MLB opening day roster showcases five Bruin alums

The 2016 Major League Baseball season officially opened this week, with five Bruins featured on active rosters across the league. As this year’s baseball season heats up, take a look at the UCLA alumni contributing at the next level.

Trevor Bauer

Bauer played three seasons at UCLA from 2009 to 2011 before declaring for the 2011 MLB Draft. During his collegiate career, Bauer became the first Bruin to win a Golden Spikes Award, which recognizes the nation’s top amateur baseball player. Bauer came to UCLA from Hart High School in Santa Clarita, where he was a member of the 2008 Los Angeles Times High School All-Star Team. Bauer was selected third overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2011 – just the fourth Bruin to ever be selected in the top four of the draft. Bauer is currently a pitcher with the Cleveland Indians – his fourth season with the club.

Trevor Brown

Brown was teammates with Bauer at Hart High School before joining him at UCLA in 2010. The catcher worked his way up the roster over his college career, eventually starting all 64 games as a junior in 2012. Brown entered the 2012 MLB Draft, where he was selected in the 10th round by the San Francisco Giants. While Brown has remained with the program since his draft date, 2016 marks the catcher’s first full season with the Giants after making his major league debut last September and appearing in 13 games.

Gerrit Cole

Cole made school history in 2011 by becoming the first UCLA player to ever be selected first overall in the MLB Draft when he was selected No. 1 by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The pitcher played for the Bruins from 2009 to 2011, ranking second in the school record book with 376 career strikeouts, third with 49 career starts and fifth in career innings pitched. Over the course of his college career, Cole was ranked as the No. 1 prospect on the U.S. National Team by Baseball America two years in a row. Following a three-year varsity high school career, Cole was initially drafted 28th overall by the New York Yankees, marking the first time a high school player drafted in the first round chose to continue his career at UCLA. This year is Cole’s fourth season playing for the Pirates after finishing fourth for last season’s National League Cy Young Award.

Brandon Crawford

Crawford is a two-time World Series champion with the San Francisco Giants as he prepares to enter his sixth professional season with the Bay Area program. The shortstop played for UCLA from 2006 to 2008, starting all 179 games of his collegiate career. Crawford got used to winning big on a national stage during his time as a Bruin, when he helped lead the team to three consecutive College World Series. His 13 career triples at UCLA tied for second place on the career triples list. Crawford was awarded the 2015 Rawlings National League Golden Glove after posting career highs in hitting average, home runs and RBIs.

Chase Utley

The Long Beach native logged three seasons with UCLA, playing from 1998 to 2000. After ranking second in hitting for the Bruins during his final season and making it to the NCAA Super Regional before losing to eventual NCAA champion LSU, Utley was drafted in the first round by the Philadelphia Phillies. The second baseman played for the Phillies from that point until 2015, when he was traded midseason to the Los Angeles Dodgers. As a player in Philadelphia, Utley won two National League championships and one World Series title. Utley is currently the longest active Bruin in the MLB, with 13 MLB seasons under his belt.