Major League Baseball’s much delayed 2020 season is finally underway and with it is Alpine’s own Alex Vesia.
After MLB owners and the MLB Players Association finally struck a deal for a shortened 60-game season, play officially resumed after spring training camps had been cancelled in mid-March due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.
The abbreviated season got its restart on July 1 with a return to training camps, rebranded by the league as “summer camp,” with the first games commencing on July 23.
Vesia, a 2014 of Steele Canyon High School, made his MLB debut on July 25 as a member of the Miami Marlins. He picked up the loss by allowing one hit with two earned runs in two-thirds of an inning of work.
But his career remains ahead of him despite the disappointing start in his rookie MLB season.
Vesia posted an 8-5 record with a 1.79 earned-run average with 67 strikeouts in 70.1 innings his senior year at Steele Canyon. He went on to play three seasons at Cal State East Bay before being selected in the 17th round of the 2018 MLB draft by the Marlins.
Vesia attracted attention from the get-go by earning CCAA Freshman of the Year and Cal State East Bay Freshman of the Year honors. In 12 starts, he recorded a team-leading 2.18 ERA in 74.1 innings while ranking second on the team with 39 strikeouts.
He made 15 starts as a sophomore in 2016 with a 3.00 ERA and team-leading 7-5 record. He led the Pioneers with 64 strikeouts in 65.1 innings as a junior in 14 game appearances (nine starts).
Vesia recorded an 11-2 record with a 1.62 ERA and 138 strikeouts in 100 innings with six teams over a two-year stretch in the minor leagues before joining the Marlins this season.
Towering over some opponents on the field at six feet, one inches tall and 209 pounds, Vesia obviously exceeded expectations to make the Marlins’ 2020 Opening Day roster. He currently ranks 21st among Marlins’ prospects and expects to be part of the Miami bullpen for years to come, according to the team’s scouting report.
The Marlins were tied for the National League East Division lead with a 9-6 record through their opening 15 games of the 2020 season.
Eastern exposure
A total of six East County high school alumni made MLB opening day rosters this season. Valhalla High School grad Greg Garcia is in his second year with the hometown San Diego Padres while Grossmont High School alum Joe Musgrove is playing his third season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and fifth MLB season overall.
In fact, Musgrove is one of two ex-Foothillers on the Pirates roster, joining Steven Brault, while West Hills grad Stephen Stasburg, the No. 1 pick in the 2009 MLB draft, is entering this 11th season with the Washington Nationals.
Musgrove was originally drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011 but later traded to the Houston Astros. He helped the Astros win the 2017 World Series before being traded to Pittsburgh in 2018.
Strasburg was the MVP of the 2019 World Series for the world champion Nationals.
Garcia, who began his professional career in the St. Louis Cardinals organization in 2014 before being claimed on waivers by the Padres in 2018, appeared in a career best 134 games last season for the Friars with a .248 hitting average, four home runs and 31 RBI.
He is hitting .310 with seven RBI in 14 games this season for the Padres (11-12).
Additionally, former El Capitan pitcher Kevin Ginkel opened the season on the Arizona Diamondbacks roster.
Ginkel, who hit .583 and notched a 1.07 ERA with 113 strikeouts in 31 varsity games with the Vaqueros from 2011- 12, played collegiate baseball at Southwestern College and the University of Arizona. He was drafted by both the Giants (16th round in 2014) and Boston Red Sox (26th round in 2015) but elected not to sign with either team.
He played for six minor league teams before the Diamondbacks picked up his contract last year. He finished the 2019 season with a 3-0 record and 1.48 ERA in 24.2 innings.
Ginkel appeared in 35 games for Southwestern College from 2014-15 while posting a 10-4 record with eight saves and 93 strikeouts.
