MLB Hoosiers: Four Former Indiana Players on Opening Day Rosters

Former Hoosiers Alex Dickerson and Caleb Baragar are back with the San Francisco Giants this season, and Aaron Slegers (Los Angeles Angels) and Kyle Schwarber (Washington Nationals) have new MLB homes.

Author:
Tom Brew
Apr 2, 2021 12:12 PM EDT

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Major League Baseball season started on Monday, and there's plenty of Indiana presence throughout the league.

There are four former Hoosiers on Opening Day rosters, and three of them saw action on Opening Day.

Here's where the Hoosiers are this season:

Hoosiers in the Pros, 2021 season

KYLE SCHWARBER, Washington Nationals: Schwarber is in his first year with the Nationals after spending the first six years of his major-league career with the Chicago Cubs. Schwarber hit .230 with the Cubs since making his debut in late 2015, hitting 121 home runs and driving in 279 runs during his career, which included a World Series title in 2016. He was not re-signed by the Cubs, and signed a one-year contract with the Nationals in the offseason, worth $7 million this season with a guaranteed $3 million buyout on a mutual option for 2022. Schwarber is projected to play left field for the Nats. Schwarber played at Indiana from 2012 to 2014, and helped lead the Hoosiers to the College World Series in 2013.
AARON SLEGERS, Los Angeles Angels: Slegers is in his first year with the Angels after spending last season with the Tampa Bay Rays, who made a great playoff all the way to the World Series, where they lost to the Dodgers. Slegers, a 6-foot-10 right-hander, was traded from Tampa Bay to Los Angeles in February. Slegers pitched for Indiana from 2011 to 2013.
ALEX DICKERSON, San Francisco Giants: Outfielder Alex Dickerson is back for another season with the Giants as their starting left fielder. Dickerson, 31, signed a one-year, $2.1 million deal in the offseason. Dickerson has played six seasons in the bigs, the first three in San Diego in 2015, 2016 and 2019, but then was traded to the Giants in 2019, where he's been ever since. Dickerson played at Indiana in 2010 and 2011.
CALEB BARAGAR: San Francisco Giants: Left-handed reliever Caleb Baragar is in his second season with the Giants after making a nice rookie debut in last year's shortened season. He made 34 appearances and finished the season with a 5-1 record, allowing only 17 hits in 22 1/3 innings. He's wearing a new number this year, switching from 73 to 45. He pitched at Indiana 2015 and 2016.

Monday's results

MARINERS 8, GIANTS 7: Giants outfielder Alex Dickerson hit a pinch-hit home run to lead off the ninth inning to tie the game, but the Giants lost in 10 innings. Giants reliever Caleb Baragar faced two batters in the seventh, walking outfielder Jake Fraley but then striking out catcher Tom Murphy to end the inning.
ANGELS 4, WHITE SOX 3: Right-hander Aaron Slegers pitched a scoreless seventh inning for the Angels, allowing just one hit and recording a strikeout. The Angels scored twice in the next inning to win.
NATIONALS-METS POSTPONED: The debut of Kyle Schwarber with the Nationals didn't come off after three Nationals players tested positive for COVID-19 and the game was postponed. The remainder of their weekend series is up in the air now, too.