Busy Times for Former Mississippi State Bulldog Baseball Players

When a team makes a run to the College World Series championship, one can expect that the team has quality players on its roster and that some will progress through the minor league ranks and a few might even get a show at the show. As the Bulldogs have enjoyed success over the past few season, more and more Bulldogs are working on that progression, and the last few weeks have been especially busy as Chris Stratton, who went pro a year before the run to Omaha, Kendall Graveman, and Jacob Lindgren have all changed homes in their teams' organizations.

Stratton, whom Baseball America ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the San Francisco Giants organization after last year, did not have the most sterling of numbers at Hi-A San Jose with a 7-8 record at 5.03 ERA, but the organization liked enough of what they saw to promote him to the AA Richmond Flying Squirrels for the remainder of the season.

The New York Yankees took two Mississippi State players in the 2014 draft in Lindgren and Jonathan Holder, and Lindgren and his filthy slider have moved on to the AA Trenton Thunder.  In his time in the minors, Lindgren has thrown 30 strikeouts in 13.1 innings pitched, good for a mind-boggling 20.25 strikeouts per nine innings.  He has had a little bit of control issues with four walks and five wild pitches, but the organization must like what they are seeing.

Another Bulldog on the move recently has been Graveman.  The former Mississippi State righty hit the fast track to AAA ball over the last ten days moving from Hi-A Dudein, where he was a teammate of Chad Girardo, to a one-appearance stop at AA New Hampshire to now pitching for the AAA Buffalo Bison.  For the year, Graveman holds an 11-5 record and under a 3.00 ERA with 97 strikeouts.