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. Baltimore pitchers Matt Albers and Mike Gonzelz, St. Louis outfielder Nick Stavinoha, Minnesota pitcher Jesse Crain, Boston pitcher Robert Manuel, and San Diego pitcher Jared Wells are also former San Jac players on major league rosters heading into spring training .

Albers was originally drafted by the Houston Astros in the 23rd round of the June 2001 First Year Player Draft, and was traded to the Baltimore Orioles prior to the 2008 season. Since his debut on July 25, 2006, Albers has gone 10-22 with a 5.29 ERA.

Gonzalez, drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates, made his Major League debut on August 11, 2003. He has played four seasons with Pittsburgh and the last three with the Atlanta Braves. For his career he is 14-16 with a 2.57 ERA. In 302 games and 280.2 innings pitched, he’s posted 54 saves.

Stavinoha was called up to major league duty on June 22, 2008 for the Cardinals. That season, he went on to hit .193 with four RBI in 29 games. In 2009 he played in 39 games, and had 20 hits, scored six runs, and hit .230. Prior to his stint with the Cardinals, he was a member of the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds, where he hit .337 with 16 homeruns and 74 RBI.In 2007 he played in the outfield for AAA Memphis, delivering good power numbers. In 501 at bats, he socked 13 homers and drove in 49 runs while hitting 27 doubles. In 2007 he hit .261 overall and scored 50 runs.

Crain has been in the majors with the Twins for six years after making his debut in August of 2004. He is 32-20 overall with a 3.50 ERA and two saves. Last season he went 7-4 appearing in 56 games and 51.2 innings.

Manuel spent the 2008 season at Class AA Chattanooga where he was a Southern League All-Star and received a “MiLB.com This Year In Baseball Award” as the best reliever in the minor leagues. For the Lookouts he posted a 1.40 ERA in 47 relief appearances. He began the season at Class A Sarasota. Manuel made his Major League debut July 9, 2009, and appeared in three games for the Red Sox.

Wells was called up to the majors on May 24, 2008, but only pitched in 8.1 innings as a member of the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres. In 2007, he pitched at AAA Portland, primarily in relief, going 3-7 with a 5.24 ERA in 47 games. Collecting nine saves, Wells seemed suited up for relief with 87 strikeouts in 92 innings.

 

As for other San Jac players in the professional ranks:

Kevin Angelle, Philadelphia (P)
2009: Went 3-3 with a 1.89 ERA as a member of the GCL Phillies. Saw action in 12 games and 57 innings.

Jamie Bagley, Tampa Bay (P)
2009: Went 2-5 as a member of the Bowling Green Hot Rods. Posted a 6.67 ERA in 56.2 innings pitched.
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)
2009: Played in 116 games for the Kane County Cougars, hitting .262 behind 106 hits, including eight homeruns.
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, Toronto (P)
2009: Went 1-3 as a member of the Auburn Doubledays. Posted a 2.84 ERA with 10 saves in 31.2 innings pitched.
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. 

Jake Cowan, Baltimore (P)
2009: Pitched for the Aberdeen IronBirds, posting a 2.25 ERA and 1-2 record. Saw action in eight games and 24 innings.

Eric Fry, Texas (OF)
2009: Split the season playing for the Hickory Crawdads and the Bakersfield Blaze. Hit .243 in 85 games and 292 plate appearances.
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.

Jared Gayhart, Detroit (P)
2009: Played for three teams, finishing the season with the Erie SeaWolves. Posted a 2.63 ERA and 6-4 overall record. Notched three saves.

Kyle Henson, San Francisco (C)
2009: Played for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. Posted a .223 average in 30 games and 94 at-bats. Notched 21 hits, including one homerun and eight RBI.

Danny Hernandez, Cincinnati (1B)
2009: Hit .202 as a member of the AZL Reds. Appeared in 29 games, with 19 hits, including one home run and nine RBI.

Brandon Hicks, Atlanta (SS)
2009: Played for the Double A Mississippi Braves. Hit .237 in 128 games with 110 hits, including 10 homeruns, and 48 RBI.
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.

Michael Johnson, New York Mets (P)
2009: Spent the season with the Brooklyn Cyclones… Posted a 6.48 ERA in six games and 8.1 innings pitched.

Lucas Luetge, Milwaukee (P)
2009: Played for the Class A Brevard County Manatees. Went 6-7 with a 4.48 ERA and two saves.
2008: Went 601 with a 2.68 ERA with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and the Helena Brewers.

Stephen Marek, Atlanta (P)
2009: Pitched for the Gwinnett Braves and Mississippi Braves. Posted a 3-4 record with two saves and a 6.00 ERA.
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 McCraw, Milwaukee (C)
2009: As a member of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, posted a .211 average in 76 games. Had 46 hits, including one home run. Scored 24 runs.

David Newmann, Tampa Bay (P)
2009: Went 9-6 as a member of the Charlotte Stone Crabs. Posted a 3.44 ERA in 24 games and 131 innings.

Benino Pruneda, Atlanta (P)
During the offseason, named the fourth-best pitching prospect in the Braves organization.
2009: Spent most of the season with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Posted a 2-3 record with a 4.73 ERA. 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. Pitched in six total innings with three strikeouts for the Rome Braves.

Kevin Russo, New York Yankees (2B)
2009: Played for the Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees, hitting .326 with 115 hits, including five home runs and 31 RBI.
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.

Hank Williamson, Chicago Cubs (P)
2009: Spent time with the Daytona Cubs and Iowa Cubs. Posted a 704 record with a 4.91 ERA.
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
6 TIME NATIONAL RUNNER-UP
20 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