Diamond Dawg dollars
Earlier this week right here on Cowbell Corner, you might've read about the 11 former Mississippi State baseball players that are on MLB teams' 60-man player pools for the upcoming season. CLICK HERE TO READ THAT IF YOU MISSED IT.
It's a mix of MLB veterans and a couple of former Bulldogs that haven't yet made their big league debuts, but all have pulled in at least six figures since signing on the dotted line to play professional baseball. So just which former MSU star that's on a player pool for this season has made the most in his career? Let's count them down.
Some things to note before we start:
- Nearly all information was gathered from Spotrac.com, an online resource for player financials.
- Money earned playing Minor League Baseball is not included. All totals are the combined amount of that player's original signing bonus along with whatever he has made in his MLB career.
- All totals are through the 2019 season. They do not include what that player is slated to make in 2020.
OK, here we go with the countdown:
11. IF Nate Lowe - Tampa Bay Rays - $305,896
Lowe reeled in a signing bonus of $100,000 after getting drafted back in 2016 and made his MLB debut last year to make up the rest of this total. His real money-making days are just getting started.
10. C Jack Kruger - Los Angeles Angels - $395,000
Kruger is one of only two former MSU players on this list that hasn't yet made an official MLB debut. He has played in some spring training games at the big league level, but that's as close as he's come to this point. So it's little surprise he sits here with only the total of his signing bonus from back in 2016.
9. IF Adam Frazier - Pittsburgh Pirates - $1,852,138
With his .279 career batting average since getting to The Show in 2016 and his ability to play all over the place, Frazier has started to put together one of the better careers of anyone on this list so far. He originally signed with the Pirates for $240,600 back in 2013 and has made over $1.5 million since.
8. OF Brent Rooker - Minnesota Twins - $1,935,300
Like Kruger, Rooker is still awaiting the chance to make his first official MLB appearance. But as a first-round draft choice back in 2017, he got the hefty signing bonus that makes up the entirety of this total.
7. P Dakota Hudson - St. Louis Cardinals - $2,752,480
Hudson just stepped on a big league mound for the first time back in 2018 and is already nearing the $3 million mark in career earnings. Most of that came as soon as he was drafted in the first round back in 2016 as he was given a $2 million signing bonus.
6. P Jonathan Holder - New York Yankees - $3,204,153
The big right-hander that will forever be remembered as the man who used to take the mound at Dudy Noble Field with Johnny Cash blaring has had an up-and-down MLB career so far, but he's still north of the $3 million mark in earnings. About half of that came courtesy of his $1.7 million signing bonus back in 2014.
5. P Chris Stratton - Pittsburgh Pirates - $3,603,686
Stratton has the Pittsburg 'P' on his cap nowadays, but he has the San Francisco Giants to thank for most of the money in his bank account. Before he landed with the Pirates, the Giants paid Stratton more than $3 million, most of it in his $1.85 million signing bonus back in 2012.
4. P Brandon Woodruff - Milwaukee Brewers - $3,728,642
An All-Star last year, Woodruff is a rising star and is on track to rake in a ton of money in his career. He's already closing in on $4 million thanks in a big way to a hefty $2.7 million signing bonus back in 2014.
3. P Kendall Graveman - Seattle Mariners - $4,501,202
Graveman is unique on this list in that his career earnings total is almost entirely made up of what he has actually made since being called up to the big leagues in 2014. One year prior he signed out of MSU with the Toronto Blue Jays for just $5,000. He's done quite well for himself since, despite battling arm injury issues recently.
2. OF Hunter Renfroe - Tampa Bay Rays - $4,614,232
The first-round pick of the San Diego Padres back in 2013 holds the distinction of being the player on this list that received the biggest signing bonus – $3 million. San Diego has since given him every dime of his total earnings noted here, though Tampa Bay will be the one that adds to it after Renfroe was traded to the Rays this past offseason.
1. IF Mitch Moreland - Boston Red Sox - $31,679,800
Being the old guy has its advantages. Moreland has been playing big league ball for a decade now and he has reaped the benefits, making more than $30 million in his lifetime since signing with the Texas Rangers for $60,000 back in 2007. He's a former All-Star and a World Series champion. And given his talent, experience and longevity, he's at the top of this list by a long shot.