The new Major League Baseball season is just a few weeks old, but there’s already been plenty of action involving former Long Beach ballplayers.
There was an MLB debut for former Long Beach State righthander Nick Avila, who was called up by the San Francisco Giants and made his debut on Apr. 1 at Dodger Stadium. Avila pitched two innings out of the bullpen and recorded his first big league strikeout against none other than Shohei Ohtani.
“It was definitely great, he’s probably the best hitter in baseball,” said Avila after the game, speaking to a gaggle of media members. “Pretty cool to have that as my first strikeout. It definitely was a hard AB, so I tip my cap to him.”
Avila remained in the big leagues and tossed two scoreless innings at home against the San Diego Padres on Apr. 6. The Modesto, Calif. native played just one injury-plagued season with the Dirtbags back in 2019, making eight starts and posting a 3.99 ERA in 56.1 IP.
Lakewood alum Travis d’Arnaud had a special moment in his career last week, delivering a walk-off single for the Atlanta Braves in their home opener, helping them defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 6-5.
“It was a huge moment,” d’Arnaud told SB Nation after the game. “No place any one of us would rather be. We’re all grateful and thankful our fans show up like this.”
Millikan grad Spencer Steer has been one of the best hitters in baseball over the first two weeks of the season, getting off to a great start in his second full season with the Cincinnati Reds. Through his first 10 games, Steer was hitting ..382 with an absurd 1.240 OPS, clubbing three home runs with 12 RBIs and a pair of steals.
The 26-year-old has primarily played left field, but also made an appearance at second base for the Reds. He’s ranked in the Top 10 in MLB in essentially all hitting categories as he looks to make the leap from productive big leaguer to bona fide star this season. Steer was named the National League Player of the Week on Monday, the first time he’s received that honor in his brief career.
Outfielder Jarren Duran is off to a terrific start with the Boston Red Sox, where he’s established himself as the everyday leadoff man. The former Dirtbag had a stellar West Coast swing against the Oakland A’s and Los Angeles Angels, collecting a hit in all six games to start April, with a .481 average (13-for-27), five runs, five RBIs and four stolen bases in those games. The SoCal native also smacked his first homer of the year at Angel Stadium to help lead the Sox to a win on April 5.
Long Beach native Justin Turner is off to a nice start with his new team, posting a .400 on-base percentage and a .936 OPS through his first 10 games with the Toronto Blue Jays. In fact, the 39 year old has been the team’s best hitter so far this season, ranking first in runs, average, and slugging percentage in the early part of the year.
