Former UofL, UK, Louisville-area baseball players wrap up MLB season

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Major League Baseball season came to a close on Monday and the postseason begins Tuesday.

Louisville was represented by five former high school players in the big leagues, while numerous other players with local connections appeared in the MLB this season.

For the sake of Immaculate Grid rarity scores, here's a look at some of the players and their 2024 seasons:

University of Louisville

Will Smith | Los Angeles Dodgers: The 29-year-old catcher returned to the all-star game, his second straight appearance after signing a 10-year, $140 million contract extension in March. Smith once again had another productive season behind the plate, hitting 20 home runs with 75 RBI and an OPS+ of 116. In the first half, Smith's slash line was .272/.346/.492 with a 135 OPS+ in 80 games. The Dodgers won the NL West for the 11th time in 12 years and finished the regular season with the best record in baseball. 

Tyler Fitzgerald | San Francisco Giants: The utility man made the Giants' roster out of spring training, but primarily played shortstop. Fitzgerald won NL Rookie of the Month in July after hitting .321 with eight home runs, 15 RBI and 13 runs scored in 16 games. For a brief moment, Fitzgerald was Bonds-like...he hit a home run in five consecutive games and hit eight home runs in a 10-game span from July 20-27, the first time a Giant hitter has accomplished that feat since...Barry Bonds in 2004. Fitzgerald finished with a slash line of .280/.334/.497 with 15 home runs, 34 RBI and 17 stolen bases. Fitzgerald had a 136 OPS+ in 96 games. 

Chad Green | Toronto Blue Jays: The right-hander reestablished himself as a dependable reliever in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. Green had a 3.21 ERA in 53.1 innings for a Blue Jays team that struggled throughout the year. Green had a career-high 17 saves and finished 34 games. The 33-year-old has one more year remaining on a three-year contract. 

Bryan Hoeing | San Diego Padres: The reliever had an impressive season and will have the chance to pitch in the postseason thanks to a deal at the deadline. After pitching to a 2.70 ERA in 30 innings, the Marlins traded Hoeing to San Diego in late July. Hoeing has been even better on the west coast for a dominant Padre bullpen. In 18 appearances, Hoeing has a 1.52 ERA in 23.2 innings. Cumulatively, the 27-year-old has a 2.18 ERA in 53.2 innings. 

Bobby Miller | Los Angeles Dodgers: After a strong rookie year, Miller struggled with consistency and injuries in 2024. The former first-round draft pick first dealt with a shoulder injury in April, but returned to the Dodgers in June. But the hard-throwing right hander was sent to the minors before making six starts in August and September. The 25-year-old ended the season with an 8.52 ERA in 56 innings, but he said to the Los Angeles Times he'd “be working harder than I ever have to come out of this.”

Adam Duvall | Atlanta Braves: The Butler High School graduate returned to Atlanta on a one-year deal. He won a World Series and Gold Glove in 2021 in Atlanta. Due to the team's injuries, Duvall was a mainstay in the corner outfield throughout the summer. He hit 11 home runs and drove in 30 runs, but hit just .182 with 57 OPS+ in 104 games. 

Reid Detmers | Los Angeles Angels: The left-hander, who tossed a no-hitter in 2022, looked like a front-end starter through his first six games, pitching to a 3.12 ERA. But Detmers struggled to the point the Angels sent down the No. 10 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft in early June. He returned to MLB action for five starts in September. Detmers finished the year with a 4-9 record and 6.70 ERA in 87.1 innings. 

Henry Davis | Pittsburgh Pirates: The No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft returned to behind the plate for the Pirates. After being selected as a catcher, Davis played right field during his rookie year in 2023. This season, Davis started for the first month of the season before being optioned to Triple-A. He returned to the MLB for a six-game stint in June and appeared another eight games in late August and early September before being placed on the IL with a hand injury. Davis finished with a slash line of .144/.242, /.212 in 104 at bats. 

Nick Burdi | New York Yankees: After becoming one of two pitchers to have returned from the majors after two Tommy John surgeries plus thoracic outlet surgery, the hard-throwing reliever once again dealt with injuries. Burdi pitched in 12 games, finishing with a 1.86 ERA in 9.2 innings. He last appeared for the Yankees on May 23 and was on the IL for much of the summer with a right hip injury.

Matt Koch | Colorado Rockies: The reliever pitched in two games and recorded a save. 

Josh Rogers | Colorado Rockies: The New Albany native appeared in six games, notching two wins in 11 innings with a 6.55 ERA. 

University of Kentucky

James Paxton | Boston Red Sox: The left-handed starter signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers and provided veteran experience for a rotation beleaguered by injuries in the first few months. After going 8-2 for the Dodgers, Paxton was designated for assignment and traded to the Red Sox in late July. He started three times for Boston before his season ended with a calf injury. Paxton ended the year with a 9-3 record, 4.40 ERA in 100.1 innings. With 11 seasons of MLB experience, Paxton will turn 36 next month and will be a free agent this offseason. 

Taylor Rogers | San Francisco Giants: The left-handed reliever had a 2.40 ERA in 60 innings this year. The former all-star has one more year left on a three-year, $33 million contract. The Giants placed Rogers on waivers in an attempt to shed salary in August, but no team claimed him. Giants manager Bob Melvin primarily used Rogers as a middle reliever, but he did finish 16 games this season. 

Sean Hjelle | San Francisco Giants: After missing most of spring training with an elbow strain, the 6'11" pitcher established himself as a dependable bullpen arm. Hjelle pitched to a 3.90 ERA in 80.2 innings. Hjelle, which is pronounced "jelly," chose the Destiny's Child Song "Bootylicious" as his walk-up song. 

Luke Maile | Cincinnati Reds: The Edgewood, Kentucky native was the backup catcher for the Reds. Maile hit .178 with a 44 OPS+ in 53 games. He hit two home runs and drove in eight runs in 135 at-bats. The Covington Catholic High School graduate will be a free agent this offseason. 

Zach Pop | Toronto Blue Jays: The Canadian pitched in 58 games this year, ending the year with a 5.59 ERA in 48.1 innings. Pop finished 12 games.

Zach Logue | Los Angeles Dodgers: The left-handed reliever appeared in two games, throwing two innings and allowed four runs. 

Zack Thompson | St. Louis Cardinals: The left-handed pitcher had a 9.53 ERA in 17 innings. 

Bellarmine University

Brandon Pfaadt | Arizona Diamondbacks: After some big postseason performances last year, Pfaadt was a staple in the Diamondbacks rotation in 2024. He finished 11-10 with a 4.71 ERA in 181.2 innings. He also had 185 strikeouts. Pfaadt kept the Diamondbacks' postseason hopes alive in his final outing of the year, limiting the Padres to one earned run in 5.1 innings for his 11th win. The Trinity High School graduate pitched to a 3.97 ERA in 113.1 innings through the first half. 

Indiana University

Kyle Schwarber | Philadelphia Phillies: A modern day or Philly special-type leadoff hitter, Schwarber showed off his power once again. The 6', 229 pound designated hitter set a record for leadoff home runs in a single season. Schwarber hit 15 first inning, leadoff homers this year, breaking Alfonso Soriano's previous record of 13 set for the Yankees in 2003. Schwarber ended the year with 38 home runs, 104 RBI and led the NL in walks. Schwarber had a slash line of .248/.366/.485 with a 137 OPS+ as the Phillies won the NL East. In the past three seasons for the Phillies, Schwarber has hit 131 home runs and driven in 302 runs.

Tim Herrin | Cleveland Guardians: The left-hander is part of a dominant bullpen for first-year manager Stephen Vogt. Herrin had a 1.92 ERA in 65.2 innings as the Guardians on the AL Central and finished with the second-best record in the American League. Herrin isn't just a left-handed specialist out of the bullpen. While left-handed hitters had a .143 average, right-handed hitters weren't much better, hitting .194. It's also important to note, particularly for the postseason, Herrin gave up just two home runs in 75 games. 

Tanner Gordon | Colorado Rockies: The starter made his MLB debut this season. Gordon started eight games, finishing with an 8.65 ERA in 34.1 innings. The right-hander is still looking for his first career win.

Scott Effross | New York Yankees: The reliever missed the entire 2023 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. He pitched primarily in the minors, but appeared in three games in September. Effross pitched 3.1 innings, allowing three hits and two runs. 

Andrew Saalfrank | Arizona Diamondbacks: The left-handed reliever pitched in two games. He allowed four runs in one inning. 

Other local connections

Jo Adell | Los Angeles Angels: The Ballard High graduate had his most productive season in the big leagues after being drafted 10th overall in the 2017 MLB Draft. Adell hit 20 home runs, drove in 62 runs and stole 15 bases. He finished with a slash line of .207/.280/.402 and an OPS+ of 91. Adell's season ended in early September with an oblique injury. He played in a career-high 130 games. The 25-year-old right fielder is arbitration eligible in 2025.

Trey Sweeney | Detroit Tigers: The shortstop from St. Xavier made his MLB debut in Aug. 16 as part of a youth movement that surged the Tigers to a postseason birth. Sweeney played in 36 games down the stretch, hitting four home runs and driving in 17 runs. Sweeney finished with a slash line of .218/.269/.373, but will retain his rookie status next year. Defensively, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Sweeney was "rock solid" and steady in the middle of the infield.

Joe Boyle | Oakland Athletics: The hard-throwing right-hander started the season in the Athletics' rotation, but struggled before going on the IL in May. The North Oldham High School graduate pitched in Triple-A and returned to the big leagues in August. He ended the year with an 6.42 ERA in 47.2 innings. Boyle became the first graduate from North Oldham to play in the MLB last year. 

Adell, Sweeney, Smith, Duvall and Pfaadt bring the total to five big leaguers from Louisville this year. As WDRB's Rick Bozich reported earlier this season, the last time there were more local products in the MLB was 2005. That's when St. X had three players, Chris Burke, Matt Anderson and Paul Byrd, along with pitchers Scott Downs from Pleasure Ridge Park, Trever Miller from Trinity and Todd Wellemeyer from Eastern.

Related Stories:

• BOZICH | Trey Sweeney gives Louisville high schools a Fab Five players in MLB
• BOZICH | Don't tell Brandon Pfaadt he's not supposed to start Game 3 of World Series for Arizona
• BOZICH | Dodgers always believed former Card Will Smith was MLB All-Star
• BOZICH | Former Card Bobby Miller rides 99.4 mph heat to 1st victory for Dodgers
• Oakland A's pitcher Joe Boyle becomes first North Oldham graduate to play in MLB
• Duvall, eager to resume hot start in Boston, makes rehab starts in Louisville

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