Checking in on MLB Players Born in North Dakota
This week Spring Training began in Major League Baseball so it's a good time to check in on North Dakota born players.
Currently, there are just two active players in the MLB that were born in North Dakota. Those players are Kansas City Royals pitcher Matt Strahm and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Seth Rosin.
Let's start with Strahm. Strahm is considered the Royals No. 3 prospect and made his major league debut in July of 2016. The Royals plan for Strahm was to be a starting pitcher and the organization maintains that the starting rotation is the future for the West Fargo High School graduate.
However, Strahm made only relief appearances in 2016 and with new additions to the Royals roster in the off-season, the immediate plan for Strahm is to leave him in the bullpen.
Strahm was fantastic in his MLB debut. He struck out 30 batters in 22 innings pitched and had an ERA of 1.23. He walked 11 batters in the 22 innings and allowed just 13 hits.
There is no guarantee that Strahm will be on the Royals Opening Day roster. The back end of their bullpen has Joakim Soria as the set up man and Kelvin Hererra as the closer. Strahm could fill the role as a 7th inning man or because he is used to starting, he could fill the role as a long relief man if a starter gets into trouble early in the game.
The Royals likely do not want Strahm throwing too many pitches out of the bullpen though because they want to preserve his future. He would be best suited as just a 7th inning man (or an 8th inning guy if Soria needs a rest) or they can keep him in the minors to allow him to further develop as a starter.
Strahm was born in Nov. of 1991 in West Fargo and graduated from West Fargo High School.
Seth Rosin finds himself in a bit of a different situation. It should be noted that even though he was born in Fargo, he went to Mounds View High School in Minnesota.
Rosin has only pitched 6 innings in the Big Leagues and he made his debut with the Texas Rangers in 2014. Rosin is currently a member of the Phillies.
It's not clear what Rosin's role will be with the Phillies this year. But Rosin has allowed eight earned runs in his six career innings while allowing 13 hits so he has not blown anyone away in the early part of his career. Rosin has not played in a Major League game since 2015.