Former Northwestern Baseball Player's Contract Purchased by MLB Team
In 2023, Northwestern Baseball played its annual Wrigley Field game against Notre Dame. It was late in the season, and the 'Cats had a dismal record, so there weren't postseason implications. But sitting up in the press box that day, it felt like there were pride implications. It's Wrigley Field, arguably the sports' most sacred place. Northwestern needed to play well.
And they did. Northwestern beat the Irish that night by a score of 8-7, and the hero was a player named Stephen Hrustich. Hrustich was towards the end of his senior season with the 'Cats, and he walked off the Irish at "The Friendly Confines."
A fielding error may have also had something to do with it, but it was Hrustich's moment, and he deserved it. The slugger hit .325 that season, by far the best mark of his career.
Now, after a season with Michigan as a grad transfer and a stint playing Indy ball, Hrustich's contract was finally purchased by the Detroit Tigers. His former organization in the Frontier League, the Florence Y'alls, announced the news on X.
We’re thrilled to announce that our superstar Outfielder, Stephen Hrustich, has had his contract purchased by the @tigers Organization.
— Florence Y’alls (@florence_yalls) May 23, 2025
Thank you Rusty. #RepDetroit #MotorOn pic.twitter.com/ahKjv3VLE4
Hrustich played 62 games last season in Kentucky for the Y'alls. He finished hitting .289 with 14 home runs and an .883 OPS. He played just eight games with the team this year before the Tigers purchased his contract.
As a high average player, Hrustich has always had good bat-to-ball skills. But he's started to unlock his raw power a little bit more in Indy ball. The Frontier League isn't MLB, but it is considered professional baseball. It can be valuable experience for someone trying to get an MLB shot.
Hrustich will have a long road ahead of him attempting to climb the ranks in the minor leagues. But he has a real chance now to represent Northwestern at the highest level.
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Ryan Cole is a writer for Northwestern Wildcats On SI covering every team on campus. He’s currently a junior at NU where he’s studying journalism and previously wrote and edited for Inside NU. He also studies business with an eye towards eventually helping develop business models to revive local news. In his free time, Cole enjoys watching sports, playing sports, reading the news and singing.