Pitchers Ryan Walker, Ian Hamilton headline Washington State’s group of representatives in pro baseball

PULLMAN – Two former Washington State baseball standouts are enjoying success in Major League Baseball.

Several other Cougars are on the way, stationed at the higher levels of the minor leagues.

And a few other WSU grads are in the early stages of their MiLB careers, toiling to climb the ladder.

After this week’s MLB draft, there might be a couple more Cougars in the pros. For now, let’s check in on the 11 players who are representing WSU in professional baseball.

Pitcher Ryan Walker, San Francisco Giants: After four years and 161 games in the minors, Walker received his first MLB promotion on May 19 and made his big league debut two days later.

Walker allowed three hits against the Miami Marlins during his first MLB game, but escaped a jam and completed a scoreless inning. He settled in nicely over the next three games, striking out five batters in four hitless innings.

Now 18 games into his MLB career, Walker is a key reliever and an occasional spot-starter for the Giants.

The 27-year-old righty boasts a 2-0 record and a 3.13 ERA over 23 innings of work , with five starts. Walker has 27 strikeouts, 27 hits, eight walks and eight earned runs.

The Giants scooped Walker up in the 31st round of the 2018 draft. He earned his first Double-A promotion late in the 2021 season, then reached Triple-A in mid-2022. He finished that season with a 7-3 record and a 3.35 ERA, so the Giants opted to leave him with Triple-A Sacramento for the start of the 2023 season.

Walker shined in Sacramento early this season, producing a 0.89 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 20⅓ innings. Overall, he went 13-6 in minor league action with a 3.15 ERA.

A native of Arlington, Washington, Walker made 87 appearances as a Cougar (2015-18). He earned 16 wins and logged a career ERA of 3.98.

Pitcher Ian Hamilton, New York Yankees: It’s been a breakout season for Hamilton, who has become a key arm for New York after a couple of short stays with other MLB teams.

In past years, Hamilton couldn’t stick in the major leagues. He pitched 12 innings in 14 games with the Chicago White Sox in 2018 and 2020, then made just one appearance last season with the Minnesota Twins.

Hamilton signed a minor-league deal with the Yankees in February and, aside from a three-game rehab stint with Double-A Somerset in June, has spent the whole season with New York’s big league club. He has pitched 26⅔ innings in 21 games and made one spot-start in the second game of a double-header.

He owns a 1-1 record and a sparkling 2.03 ERA. The 28-year-old righty has struck out 32 batters and allowed six runs on 23 hits and 10 walks. He picked up his first career MLB save on May 6 against the Los Angeles Angels. Hamilton dazzled over his first 20 innings of the season, recording a 1.23 ERA, 30 strikeouts and nine walks.

Hamilton was drafted in the 11th round by the White Sox in 2016. He climbed the franchise’s MiLB ladder in two years and made his MLB debut in 2018. Hamilton spent most of the 2019, 2021 and 2022 seasons at the Triple-A level with the White Sox and Twins organizations.

Hamilton has appeared in 36 MLB games. He holds a 2-3 career record and a 3.05 ERA in 41⅓ innings. He’s logged 41 strikeouts against 36 hits, 18 walks and 14 earned runs.

A Skyview (Vancouver) High graduate, Hamilton was a three-time All-Pac-12 performer during his WSU career (2014-16). He posted an ERA of 3.60 and tossed 123 strikeouts in 160 innings. Hamilton set a program record with 28 career saves.

Infielder Kyle Manzardo, Triple-A Durham (Tampa Bay Rays): Of all WSU’s representatives in the minor leagues, no one is closer to the bigs than Manzardo.

The fast-rising first baseman is the No. 39-ranked overall MLB prospect, according to MLB.com.

He was selected last week to play in the All-Star Futures game – a showcase for prospective major leaguers. Manzardo attended Saturday’s Futures game at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, but did not play due to a minor shoulder injury he sustained on Thursday. He is reportedly expected to be a sidelined for a couple of weeks.

The 22-year-old from Coeur d’Alene earned a promotion to Triple-A ahead of this season, and he’s been a steady contributor with the Durham Bulls throughout the year. Manzardo is batting .238 with 11 home runs, 19 doubles, 38 RBIs, one triple and 33 runs scored. He ranks second among Rays MiLB players in doubles, third in extra-base hits (31) and fourth in walks (42).

Manzardo was named Rays minor league player of the year after the 2022 season. He opened that season with High-A Bowling Green, then was brought up to Double-A Montgomery in early August. Between the two teams, Manzardo batted .327 – leading all players in Tampa Bay’s farm system. He hit 22 homers and 26 doubles, drove in 81 runs and scored 71.

A graduate of Lake City High, Manzardo was a three-year starter for the Cougars (2019-21). He was named All-Pac-12 and multiple outlets recognized him as an All-American after his junior season in 2021, during which he batted .365 with 60 RBIs.

Manzardo was selected by Tampa Bay with the 63rd overall pick in the 2021 draft.

Pitcher Damon Jones, Triple-A Lehigh Valley (Philadelphia Phillies): Jones was placed on the 60-day injured list on March 31 and has not made an appearance this season.

The left-handed reliever also struggled with a shoulder injury in 2022 and was limited to eight games – four with the Phillies and four with Lehigh Valley.

Jones made his MLB debut during the 2021 season and appeared in one game before being optioned back to Lehigh Valley. He started the 2022 campaign with the big league club, but had two rough games and was sent down to Lehigh Valley. He returned to the majors a few weeks later, but faltered in two games of relief and rejoined the Triple-A IronPigs.

Jones hasn’t pitched in a game since he took the mound with Lehigh Valley on May 19, 2022.

Selected by the Phillies in the 18th round of the 2017 draft, Jones climbed to the Triple-A ranks in 2019. Overall, he has appeared in 97 MiLB games – 46 with Lehigh Valley. Jones has an 18-20 record and a 3.61 ERA in minor league action.

Jones, from Twin Falls, Idaho, started 22 of 33 games pitched at WSU over two seasons (2016-17). He posted a 5-5 record and a 4.87 career ERA.

Infielder Nick Tanielu, Double-A Frisco (Texas Rangers): A veteran minor leaguer, Tanielu is still waiting for his first major league call-up. He’s been plugging away at the Double-A and Triple-A levels for over four years.

The 30-year-old third baseman began the 2023 season – his ninth year in the pros – with the Double-A Frisco Roughriders. After 41 games, he was promoted to Triple-A Round Rock. Tanielu spent two games there, then got sent back to Frisco.

Tanielu is batting .247 through 48 games for the Roughriders this season. He’s hit seven home runs, 10 doubles and has driven in 24 runners.

Between 2019-22, Tanielu played in 304 Triple-A games. Although his statistics were respectable, Tanielu wasn’t efficient enough to break through to the MLB.

Tanielu hit .364 in two seasons at WSU (2013-14) and was taken by the Houston Astros in the 14th round of the 2014 draft. He spent seven years in the Astros’ farm system, climbing from Low-A as a rookie to Triple-A in 2018. Tanielu became a free agent a year later and played for the San Diego Padres’ Triple-A club in 2021. He signed with Texas in March 2022 and was quickly shipped to Round Rock. In 2,777 minor league at-bats, Tanielu is hitting .279 with 75 home runs, 171 doubles, 388 runs and 436 RBIs.

Infielder Shane Matheny, Double-A Richmond (San Francisco Giants): The sixth-year minor leaguer began the 2023 season at the Triple-A level, but was sent back to Double-A in mid-June.

Matheny is hitting .266 with a .359 on-base percentage for the Richmond Flying Squirrels. He has 13 RBIs, seven doubles and three home runs in 79 at-bats over 22 Double-A games. Matheny has been hot lately – he’s hitting over .300 with two homers over the past eight games.

The second baseman/shortstop played the first 57 games of the year with Triple-A Sacramento. He batted .221 with three homers, three doubles and 19 RBI in 172 at-bats.

Matheny had his most productive MiLB season in 2022, recording 12 homers, 13 doubles and 47 RBI at the Double-A level before earning his first Triple-A promotion in July.Matheny made 155 starts for the Cougars between 2015-17. He led WSU as a junior in 2017 with a .309 batting average and 34 RBIs. He was named All-Pac-12 after the season and the Giants selected him in the 23rd round. Matheny toiled in the Single-A ranks for three seasons before his Double-A promotion in May 2021.

Infielder Andres Alvarez, Double-A Altoona (Pittsburgh Pirates): For the second straight season, Alvarez is a regular in Altoona’s lineup.

The shortstop played in 110 games for the Double-A Curve last season and put up impressive numbers – 20 home runs, 13 doubles and 50 RBIs.

Alvarez hasn’t been quite as productive this season, but he’s been good enough to keep a spot on the Pirates’ Double-A roster.

Alvarez is hitting .221 with six homers, 26 RBIs and 32 runs scored through 66 games. He’s already up to 13 doubles on the year.

The fourth-year pro was in the middle of a hot stretch – 9-for-19 with a double and a homer over six games – before suffering an injury July 1. He’s currently on Altoona’s seven-day injured list.A three-year Cougar (2017-19) out of San Diego, Alvarez started 156 consecutive collegiate games at shortstop and finished his WSU career with 42 doubles, 56 RBIs and a .286 batting average.

Pitcher Zane Mills, High-A Peoria (St. Louis Cardinals): Mills has held down a spot in Peoria’s rotation throughout this season.

The right-handed former WSU ace has compiled a 4-2 record and a 6.49 ERA in 13 games – eight starts – this year. He’s allowed 58 hits and 12 walks against 34 strikeouts across 43 innings pitched.

The Portland native went 10-9 over three seasons at WSU (2019-21), finishing his collegiate career with a 3.95 overall ERA and 155 strikeouts against 53 walks. The Cardinals selected Mills in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB draft. Mills shined at the rookie level in 2021, then pitched well in seven games at the Single-A level to earn a promotion to High-A Peoria in May 2022.

Pitcher Brandon White, FCL Marlins (Miami Marlins): After missing the entire 2022 minor league season with an arm injury, White is off to a solid start in his first year as a pro.

The righty has appeared in four games since making his pro debut June 6. He sports a 1-0 record and a 1.13 ERA in eight innings of work. White has struck out eight batters against four hits and one walk allowed.

White, a product of Chehalis, Washington, played three seasons at WSU (2019-21). He had his best year as a junior in 2021, logging a 6-4 record and a 4.98 ERA. White was selected by Miami in the 12th round of the MLB draft after the season.

Pitcher A.J. Block, High-A Quad Cities (Kansas City Royals): Block hasn’t played in a game over the past two seasons. He’s been on the injured list since April of last year.

But the southpaw is still listed on Quad Cities’ roster. Block showed potential during his 2021 season, striking out 124 batters and walking just 36 across 101 innings – 85 with Quad Cities and the first 16 with Low-A Columbia.

Block registered an ERA of 3.81 with Quad Cities in 2021, leading some Kansas City media outlets to call him an underrated pitching prospect in the organization. But injuries have derailed his pro career thus far.

The Bellevue native pitched 175⅔ innings for the Cougars, appearing in 55 games between 2017-20. He was picked by Detroit in the 17th round of the 2019 MLB draft but elected to stay in Pullman for his senior year. Block signed with Kansas City as an undrafted free agent in 2020.

Catcher Jake Meyer, AZL Rockies (Colorado Rockies): The first-year pro has appeared in 10 games for the Rockies’ Rookie League team.

In 22 at-bats since his first game June 6, Meyer is hitting .364 with a .517 on-base percentage. He has driven in four runs and scored seven himself. On Friday, Meyer hit his first professional home run, a solo shot against the Cincinnati Reds’ Rookie League team.

A Scottsdale, Arizona, native, Meyer started 87 games during his time at WSU (2020-22) during which he hit .266 with 20 doubles, six home runs and 44 RBIs . The Rockies signed Meyer to a free-agent deal last August.