These Washington natives are competing in major league spring training camps in 2020

Making your way to Arizona or Florida to watch some baseball this spring? You might see some familiar faces when you get there.

The News Tribune has compiled a comprehensive list of Washington natives competing in major league camps this spring in both the Cactus League and Grapefruit League.

The list includes players who were born in Washington, players who participated in high school baseball in the state, and known current residents. Of the 30 major league clubs, 22 have at least one player in camp with Washington ties.

Did we miss anyone? Email additions to Mariners beat reporter Lauren Smith at lsmith@thenewstribune.com.

* — denotes non-roster invitee

CACTUS LEAGUE

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

▪ INF Jake Lamb, 29: Born in Seattle, Lamb played at Bishop Blanchet High School, earning the Metro League MVP his senior season, as well as a first-team all-state nod. He was initially drafted by the Pirates out of high school, but opted to play college baseball at Washington. The Diamondbacks selected Lamb in the sixth round in 2012, and he’s stayed with the club since. He’s entering his seventh season in the majors.

▪ OF Travis Snider, 32*: Once a first-round draft pick out of Jackson High School in Mill Creek, Snider is entering his ninth season in the majors. He has bounced around between seven clubs since the Blue Jays took him 14th overall in 2006, pitching in both the American and National leagues. At one point in his professional career, Snider was considered the No. 11 prospect in all of baseball, but he hasn’t pitched in a big-league game since 2015.

▪ C Stephen Vogt, 35: Vogt didn’t grow up in Washington, but he resides in Olympia during the offseason with his wife, Alyssa, and their three children. Following a shoulder surgery that kept him out of the majors for a year, the Northern California native returned to baseball with the Giants last season. The two-time All-Star enters his eighth season in the majors with the Diamondbacks, and has played for five clubs since the Rays drafted him in the 12th round in 2007.

CHICAGO CUBS

▪ LHP Jon Lester, 36: The most famous baseball player Tacoma has ever produced is entering his 15th season in the majors and sixth with the Cubs. The former Bellarmine Prep star, who was a three-time Narrows League MVP in high school, is a three-time World Series champion, five-time All-Star, won the NCLA MVP in 2016, and tossed a no-hitter in just his third season in 2008. Lester pitched eight seasons in the majors for the Red Sox, who drafted him in the second round in 2002 out of high school, and has also played for the A’s.

▪ LHP Tyler Olson, 30*: Born in Spokane, Olson attended University High School before moving on to pitch for Gonzaga. He was initially drafted by the A’s in the 17th round, but returned for his senior year of college, and jumped to the seventh round in 2013, where he was drafted by the Mariners. He’s beginning his sixth season in the majors.

▪ OF Steven Souza Jr., 30: An Everett native, Souza was drafted in the third round out of Cascade High School in 2007. He remained in the Nationals organization for eight seasons, debuting with them, before making stops in Tampa Bay and Arizona. He signed a one-year deal with the Cubs in January and is entering his sixth season in the majors.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX

▪ RHP Ian Hamilton, 24: Hamilton was born in Dover, N.H., but attended high school at Skyview in Vancouver before playing college ball for Washington State. He’s spent the entirety of his professional career with Chicago after being drafted in the 11th round in 2016, and debuted for the White Sox in 2018 before spending last season in Triple-A.

CINCINNATI REDS

▪ OF Stuart Fairchild, 23*: The Seattle native was the No. 15 prospect in the Reds organization last season, and has advanced as high as Double-A since he was drafted in the second round by Cincinnati in 2017. Fairchild was initially drafted by the Nationals out of Seattle Prep in 2014, but opted to play college ball at Wake Forest.

CLEVELAND INDIANS

▪ RHP Adam Cimber, 29: Cimber made his way to the big leagues as a reliever after learning to throw side-armed when he was growing up in Puyallup. Cimber was The News Tribune’s All-Area player of the year his junior season with the Vikings, and a 4A SPSL MVP and all-state player during high school. He played college baseball at Washington and San Francisco before he was drafted in the ninth round by the Padres in 2013. He debuted with them in 2018, but was eventually traded to the Indians that same year. He is entering his third season in the majors.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS

▪ RHP Drew Rasmussen, 24*: Rasmussen was born in Puyallup, but played high school baseball across the state at Mount Spokane. He was drafted by the Diamondbacks out of high school, but passed them up to play college ball at Oregon State. Following his junior season there, he was drafted in the first round by the Rays, but passed them up to stay with the Beavers, who went on to win the College World Series, though he did not pitch after undergoing Tommy John surgery for a second time. Rasmussen was drafted again in 2018, this time in the sixth round by the Brewers, and signed. He was the No. 12 prospect in Milwaukee’s organization last season, and has pitched as high as Double-A.

▪ RHP Eric Yardley, 29: The Richland native played his high school baseball there before moving on to Seattle University. He went undrafted out of college in 2013, but signed a minor league contract with the Padres as a reliever that summer, and worked his way through San Diego’s ranks. He made his MLB debut last August, and appeared in 10 games before he was released in November, and claimed by the Brewers a week later.

SAN DIEGO PADRES

▪ RHP Zach Davies, 27: Davies was born in Puyallup, but played prep baseball at Mesquite High School in Gilbert, Ariz. He was drafted by the Orioles in the 26th round out of high school in 2011, debuted with the Brewers in 2015, and was traded to the Padres last November. He is entering his sixth season in the majors.

SEATTLE MARINERS

▪ INF Jordan Cowan, 24*: Cowan was born in Covington, played at Kentlake High School, and was drafted by the hometown Mariners in the 37th round in 2013. He has worked his way through Seattle’s minor league ranks since, pitching as high as Double-A.

▪ RHP Wyatt Mills, 25*: A Spokane native, Mills attended Gonzaga Prep before going on to play college ball at Gonzaga. He was initially drafted in the 17th round by the Rays out of high school, but passed them up to play for the Bulldogs, and jumped up to a third-round pick by his home-state team in 2017. He was Seattle’s No. 20 prospect last season, pitching mostly at the Double-A level.

▪ RHP Taylor Williams, 28: Williams is a new addition to Mariners camp after being claimed from Milwaukee on Friday. He is a Vancouver native, and attended Camas High School before playing college baseball at Kent State in Ohio. He was drafted by the Brewers in the fourth round in 2013, and debuted four years later. He is entering his fourth season in the majors.

TEXAS RANGERS

▪ RHP Arturo Reyes, 27*: The Warden High School product played college baseball at Gonzaga before he was drafted in the 40th round by the Cardinals in 2013. He’s bounced around the minors since, and reached Triple-A with the Rays organization last season before electing free agency in November. He joined the Rangers the following month on a minor league contract.

GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUE

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

▪ RHP Michael Rucker, 25: Rucker was born in Columbus, Miss., but played prep baseball at Auburn Riverside High School and college ball at Gonzaga and BYU. He was drafted by the Cubs in the 11th round in 2016, and pitched as high as Triple-A last season with Chicago’s organization before he was claimed by the Orioles in December.

BOSTON RED SOX

▪ INF Bobby Dalbec, 24: The third-ranked prospect in Boston’s organization last season, Dalbec was born in Seattle, but attended Legend High School in Parker, Colo. He moved on to play college baseball at Arizona, and listed the Mariners and Seahawks among his favorite sports teams. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Red Sox in 2016. He’s played as high as Triple-A.

DETROIT TIGERS

▪ LHP Matthew Boyd, 29: The Mercer Island native played high school baseball at Eastside Catholic before moving on to Oregon State. He was drafted twice out of college — in the 13th round by the Reds in 2012, and the sixth round by the Blue Jays the following year, ultimately signing with Toronto. Boyd debuted with the Blue Jays in 2015, but was traded to Detroit as part of a deal for David Price later that season. He is entering his sixth season in the majors.

HOUSTON ASTROS

▪ OF Michael Brantley, 32: Brantley was born in Bellevue during the period when his father, Mickey, was playing for the Mariners. He grew up in Florida, where he played at Fort Pierce Central High School. He was drafted in the seventh round by the Brewers in 2005 out of high school, and is entering his 12th season in the majors. He is a four-time All-Star, including each of the past three seasons, and has won a Silver Slugger award.

▪ INF Taylor Jones, 26: The Kent native, who attended Kentwood High School, has played as high as Triple-A. He was drafted twice out of Gonzaga — in the 35th round in 2015 by the Cubs, and the 19th round the following year by the Astros, who he signed with. He is the older brother of Kentwood and Washington product Jordan Jones, who is in the Indians’ minor league system.

MIAMI MARLINS

▪ RHP Jeff Brigham, 28: A Federal Way native, Brigham played at Thomas Jefferson High School before attending Washington. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Dodgers out of UW in 2014. He was traded to the Marlins the following year and has been listed as high as Miami’s No. 17 prospect. He debuted with the Marlins in 2018, and has played 36 games in the majors since. He is entering his third season in the big leagues.

▪ LHP Adam Conley, 29: Conley was born in Redmond, but played prep baseball for Olympia High School. He was drafted in the 32nd round out of high school in 2008 by the Twins, but passed up the offer to play college baseball at Washington State. The Marlins again took him in the second round out of WSU in 2011, and he signed. He debuted for Miami in 2015, and is entering his sixth season in the majors.

MINNESOTA TWINS

▪ LHP Blaine Hardy, 32*: Born in Seattle, Hardy eventually attended Edmonds-Woodway High School and moved on to play college ball at Lewis-Clark State in Idaho. He was drafted in the 22nd round by the Royals out of college in 2008, but eventually signed with Detroit on a minor league deal in 2013. He debuted for the Tigers the following season, and is entering his seventh season in the majors.

▪ RHP Trevor May, 30: The Longview native and Kelso High School product was named the Class 3A state player of the year as a senior by the state’s baseball coaches association. He was drafted out of high school by the Phillies in the fourth round in 2008, but was traded to the Twins four years later. He made his MLB debut with Minnesota in 2014, and is entering his sixth season in the majors after missing 2017 with an elbow injury.

NEW YORK METS

▪ OF Michael Conforto, 26: Born in Seattle, Conforto attended Redmond High School, where he played baseball and football. He was recruited by Division I schools to play both sports, ultimately choosing to pursue baseball at Oregon State. He was twice named Pac-12 player of the year there, and was a college All-American. Conforto was drafted in the first round (10th overall) by the Mets in 2014, and has spent the entirety of his career in New York’s organization. He made his MLB debut a year after he was drafted, and is entering his sixth season in the majors. He was an All-Star in 2017.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

▪ RHP Robert Stock, 30: Stock was born in Bellevue, but grew up in Southern California, and attended USC. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the second round in 2009, but ultimately made his debut for the Padres in 2018. He is entering his third season in the majors after being claimed off waivers by Philadelphia in October.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

▪ RHP Keone Kela, 26: An eventual Chief Sealth High School product, Kela was born in Los Angeles. He was initially drafted by the Mariners in 2011 out of high school, but opted to attend Everett Community College. He was taken the next year by the Rangers in the 12th round, ultimately debuting for Texas in 2015. He was traded to Pittsburgh in 2018 and is entering his sixth season in the majors.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

▪ INF Max Schrock, 25*: Schrock was born in Tacoma but attended Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, N.C., and later played college baseball at South Carolina. He was initially drafted out of high school by the Diamondbacks in the 28th round, but passed up the offer, and jumped to the 13th round in 2015, where he was taken by the Nationals. He’s played as high as Triple-A.

TAMPA BAY RAYS

▪ RHP Andrew Kittredge, 29: The Spokane native was drafted by the Mariners in the 45th round in 2008 out of Ferris High School, but opted to play college ball at Washington. He ultimately signed with Seattle three years later, and stayed with the organization until he was traded to the Rays in 2016. He never played for Seattle’s big league club, making his debut with Tampa Bay in 2017. Kittredge is entering his fourth season in the majors.

▪ LHP Blake Snell, 27: The AL Cy Young winner in 2018 — the year he won an ERA title posting a stunning 1.89, and had a major league-best 21 wins — Snell was born in Seattle and played prep baseball at Shorewood High School. The Rays snatched him up in the first round in 2011, and he’s spent his entire career in the organization. Snell is entering his fifth season in the majors.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

▪ C Reese McGuire, 24: McGuire was born in Seattle and attended Kentwood High School, from which he became a first-round pick (14th overall) by the Pirates in 2013. He was dealt to the Blue Jays at the trade deadline in 2016, and was listed as the club’s No. 4 prospect that year. He has played 137 games in the majors since his debut with Toronto in 2018. He was arrested near the Blue Jays spring training complex earlier this month.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

▪ RHP Austin Voth, 27: Voth was born in Redmond, attended Kentwood High School and played college ball at Washington. He was drafted in the fifth round by the Nationals in 2013 out of UW, and has spent the entirety of his career with Washington’s organization. He debuted in 2018, and has played in nine games in his major league career during the past two years. He’s entering his third season in the majors.

This story was originally published February 22, 2020 at 6:00 PM.

Lauren Smith

The News Tribune

360-754-5473

Lauren Smith is a sports reporter at The News Tribune. She has covered high school sports for TNT and The Olympian, as well as the Seattle Mariners and Washington Huskies. She is a graduate of UW and Emerald Ridge High School.