MLB locals: Plenty of Gonzaga, Washington State alums and Spokane natives on major-league rosters

Gonzaga, Washington State and the city of Spokane will be represented when the Major League Baseball season begins Thursday.

Three former Zags and a couple of Cougars earned spots on Opening Day rosters. A few Spokane products should be key players for their respective big-league clubs.

Here’s a refresher course on the top locally produced players in baseball:

Gonzaga

Alek Jacob

The Spokane native and North Central High grad is looking to cement his place as a steady contributor out of the San Diego Padres’ bullpen in 2025.

Jacob, a righty, impressed during spring training, striking out 12 while allowing six hits and three runs over nine innings. Multiple media outlets predict he’ll find himself in a significant relief role right away.

Jacob started the 2024 season with Triple-A El Paso, but he got a few chances with the big-league club and had some effective outings for the Padres during the middle and later stages of the year, including a pair of postseason appearances.

Jacob pitched in two NLDS games against the Los Angeles Dodgers last year, surrendering one hit and one earned run while striking out two in two innings.

Jacob received his first MLB promotion in July 2023, but an elbow injury limited him to three games. For his MLB career, Jacob has a 2.04 ERA and 24 strikeouts against three walks in 17⅔ innings in 10 games. The 26-year-old played at Gonzaga from 2018-21, earning West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year as a senior. He was picked by the Padres in the 16th round of the 2021 draft.

Eli Morgan

The right-handed pitcher earned a spot in the Chicago Cubs’ bullpen to open the season.

Morgan has made his 2025 debut – he pitched 1⅓ scoreless innings March 18 during the Cubs’ 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the MLB’s season-opening Tokyo Series at the Tokyo Dome.

An eighth-round draft pick in 2017, Morgan secured his first major league promotion in 2021 with the Cleveland Guardians and spent the year in the franchise’s starting rotation before settling into a relief role for the next three seasons. Cleveland traded Morgan to the Cubs in November.

The 28-year-old, an All-American pitcher during his time at Gonzaga (2015-17), boasts an MLB career record of 18-12 and a 3.95 ERA in 266⅔ innings and 162 appearances.

Brett Harris

The third baseman is listed on the Athletics’ active roster heading into Opening Day.

Harris made his MLB debut early last season for Oakland but spent most of the season with Triple-A Las Vegas.

In 36 games with the big-league club last year, Harris batted .146 with three home runs and 12 RBIs, and reached base at a .276 clip in 123 plate appearances.

The 26-year-old from Illinois played for Gonzaga from 2019-21, earning WCC Defensive Player of the Year honors in his final season. Harris was selected by Oakland in the seventh round of the 2021 draft.

Casey Legumina

The right-handed reliever out of Gonzaga (2017-19) narrowly missed the cut for the Seattle Mariners’ Opening Day roster, but don’t be surprised if Legumina makes an appearance in the majors this year – he’s starting the year with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers, according to a CBS report from earlier this week.

The Mariners acquired Legumina in a trade Feb. 3 after he spent a couple of up-and-down years with the Cincinnati Reds. Legumina split time between the majors and minors over the past two seasons, appearing in 17 games with the Reds during that stretch. He earned his first MLB win in 2023, and his career record still stands at 1-0. Legumina has recorded a 6.95 ERA in 22 innings in his big-league career.

Marco Gonzales

The former Bulldogs star (2011-13) is a free agent entering the 2025 season.

Gonzales appeared in seven games last year with the Pittsburgh Pirates but had his season cut short due to an injury. He finished the year with a 1-1 record and a 4.54 ERA.

Before his stint in Pittsburgh, Gonzales was a key piece in the Seattle Mariners’ rotation for six years. The left-hander has a career record of 66-50 with a 4.16 ERA and an above-average WHIP of 1.3 in 10 seasons.

Washington State

Kyle Manzardo

The pride of Lake City High, Manzardo is expected to be a key piece in the Cleveland Guardians’ lineup this year.

Multiple Cleveland media outlets project Manzardo to take on starting duties and split time between first base and designated hitter. The 24-year-old Coeur d’Alene native is coming off a respectable first season in the majors, during which he hit .235 with five home runs, 12 doubles and 15 RBIs in 53 games. Manzardo made the Guardians’ postseason roster, and hit 6 for 19 (.316) with a homer, two RBIs and two runs in October.

A second-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2021 after a decorated career at WSU (2019-21), Manzardo spent the first three years of his career as a standout minor leaguer in the Rays’ organization, but he was traded to Cleveland in July 2023.

He made his MLB debut in May with the Guardians and stayed in the big leagues for about two months, then went back to Triple-A Columbus (.267, 20 HRs, 20 doubles in 83 games) before being promoted again for the last two months of the season.

Ian Hamilton

Hamilton, a right-handed reliever for the New York Yankees, was placed on the 15-day injured list earlier this week due to a viral illness, according to the MLB’s injury report.

When the 29-year-old recovers, he’ll likely have a role for the defending AL champions.

A third-year Yankee, Hamilton was limited by injuries over the past two seasons, but he was effective when available. He went 3-3 with a 3.10 ERA in 74 games (three starts) and 95⅔ innings pitched over the past two seasons. Hamilton made a couple of postseason appearances for the Yankees last year during the franchise’s run to the World Series. He pitched 1⅓ scoreless innings, striking out three, in an ALDS game against Kansas City, then allowed one run and made one out in Game 3 of the ALCS against Cleveland, but an injury kept him out of the World Series.

Since his MLB debut in 2018, Hamilton has appeared in 89 big-league games (three starts). He sports a 4-5 career record and a 3.34 ERA.

A three-year standout at WSU (2014-16), Hamilton was selected in the 11th round of the 2016 MLB draft by the Chicago White Sox. He was used sparingly by Chicago between 2018-20 and made one appearance with Minnesota in 2022, then signed with New York in early 2023. Hamilton inked a one-year extension with the Yankees earlier this month.

Ryan Walker

Coming off a breakout 2024 season, Walker is projected to be the San Francisco Giants’ full-time closer going forward.

The 29-year-old shined last season, going 10 for 10 in save chances over 17 games in the closer role. At first, he was filling in as the closer due to an injury, but it appears the Giants will stick with the righty in 2025. Walker finished last season with a 10-4 record and a 1.91 ERA in 80 innings in 76 games. He struck out 99 batters and conceded 18 walks. Walker was effective during spring training, striking out 15 and walking two .

Walker, a native of Arlington, Washington, was drafted by the Giants in the 31st round in 2018 after a four-year career at WSU. He received his first MLB call-up in May 2023 and finished that season with a 5-3 record and a 3.23 ERA in 49 games (13 starts).

Other notable locals

Andrew Kittredge

The veteran major league pitcher and Spokane native is on the injured list for the Baltimore Orioles to begin his ninth MLB season. The 35-year-old Kittredge, a Ferris High grad, will reportedly miss multiple months as he recovers from offseason knee surgery.

A right-handed reliever, Kittredge signed a one-year deal with Baltimore in January after one solid season with St. Louis, during which he went 5-5 with a 2.80 ERA. Kittredge spent the previous seven years with the Tampa Bay Rays, who promoted him to the MLB for the first time in 2017.

An MLB All-Star selection in 2021, Kittredge has appeared in 255 big-league games (15 starts). He’s been more than reliable out of the bullpen throughout his career, boasting a record of 23-12 and a 3.44 ERA, along with 273 strikeouts against 76 walks.

Kittredge began his professional career as an undrafted free agent in 2011 after playing at the University of Washington.

Drew Rasmussen

A Mt. Spokane High graduate, Rasmussen is entering his sixth season in the majors and could be a regular starter for the Tampa Bay Rays.

The right-hander served primarily as a reliever for the Rays over the past two years, but he’s reportedly expected to vie for a spot in the rotation this year. Rasmussen started three games at spring training and pitched 10⅔ innings, striking out nine while allowing three runs on eight hits. He posted a WHIP of .094.

Rasmussen received his first call-up in 2020 with the Milwaukee Brewers. He was traded to the Rays in 2021, and quickly carved out a starting role for the major league club, but Rasmussen flipped to the bullpen in 2023. After missing about four months early in the 2024 season, he returned to regular relief work to close the year, then signed a two-year extension with Tampa Bay in January. The 29-year-old has a 20-12 career record in 99 MLB games (50 starts). He boasts a 1.088 WHIP and has 301 strikeouts against 82 walks.

Following his prep years in Spokane, Rasmussen played at Oregon State and was taken by the Brewers in the sixth round of the 2018 draft.