11/4/2026 4:25:00 PM | Baseball
Gonzaga Baseball alumni had a major impact on the 2026 MLB season, with 10 Zag alumni appearing in a game for a major league team this season.
 Gonzaga tied for the twelfth largest alumni base in the MLB this season. GU had a larger MLB alumni base in 2026 than 49 schools in the Power 4, with Gonzaga having more players in The Show than sixteen Big Ten teams, eleven Big 12 teams, thirteen ACC teams and nine SEC teams.
There are currently 16 Gonzaga Alumni on affiliated professional baseball rosters, with season recaps for all of the current (and future) MLB alums from GU available below. Fans can follow Gonzaga alumni on the #ProZags webpage, which updates with each transaction involving former GU players.
Casey Legumina
Pitcher | Tampa Bay Rays | At GU from 2017-2019
Casey Legumina won the AL pennant with the Rays as a key part of the bullpen after Tampa Bay made a midseason trade to acquire the righthander. Legumina also won an AL East Division title with the Rays putting up a 3.60 ERA for the team across 47 appearances and 60 innings. Â He has struck out 46 batters while walking just 16 opponents. The Zag alum walks only six percent of batters he faces, which is in the 88th percentile of MLB pitchers. His fastball has six more inches of horizontal break than the median MLB fastball.
Troy Johnston
Outfielder | Colorado Rockies | At GU from 2017-2019
Troy Johnston had a breakout season in his first year in Denver after being acquired by the Rockies in the offseason. Johnston hit for a .277 batting average for the second straight season. The former GU outfielder spent the majority of his time in the outfield while mixing in 23 starts at first base while appearing in a total of 128 games this season. The Puyallup product hit for 32 doubles, putting him in the top 20 doubles among all MLB players in 2026.
Brett Harris
First Base/Third Base | Philadelphia Phillies | At GU from 2019-2021
Harris was acquired by the Phillies on Monday after appearing in 21 games for across the Giants, Red Sox and Athletics during the 2026 season. Harris showed his ability to play everywhere in the infield, starting at first base, second base and third base during the season. He had a .274 batting average in the 2025 season and will look to bring that momentum to next season in a new look Phillies defense.
Gabriel Hughes
Pitcher | Colorado Rockies | At GU from 2020-2022
A top prospect for the Rockies since his selection in the 2022 draft with the 10th overall pick in 2022, Hughes made his highly anticipated debut in Denver on July 3rd of this year by picking up a save in his lone relief appearance of the year. Hughes started 13 games for the Rockies this season, striking out 56 batters across 64 innings while walking just 24 hitters.
William Kempner
Pitcher | Miami Marlins | At GU from 2020-2022
Kempner made his MLB debut this season, tossing a scoreless inning to break into the big league on May 5th. Kempner had a solid 2.92 ERA with just a 0.97 WHIP across nine relief appearances for the Marlins this season while emerging as a promising piece of the Miami bullpen.
Marco Gonzales
Pitcher | Free Agent | At GU from 2011-2013
Marco Gonzales made his first appearance in the big leagues after spending two years working back from an arm injury, capping his journey from adversity with a save in his season debut on July 21st for the Texas Rangers. A self described "crafty lefty", he has an arsenal of at least six pitches this season to continue to keep hitters off balance. Gonzales has pitched in 173 games in the MLB in his lengthy career, tossing 933.1 innings while striking out 691 batters. He has been responsible for 10.3 Wins Above Replacement (Fangraphs WAR) across eleven seasons in the majors.
Michael Rucker
Pitcher | Seattle Mariners | At GU in 2013
Rucker appeared in 37 games for the Mariners, working 43.2 innings out of the bullpen while striking out 50 batters. Rucker has appeared in 133 MLB games in his career while posting a 5.12 career ERA.
Wyatt Mills
Pitcher | Free Agent | At GU from 2014-2017
Mills made six appearances for the Dodgers after working his way back to the majors for his first appearance in four years after recovering from Tommy John surgery. He was the focus of a feature about his tenacity amidst his journey back to the big leagues, which can be read here. Mills had a 2.41 ERA with just a .176 batting average against in AAA this season.
Eli Morgan
Pitcher | Free Agent | At GU from 2016-2017
Eli Morgan enters free agency after wrapping up his sixth straight season in the majors. The right hander appeared in 16 games for the Kansas City Royals, working 19.1 innings out of the bullpen. Morgan has logged 292 innings across 184 games in the MLB, amassing over a 3/1 BB to K rate with 282 strikeouts to just 82 walks. Morgan has a 2.21 ERA in AAA across 31 games this season.
Alek Jacob
Pitcher | El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres AAA) | At GU from 2018-2021
Jacob appeared in the majors for the Padres for the fourth straight season with five innings of work. Prior to the MLB season, Jacob pitched for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic, helping the Italians to a historic WBC semifinal appearance. Jacob has drawn attention for his distinctive arm slot and delivery, as he reaches the 98th percentile in arm extension on his release point, causing his primary pitches (a fastball and a changeup) to each have over half a foot of increased horizontal run when compared to the median major league pitch, per MLB Statcast.
Trystan Vrieling
Pitcher | Sacramento River Cats (Giants AAA) | At GU from 2020-2022
Vrieling was promoted to AAA midseason after impressing in his first full season in the Giants system after being acquired by at the 2025 trade deadline. He has thrown for a combined 124 innings across 27 starts between AA and AAA this season, striking out 123 batters while giving up just 76 walks. Vrieling continues to be a workhorse starter as he works up the minor league pyramid, throwing for 353 innings across just three years in affiliated baseball.
Owen Wild
Pitcher | Durham Bulls (Rays AAA) | At GU from 2021-2023
Wild continued his quick ascent of the minor league system for the Rays, getting promoted to AAA in May. He has a career minor league ERA of 3.88 across 288 innings over four season, setting the stage to potentially make a major league debut next year if he continues his upwards trajectory in the Rays' system. Wild is averaging well over a strikeout per inning in the minors, racking up 331 punchouts in that timeframe. The 24 year old also impressed in the World Baseball Classic while appearing on the mound for a strong Team Great Britian.
Brody Jessee
Pitcher | Chattanooga Lookouts (Reds AA) | At GU from 2020-2022
Another midseason promotion, Jessee was promoted to AA for the Reds on the strength of a 135 to 61 strikeout to walk ratio in high A. Jessee has thrown 47 innings across 26 games for the Lookouts while putting up a perfect 4-0 record on the season. He has more than a strikeout an inning with 48 strikeouts in AA last season, with 234 career strikeouts in the minor league system already.
Liam Paddack
Pitcher | Birmingham Barons (White Sox AA) | At GU in 2024
Liam Paddack continued the trend of 2026 promotions for Zag alums, getting moved up to AA in June after spending just half of a season in high A Winston-Salem. He put up a 3.60 ERA with Birmingham, punching out 50 batters in 35 innings. He has just a .210 batting average against in AA, picking up a 4-2 record with three holds across 25 games for the Barons.
Payton Graham
Pitcher | Palm Beach Cardinals (Cardinals AA) | At GU from 2023 to 2025
Payton Graham returned to the mound after recovering from his previous arm injury, blowing away the competition in rookie ball with a 1.86 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 9.2 innings and earning a quick promotion to Palm Beach. He made 15 starts for the Palm Beach Cardinals, throwing 53 strikeouts to 31 walks across 53.2 innings for a Cardinals system that drafted him in the 7th round in the 2025 draft while in the middle of his journey back to the mound.
Justin Feld
Pitcher | ACL White Sox (White Sox Complex League) | At GU from 2024 to 2026
The newest Zag in professional baseball, Feld has followed the typical process for newly signed professional pitchers and has not yet appeared in a game in the White Sox system while recovering from the demand of a long collegiate season. He finished his GU career with 162 strikeouts across 183 innings, allowing just a .262 batting average to opponents and picking up 15 wins. He increased his fastball up to 97 mph in his senior season, giving fans a lot to look forward to when he debuts in the minor leagues next season. Â
