Seth Halvorsen embraces Spokane Indians assignment in journey from ‘Rocky Top’ to Colorado Rockies

The University of Tennessee’s baseball program has been busy the past few years churning out professional prospects.

In this year’s draft alone, 10 players who either suited up for the Volunteers or who committed to “Rocky Top” signed pro contracts.

There are four Tennessee alums in the major leagues and 31 former Vols in the minors.

The Colorado Rockies, the parent club of the Spokane Indians, seem particularly impressed with the success the Knoxville program is enjoying.

Last year, the Rockies nabbed outfielder Jordan Beck in the competitive balance round, No. 38 overall. Beck was productive for the Indians during the first half of the season before his promotion to Double-A Hartford on July 14.

The Rockies went back to Tennessee in this year’s draft. They selected right-handed pitcher Chase Dollander with the ninth overall pick and assigned him to their Arizona League Complex.

In the seventh round they selected Dollander’s teammate, right-hander Seth Halvorson, with the 202nd pick in the draft.

Halvorsen, who was assigned to High-A Spokane last week, may have the quickest path to the big leagues of any of the three players.

Halvorsen, 23, stands 6-foot-2, 225 pounds and would look as easily at home filling out football pads at linebacker or fullback as he does on the mound. He is athletic enough that before he transferred to Tennessee, he played both ways at Missouri, playing center field when not performing as their “Friday night” starter as the No. 1 pitcher on the team.

The Chicago-born Halvorsen missed the 2022 season due to a right arm fracture but this season for the Vols went 3-3 with a 3.81 earned-run average in 25 games (one start) and 52 strikeouts over 52 innings.

Halvorsen is enjoying getting used to the rigors of professional baseball.

“It’s been fun to continue throwing and get out there on the mound,” he said Tuesday at Avista Stadium before his first home game in Spokane. After two games covering two innings for the Indians last week at Everett, Halvorsen has yet to give up a run.

“It’s just taking one pitch at a time and then just getting focused on the next pitch, next game and, you know, the task at hand,” he said.

After seeing Dollander drafted by the Rockies in the first round, he had no inkling he’d hear his name called for them later in the draft.

“At that time, I didn’t,” he said. “About a half round or so before (he was picked), I thought that I could potentially be coming here, so that was fun to have that connection going in the organization.”

He and Dollander were roommates at the Arizona Complex before he was promoted.

“There’s a familiarity in the mind having someone you know going somewhere new,” he said.

Halvorsen features a sinking fastball that can reach the upper 90s that he tries to keep down in the zone to generate ground balls, a change-up he uses as a swing-and-miss pitch and a developing slider.

His mantra on the mound is simple.

“It’s just being able to focus on the next pitch and block out whatever happened in the past and be able to move forward,” he said.

Alhough Halvorsen has been used primarily as a reliever this year in college and the pros, he would be open to starting again if the opportunity arose.

“It’s just wherever the organization sees fit,” he said. “I’ll be ready for any situation that I’m put in. I just want to pitch.”

Halvorsen retired the Everett AquaSox in order last Thursday in his first appearance for the Indians.

On Sunday, he got the first two outs, loaded the bases on two hits and a walk, but got out of the inning unscathed on a grounder to shortstop.

“It’s just baseball,” he said. “You know, it was fun to be able to get out of a jam that I created myself. But yeah, you know, it was not a clean ending. But it was nice to be able to get out of it.”

His age, repertoire and experience could signal a quick move through the organization, but with only five weeks left in the season he’s prepared if he isn’t moved up again before the offseason.

“I haven’t been told specifically, but I think the plan is for me to be (in Spokane) for the rest of the season,” Halvorsen said.

Halvorsen enjoys fishing and spending time with family during the offseason and said he bought a new fishing pole with his $200,000 signing bonus.

He doesn’t know what he might have been in life if he wasn’t a ballplayer.

“All my eggs are in this basket right here and just kind of moving forward with that,” he said – though he added as a kid he dreamed of being an FBI agent.

“That was kind of a goal when I was really young – I would fantasize about it when I was younger,” he said.

He might have envisioned a law enforcement career as a youngster, but athletics were a big part of his formative years.

“I just love to play – I played football, basketball, baseball, everything. I played soccer for a year,” he said. “It never got real to where I created those kinds of dreams until after a year or so in high school.”