Each week in the Alumni Notebook, we will take a look back at the previous weekend’s action from the Collegiate, High School and even Major League Spring Training action and bring you the latest on Baseball Factory alumni who are helping their teams with outstanding play. Steve Bernhardt, Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations for the Factory provides information on the Factory alumni.

Major League Baseball

John Andreoli – Andreoli is having a huge spring for the Chicago Cubs and is making a case to join manager Joe Maddon’s 25-man roster when the team breaks camp and heads north to Wrigley Field in April. The 17th round selection in 2011 out of the University of Connecticut, Andreoli has 10 hits in 30 at-bats with a triple, four homers and eight RBI which leads the Cubs so far through 19 games.

Having re-signed outfielder Dexter Fowler and snagging FA OF Jason Heyward, the Cubs outfield is a crowded one, but the Worcester, Mass native is making a case to contribute at the big league level with a surprising increase in the power department.

Andreoli attended an Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout in Smithfield, Rhode Island in March of 2007 and was a participant in the 2007 Under Armour Southwest Regional Tournament playing on the Blue Team.

Brandon Drury

Brandon Drury – Drury made his major league debut last September for the Arizona Diamondbacks after receiving a promotion from Triple-A Reno where he hit .331 with 28 extra-base hits in 63 games. With the D-Backs, Drury hit just .214 but had three doubles and hit his first two major league homers to go along with eight RBI in 20 games.

He’s off to a quick start this spring, hitting .371 with six doubles, three homers and nine RBI, making it difficult to leave a guy off the 25-man roster that seems to hit and hit well at every level he’s played in. In six minor league seasons, the former 13th round selection by Arizona in 2010 out of Grants Pass High School in Grants Pass, OR, has hit .285 with 60 homers in 638 games.

He could win a starting job once the team breaks camp, but could start the season in Reno so that he can get consistent at-bats if the Diamondbacks think he’ll be best suited there instead of playing sparingly. Drury was a two-time Under Armour Pre-Season All-American in 2009 and 2010 and also participated in an Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout in 2008 and Team One West event in 2009.

College

Seth Beer

Seth Beer – Coming off National Player of the Week honors, the Clemson Tiger outfielder hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th inning on March 20th to beat Boston College, 3-2, giving the Tigers a series sweep. Beer also homered Friday night (March 18th) in the team’s 6-2 victory and went 6-for-10 with three doubles and two homers in last weekend’s series. The 12th-ranked Tigers are now 16-3 overall and went 5-0 last week in action.

The two-time Under Armour All-American from Suwanee, GA is having a terrific freshman season for Clemson, leading the team across all categories, hitting .453 with nine homers, 25 RBI, 62 total bases, slugging .969 and 12 walks to just six strikeouts. Beer graduated early from Lambert High School to attend Clemson, so its quite astounding that Beer is putting up the numbers essentially as a senior in high school.

Willie Abreu – Abreu launched a game-winning grand slam Friday night to defeat fourth-ranked Louisville, 8-4 giving Coach Jim Morris his 1,500th career victory. Abreu went 2-for-4, driving in seven of the ‘Canes eight runs with his two homers, the latter coming off of Louisville closer Zack Burdi. The win pushed Miami’s record to 15-3 as the team is now seventh in the country in the latest Top 25 rankings.

Abreu went 4-for-11 in the series and is now hitting .265 with four homers and 17 RBI in 20 games for the Canes. The Hialeah, FL native first attended an Under Armour Baseball Factory College PREP event in Delray Beach, FL in January of 2011, also participating in Team One South and Futures East events in ’11 and the 2012 Team One Florida Showcase.

Kyle Wright – The Vanderbilt right-hander is off to a great sophomore season, pitching well in his most latest start on Sunday in the Commodores’ 12-6 victory over Mississippi State.

Wright battled through five innings, allowing nine hits and five runs but only one earned run with one walk and five strikeouts. So far through five starts, Wright is 4-0 with a 1.77 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings pitched. As a freshman, Wright was outstanding, going 6-1 with a 1.23 ERA in 29 appearances, mostly out of Vandy’s pen.

The Huntsville, AL native attended the 2012 Team One Futures Series Texas event.

Raul Shah

Raul Shah – Shah is an Ellicott City, MD native and has attended many hitting lessons right here at Baseball Factory headquarters while in school at Mt. Hebron High. Shah graduated in 2012 from Mt. Hebron and attended numerous National Tryout and College PREP events in the area, in addition to the 2009 Pirate City World Series and 2011 Team One Northeast showcase.

The senior infielder had a great game against North Park in Fort Myers, FL on Saturday, March 19th, going 5-for-5 in the 14-4 victory with two doubles, two runs scored and four RBI. Raul leads the team in average (.386), hits (22) doubles (7), RBI (16) and total bases (32) for the Blue Jays who are currently 8-6-1 this season.

Tanner Thompson – Tanner was named the NJCAA Region 8 Pitcher of the Week for the week of March 7-13 for Pasco, going 2-0 with one save and 0.00 ERA in three appearances as the team went 8-0 during that week. Pasco-Hernando currently has a 25-7-1 record overall.

Thompson, a 2013 graduate from Strawberry Crest High School in Lithia, FL has seen action in 10 games, making eight starts and is now 6-0 with a 1.53 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 47.0 innings pitched. The right-hander, who attended a College PREP event in Tampa, FL in November of 2011 also has two saves and two complete-game victories under his belt this season for the team.

High School

Kyle Muller

Kyle Muller – In his senior season at Jesuit College Prep School in Dallas, TX, the University of Texas commit is putting up big time numbers this season on the mound and at the plate. The 6’6″, 240 pound left-hander has been tough, going 3-0 with an 0.56 ERA and 45 strikeouts in just 25.0 innings pitched. At the plate, Muller is hitting .448 with 12 homers and 32 RBI.

Muller showed well as a two-way athlete at the 2014 Under Armour Futures Texas showcase, working a low-90s fastball in with a very good change-up and curve. He hit the ball well and ran a 6.88 60 with an impressive all-around skill-set. That led him to the 2015 Under Armour All-America Game where he threw the ball well during the game.