Prior to last year, the Long Beach State Dirtbags had a representative in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game for 10 consecutive seasons. After missing out last season as a rookie, former Dirtbag Jeff McNeil has started a new streak by being selected to play in the All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 9, at Progressive […]
LB In MLB
PODCAST: Chris Betts, JP Crawford & New Dirtbags Coach
Happy summer and welcome to our All Baseball episode full of the latest news from local boys in the pros and interviews from the Dirtbags press conference last week. 03:40 Chris “Bat Flip” Betts Wins Home Run Derby, Plus Other “LB In MLB” News 18:00 Meet The New Dirtbags Coach (Interviews With Eric Valenzuela, Andy […]
LB In MLB: Four Local Players Drafted
The 2019 Major League Baseball First-Year Draft this week provided the Long Beach State and Millikan High baseball programs an opportunity to make some history. The Dirtbags had at least one player selected for a 19th consecutive year, and the Rams had a former player drafted who will sign for the first time in 10 […]
LB In MLB: Wilson High’s Chris Betts Playing By The Books
Chris Betts hasn’t made his Major League Baseball debut yet, but the 22-year old Wilson High alum grabbed some headlines earlier this month with a fantastic display of fundamentals. Betts is the everyday catcher for the Bowling Green Hot Rods, the Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, and is having a solid season after […]
LB In MLB: Lakewood Lancers Making Headlines
A trio of former Lakewood Lancers made some interesting headlines during a busy week for local products in Major League Baseball. Matt Duffy and Travis d’Arnaud were both involved in a move by the Tampa Bay Rays last Friday. Five days after d’Arnaud was picked up by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Rays acquired the […]
LB In MLB: Opening Day Scouting Report
Last season was one of the busiest ever for Long Beach baseball players in the MLB, and this season already has a wide range of news and notes from the local boys in The Show. Troy Tulowitzki ended his first spring training with the New York Yankees on a high note earlier this week. The […]
LB In MLB: Spring Training Update
Spring training is in full swing for the 15 Major League Baseball players with ties to Long Beach, but the biggest piece of recent news from the local boys came from the front office of the New York Yankees. Wilson High alum Aaron Hicks signed his all-important second contract with the Yankees earlier this month. […]
Feature: Wilson Alum Joel Bitonio Becomes Father, Pro Bowler
You could live a whole lifetime and not experience the kind of emotional whirlwind that Wilson alum Joel Bitonio was living in last week. On Saturday, the Cleveland Browns offensive lineman learned he’d been named to the Associated Press All-Pro team, one of the highest honors available for an NFL player. Two days later, on […]
LB In MLB: Troy Tulowitzki Signed By New York Yankees
Former Long Beach State Dirtbag Troy Tulowitzki has been working out at Blair Field recently while trying to garner attention from Major League Baseball clubs looking for a veteran shortstop with something left in the tank. It worked. This week, the New York Yankees inked Tulowitzki to a one-year contract after he was released by […]
LB In MLB: Chase De Jong Making Mark In Minnesota
The Minnesota Twins have invested in another former Wilson Bruin in Chase De Jong after a midseason trade with the Seattle Mariners, and De Jong delivered the best month two-month stretch of his professional career. “I kind of figured a trade was coming because (the Mariners) didn’t see me as a fit anymore,” De Jong […]