San Jacinto College is as prolific as any other two-year school in the nation when it comes to sending players to the professional ranks. Houston area baseball fans are well versed in the success of former players Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens; but there are more. Three other pitchers, Atlanta’s Mike Gonzalez, Jesse Crain of the Minnesota Twins and Baltimore’s Matt Albers, as well as St. Louis Cardinals’ outfielder Nick Stavinoha, are also former San Jac players on major league rosters heading into spring training 2009.

Gonzalez, a starting pitcher for San Jac in 1997, was traded from Pittsburgh to Atlanta prior to the 2007 season. Gonzalez owns a career record of 9-12 with a 2.62 ERA. He has converted 44 of 49 save opportunities since making his MLB debut Aug. 11, 2003.

Crain, who pitched and played shortstop for San Jac in 2000 and 2001, made his MLB debut Aug. 5, 2004. Since then, Crain has posted a record of 25-16 with a 3.26 ERA as a set-up man with the Twins.

Albers, originally drafted by the Houston Astros, was traded to the Baltimore Orioles during the offseason prior to the 2008 season. Since his debut on July 25, 2006, Albers has gone 7-16 with a 5.20 ERA. Entering spring training, he was expected to compete for a starting role in the Orioles’ rotation.

Stavinoha was called up to major league duty on June 22, 2008 for the Cardinals. He went on to hit .193 with four RBI in 29 games.

 

As for other San Jac players in the professional ranks:
Jamie Bagley, Tampa Bay (P)
2008: After being selected in the 35th round, played for the Class A Hudson Valley Renegades where he was 1-1 with a 5.59 ERA.

Jeremy Barfield, Oakland (OF)
2008: Eighth-round selection by the Athletics. Played for the Class-A Vancouver Canadiens where he hit .271 with three homeruns and 41 RBI.

Casey Beck, Atlanta (P)
2008: Was 1-4 with a 4.75 ERA for the Rome Braves, the Class A team for the Atlanta Braves.
2007: Pitched in 13 games for Danville, a rookie league affiliate of the Braves. Posted 22 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings of work but also walked 19, leading to an ERA of 7.71.

Ben Cox, San Francisco (P)
2007: Began the season in San Jose, where he was 1-1 with a 2.81 ERA in 17 games. Promoted to AA Connecticut, Cox struggled as a starter for the Defenders, going 0-8 with a 4.50 ERA.
2006: Appeared in 31 games, going 4-3 with a 3.31 ERA and 2 saves for the San Jose Giants, a Class A team for San Francisco.

Jesse Floyd, San Francisco (P)
2007: Spent the season at Minnesota Twins’ Class AA affiliate New Britain Rock Cats (Conn.), where he was 7-9 with an ERA of 5.05 in 27 games, including 23 starts. He was selected in the Rule V draft by the Twins on Dec. 7, 2006.
2006: Posted a 4-14 overall record as a starter for the Connecticut Defenders, a Class AA team of the Giants, but had a relatively low ERA of 4.00 over 25 starts. In 135 innings, Floyd allowed 125 hits but fanned 100.

Eric Fry, Texas Rangers (OF)
2008: Spent the season with the Spokane Indiana of the Class A Short-Season Northwest League. Hit .296 in 216 at bats with 64 hits, including 10 doubles and six home runs.

Clint Goocher, Arizona (P)
2008: Was 0-2 with 13 strikeouts for the Triple-A Tucson Sidewinders.
2007: Posted a 5-4 record with an ERA of 3.42 as a reliever at Class AA Mobile. In 52 games, all in relief, Goocher had six saves.
2006: Went 7-7 with a 3.49 ERA for the Class AA Tennessee Smokies, an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Pitched in 42 total games, including 10 starts. Logged 85 innings of work.

Brandon Hicks, Atlanta Braves (SS)
2008: Split time with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans and double-A Mississippi Braves, hitting .235 in 109 games with 93 total hits, including 20 home runs.
2007: Opened the season with Rookie-level Danville before being promoted to Class-A Rome in July. Hit .188 with three doubles, two home runs and eight RBI.

Lucas Luetge, Milwaukee (P)
2008: Went 601 with a 2.68 ERA with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and the Helena Brewers.

Christopher Kelley, Washington, (P)
2008: Recorded a 3.32 ERA with a 3-2 overall record, striking out 21.

Robert Manuel, Cincinnati (P)
2008: Was 6-3 with a 1.25 ERA for three different teams. Is currently on the roster for the Peoria Javelinas.
2007: Performed best as a reliever for the Class A Sarasota team in the Reds’ organization. Overall, was 6-5 with a 4.03 ERA, and as a reliever was 4-1 with a 1.65 ERA.

Stephen Marek, Atlanta
2008: Posted a 3-8 record and 3.56 ERA while playing for two different minor league teams.
2007: Started 25 games for Rancho Cucamonga of the Class A advanced division for the Angels, going 8-10 with a 4.30 ERA.

Sean McGraw, New York Mets (C)
2007: Hit .272 in 50 games for the Savannah Sands Gnats, a Class A team for the Mets. Along the way, hit four homers and drove in 19 runs. He played winter league baseball this past offseason in Hawaii.
2006: Played for the Brooklyn Cyclones, a Class A team of the New York Mets. Hit .262 over 145 at bats with 5 home runs and 25 RBI.

Zach Parker, Colorado (P)
2007: Pitched at AA Tulsa, an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, where he was 2-1 in 16 games with a 6.55 ERA. Allowed 35 hits in 33 innings of work.
2006: Went 4-8 with an earned run average of 7.85 for the Tulsa Drillers.

Benino Pruneda, Atlanta (P)
2008: Was 4-4 with a 2.83 ERA with the Rome Braves.
2007: Signed with Atlanta after pitching for San Jac’s world series team. Last summer, pitched in six total innings with three strikeouts for the Rome Braves.

Jonathan Runnels, Los Angeles Dodgers (P)
2008: Recorded a 3-0 record with a 6.39 ERA in 31 innings for the Ogden Raptors of the Rookie Pioneer League.

Kevin Russo, New York Yankees (2B)
2008: Hit .309 with three home runs and 16 RBI for the Peoria Javalinas.
2007: Had a solid season for the Class A Tampa Yankees, hitting .279 with 45 RBIs and 19 stolen bases.

Nick Stavinoha, St. Louis (RF)
2008: Called up to the big leagues on June 22, 2008. Hit .193 with four RBI for the Cardinals. As a member of the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds, hit .337 with 16 homeruns and 74 RBI.
2007: Played in the outfield for AAA Memphis, delivering good power numbers. In 501 at bats, socked 13 homers and drove in 49 runs while hitting 27 doubles. Hit .261 overall and scored 50 runs.

Jared Wells, San Diego (P)
2008: Made his major league debut on June 7, 2008 against the Cincinnati Reds. Pitched in 8.1 innings as a member of the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres.
2007: Pitched at AAA Portland, primarily in relief. Went 3-7 with a 5.24 ERA in 47 games. Collecting nine saves, Wells seemed suited for relief with 87 strikeouts in 92 innings.

Garrett White, Los Angeles Dodgers (P)
2008: Pitched for the Class A Great Lake Loons, going 3-3 with a 3.67 ERA and two saves.
2007: Pitched at AA Midland, where he was 1-4 with a 3.33 ERA in 23 games.

Hank Williamson, Baltimore (P)
2008: Was 0-1 with a 3.72 ERA for the Class A Delmarva Shorebirds.
2007: Signed with the Orioles after helping San Jac to a third-place finish at the national tournament. At Bluefield, Williamson was 2-5 in 16 games with an ERA of 4.13. Started five games and notched two saves.

 

5 TIME NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
4 TIME NATIONAL RUNNER-UP
3 TIME JUCO SEMI-FINALIST
1 AL MVP
6 CY YOUNG AWARDS
1 CY YOUNG RUNNER-UP

 

"The Gators are a perennial contender for the Juco World Series title" -Jim Callis, BASEBALL AMERICA

"JC powerhouse San Jacinto (Texas)" -BASEBALL AMERICA

"San Jacinto's rich history is second to none in junior college baseball" -COLLEGIATE BASEBALL "Like All-American Roger Clemens, (Charlie) Thames came to Texas from San Jacinto Junior College. His cousin, former Rice shortstop Damon Thames, also went from San Jacinto to Division 1 All-American." -BASEBALL AMERICA

"The San Jacinto Gators have been one of the best Junior College programs in the country for a number of years." -STAN BRZEZICKI, TeamOneBaseball.com

"(Damon) Thames arrived at San Jacinto with a reputation as a good fielder who couldn't hit much. He wears the opposite label now." -BASEBALL AMERICA

"The Gators have long been the model for successful programs around the country." -Roland Flores, The Laredo Times

"San Jacinto (is) considered the jewel of the south when it comes to recruiting for major college baseball and the major leagues." -David Taylor, North Channel Sun

"(San Jacinto) has four major things going for it, one is location, right in the middle of a hotbed of high school talent. Another is the facility (there), third is the scholarship budget and fourth is the tradition." -DANNY WATKINS, University of Alabama assistant baseball coach

"Playing at San Jacinto College did everything for me. Playing here made me want to be the best I could. Not only did we have an excellent coaching staff, but the teammates we competed against in practice were outstanding." -JEFF MCCURRY, former MLB relief pitcher

"I may not be where I am today had it not been for some of the things I learned while playing at San Jacinto College." -ANDY PETTITTE, New York Yankees starting pitcher