Five Former Cards Make 2023 Opening Day Rosters

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Major League Baseball has officially returned. Another long offseason is now in the books, and Opening Day for the 2023 season is finally here.

With play scheduled to begin today, five former University of Louisville baseball players have made active rosters across the league for Opening Day: catcher Will Smith, outfielders Adam Duvall and Adam Engel, right-handed pitcher Chad Green and left-handed pitcher Reid Detmers.

In his second year as the Los Angeles Dodgers' primary catcher, Smith was one of the most impactful players on a talent-laden team. Batting .260 over 137 games for the 2022 season, his 24 home runs was second on the Dodgers only to Mookie Betts, and his 87 RBIs was good for third behind Freddie Freeman and Trea Turner. Over the offseason, L.A. was able to avoid arbitration with Smith, agreeing to a $5.25 million deal for 2023.

Duvall is one of several former Cardinals to have a new home for the 2023 season, as he signed one-year, $3 million deal with the Boston Red Sox over the offseason. Last season with the Atlanta Braves, he had a relatively down year at the plate, batting only .213 with 12 home runs and 36 RBI in 86 games. He was only able to play roughly two-thirds of the season due after suffering a season-ending left wrist injury last July.

After spending the first six years of his professional career with the Chicago White Sox, Engel also has a new team for 2023, inking a one-year deal with the San Diego Padres after the ChiSox elected to non-tender him. In his final season on the South Side, he bat .224 with two homes and 17 RBI in 119 games.

Green is another player who moved on after spending his entire career with one team, signing a two-year, $8.5 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays following seven seasons with the New York Yankees. Green got off to a solid start in 2022, putting up a 3.00 ERA and tossing 16 strikeouts over 15.0 innings and 14 appearances before having to undergo Tommy John surgery last May. He is expected to return in the second half of the 2023 season.

Detmers burst onto the scene last season, and is now a cornerstone of the Angels' pitching rotation. In his first full-time season at the major league level, he posted a 3.77 ERA over 25 starts while striking out 122 batters - the third-most on the Angels behind Shohei Ohtani and Patrick Sandoval. He also tossed a no-hitter on May 11 against the Rays to become the 25th rookie in MLB history to toss a no-no.

(Photo of Reid Detmers: Gary A. Vasquez - USA TODAY Sports)

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