The abbreviated 2020 Major League Baseball regular season has come to an end, and with that, we take a look at how former Indiana University baseball players produced at the highest level of the game.
It was a special season, with three former Hoosiers making their MLB debuts and others producing noteworthy seasons as a record total of seven former Hoosiers saw big league action.
Below we examine the seven former IU stars that registered statistics at the MLB level during 2020.
FORMER HOOSIERS COMPILING MLB STATS IN 2020
Caleb Baragar
Position: Pitcher
Team: San Francisco Giants
Games: 24
Starts: 1
W/L: 5-1
IP: 22.1
ERA: 4.03
SO: 19
BB: 5
Saves: 0
It came as a surprise to many that Baragar made the Giants’ opening day roster, but the left-hander showed he belonged, making 24 appearances mostly out of the bullpen in his debut MLB season.
Baragar led the Giants with 5 wins and he had the highest won/loss percentage on the team among pitchers with more than one decision.
Alex Dickerson
Positions: Outfield
Team: San Francisco Giants
AB – 151
R – 28
H – 45
BA – .298
HR – 10
RBI – 27
SB – 0
OBP – .371
SLG – .576
Dickerson had a season worthy of consideration for NL All-Star status.
Consider his numbers extrapolated out to a full 162 games season: .298 average, 31 home runs, 84 runs batted in.
Fully healthy for the first season in a long time, Dickerson got stronger down the stretch. He hit .400 with nine doubles, six homers and 13 RBI in September.
Kyle Hart
Position: Pitcher
Team: Boston Red Sox
Games: 4
Starts: 3
W/L: 0-1
IP: 11.0
ERA: 15.55
SO: 13
BB: 10
Hart made his MLB debut in 2020, seeing 3 starts and 4 appearances. The lefty had a few choppy outings with the Red Sox and ultimately landed on the club’s 60-day injured list.
Josh Phegley
Position: Catcher
Team: Chicago Cubs
AB – 16
R – 4
H – 1
BA – .063
HR – 1
RBI – 2
SB – 0
OBP – .167
SLG – .250
Phegley teamed up with former IU slugger Kyle Schwarber in 2020. After a strong 2019 campaign in Oakland, 2020 was a bit of a disappointment for the 32 year old Phegley. He will be a free agent in 2021. His prowess throwing out baserunners and production against left-handed pitching should help him find a home.
Phegley is on the roster for Cubs’ opening playoff series against the Marlins.
Kyle Schwarber
Position: Outfielder
Team: Chicago Cubs
AB – 191
R – 30
H – 36
BA – .188
HR – 11
RBI – 24
SB – 1
OBP – .308
SLG – .393
Schwarber struggled at the plate in 2020 but still showed a propensity to hit the long ball. His 11 home runs translates to 30 over the course of a full, 162 game season.
Schwarber’s 121 career home runs are the second most ever by a former IU player, trailing Ted Kluszewski who had 279.
The NL Central champion Cubs will face the Marlins to open the MLB playoffs.
Aaron Slegers
Positions: Pitcher
Team: Tampa Bay Rays
Games: 11
Starts: 1
W/L: 0-0
IP: 26.0
ERA: 3.46
SO: 19
BB: 5
Saves: 2
After getting roughed up to open the season, Slegers found a groove, allowing just 5 earned runs over his final 24 innings of work. He had only pitched 32 innings at the MLB level during the last three years.
Slegers likely helped to solidify his future at the MLB level, as he played a key role in Tampa winning the American League East Division crown and the No. 1 seed in the AL.
Jonathan Stiever
Position: Pitcher
Team: Chicago White Sox
Games: 2
Starts: 2
W/L: 0-1
IP: 6.1
ERA: 9.95
SO: 3
BB: 4
Stiever was a surprise midseason call-up by the White Sox. He made his MLB debut on Sept. 13 and made two starts on the season. Prior to his starts with the White Sox, Stiever had never made an appearance above the single-A minor league level.
The White Sox reached the MLB playoffs in the American League as the No. 7 seed. Stiever is not on the playoff roster.
You can follow us on Twitter: @daily_hoosier
Find us on Facebook: thedailyhoosier
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no additional cost to you.
