami Marlins. Like Okert, he spent just one season at Oklahoma, in 2011, making 16 starts, with a 10-4 record and an ERA of 3.92. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 11th round of the 2011 MLB Draft. Smith made his major league debut in 2013 with the Padres. He has been with six teams in his MLB career (Padres, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants and Miami). He has a 5-11 career record, mostly in relief appearances, and a 6.06 ERA in 103 games.