Hogs in the Bigs

Baseball is finally back, and it’s good to see some familiar faces. The KBO only gets you so far. Here’s some updates on the seven former Razorbacks currently on an active roster in the Major Leagues.

Brian Anderson (Miami Marlins) – .300 BA, 1 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI

Anderson has gotten a hit in each of the Marlins’ first three games, capped off by a three-run shot on Sunday against the Phillies.

Jalen Beeks (Tampa Bay Rays) – 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 K

Beeks came into the Rays’ opener in the seventh inning, with Tampa trailing Toronto by three runs. His five strikeouts and minimal baserunners in two innings couldn’t get the win, but he showed he has value in a middle relief role.

Andrew Benintendi (Boston Red Sox) – .000 BA, 1 R, 1 RBI

Benny’s off to a slow start in 2020, going 0/9 through the first weekend. He did draw a bases-loaded walk and scored in the Red Sox’s win Friday over the Orioles.

Dallas Keuchel (Chicago White Sox) – 1-0, 3.38 ERA, 1 K

Keuchel’s opening day as a White Sock was a success. Keuchel was sharp early, keeping the Twins scoreless through the fifth inning, but a pair of singles in the sixth sent the big guy to the showers.

James McCann (Chicago White Sox) – .750 BA, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI

McCann made the most of his only start of the weekend, going 3/4 with a home run and giving his old/new teammate Keuchel some insurance. Give me all the Keuchel/McCann team-ups this year, please.

Drew Smyly (San Francisco Giants) – 0-0, 2.08 ERA, 4 K

After pitching a scoreless inning in relief on Opening Day, Smyly was given the nod to start on Sunday against the Dodgers. He only made it into the fourth inning, but he was serviceable, allowing one run on four singles and a walk.

Ryne Stanek (Miami Marlins) – 0-0, 27.00 ERA, 1 K

Stanek struggled on Saturday, giving up a three-run homer to the Phillies’ J.T. Realmuto in one inning of work. The deep shot put the Phils’ lead way out of reach of the Fish.

You can see it’s been a mixed bag for our Hogs. It is early days yet, and during this mini-season, all kinds of weird things are gonna show up in the stats and standings. Maybe non-contenders like the Marlins and White Sox can hang around just long enough to make a run. Here’s to things getting weird!

Thanks for reading. Go ahead and follow @ArkansasFight on Twitter. For Hog reactions and puns from the guy who wanted to call this feature “Pigs in the Bigs”, follow @lukecdavis.