From Idaho to MLB: How the state’s homegrown players are climbing the professional ladder
Few think of Idaho as fertile ground for developing professional baseball players.
But the cold-weather state continues to punch above its weight, placing three homegrown products on Opening Day rosters in the majors, a Top 100 prospect in Cleveland and 16 scattered throughout all levels of affiliated baseball.
Catch up with all 16 Gem State professionals and their progress to the big leagues below.
Seth Brown
Club: Athletics
Position: Outfielder
Level: MLB
Age: 31
Idaho tie: Lewis-Clark State
The slugger’s power rate slowed down last season as Brown hit 14 home runs and slugged .405, both full-season lows at the MLB level. A member of LC-State’s 2015 NAIA World Series championship team, Brown remains dangerous against right-handed pitchers. He’s hit 55 of his 59 career home runs and made 281 of 311 career starts vs. righties. He’s off to a slow start in 2024, going 5-for-32 (.156) in his first 10 games.
Connor Brogdon
Club: Dodgers
Position: Relief pitcher
Level: MLB
Age: 29
Idaho tie: Lewis-Clark State
The 6-6 right-hander threw four scoreless innings and struck out seven for the Phillies in the 2022 World Series and made his third Opening Day roster in 2023. But a rocky summer in 2023 saw him end the year in Triple-A, and a bad start to 2024 (27.00 ERA in three appearances) led Philadelphia to trade him to the Dodgers for a minor-league prospect Saturday. He’s made 142 MLB appearances but has yet to take the mound for the Dodgers.
Riley O’Brien
Club: Cardinals
Position: Relief pitcher
Level: MLB (injured list)
Age: 29
Idaho tie: College of Idaho
Acquired from the Mariners in a November trade for cash, the right-hander took the Cardinals by storm in spring training, forcing his way onto the Opening Day roster with a 0.90 ERA in 10 spring appearances. But a right flexor tendon strain placed him on the 15-day injured list March 31 just three days after making his debut with the Cardinals, whom his grandfather, Johnny, played for in 1958. O’Brien made the Triple-A all-star team with Tacoma last summer after posting a 2.29 ERA with 15 saves and 86 strikeouts in 55 innings.
Michael Stefanic
Club: Angels
Position: Utility infield
Level: MLB (injured list)
Age: 28
Idaho tie: Timberline High (2014 grad)
A career worthy of a Hollywood movie was derailed this spring, when Stefanic injured his left quad Feb. 24. He spent the rest of the spring trying to come back, only to land on the injured list March 28. The undrafted free agent played 25 games in the majors each of the past two seasons. But he appeared to piece it together last summer, hitting .290 with a .380 on-base percentage and delivering a walk-off hit to beat the Yankees. He was one of the favorites for an Opening Day roster spot before his injury.
Kyle Manzardo
Club: Guardians
Position: First base
Level: Triple-A
Age: 23
Idaho tie: Lake City High (2018 grad)
Acquired from the Rays last summer, the slugger is rated as the No. 60 prospect in the minors by Baseball America and was selected to play in the Futures Game last summer. The Guardians invited the former second-round pick to spring training, and he was one of the final cuts after hitting .381 in 21 at-bats. He started the season in Triple-A Columbus, Ohio, as Cleveland’s No. 2 prospect. Making his MLB debut this season is more a matter of when, not if.
Jackson Cluff
Club: Nationals
Position: Shortstop
Level: Triple-A
Age: 27
Idaho tie: Rocky Mountain High (2015 grad)
The slick-fielding shortstop has made plenty of jaw-dropping plays with the Nationals’ minor-league affiliates, earning him his first promotion to Triple-A on Friday. He’s struggled at the plate, though, carrying a career average of .208. He’ll need to prove himself capable of handling the bat to earn to climb that final rung and make it to the big leagues.
Zach Penrod
Club: Red Sox
Position: Pitcher
Level: Double-A
Age: 26
Idaho tie: Columbia High (2015 grad), Northwest Nazarene
After three years in independent ball, including two with the Boise Hawks, the lefty got another shot after signing with the Red Sox in August. He went 2-1 with a 2.18 ERA in four regular-season starts for Boston’s High-A affiliate, and he picked up two playoff wins on the way to the South Atlantic League title. He then led all Arizona Fall League starters with a 1.29 ERA, earning himself a promotion to Double-A. Penrod originally signed with the Rangers as an undrafted free agent in 2018 but saw that opportunity end with Tommy John surgery.
Gabriel Hughes
Club: Rockies
Position: Pitcher
Level: Double-A (injured list)
Age: 22
Idaho tie: Rocky Mountain/Renaissance High grad (2019)
The Rockies took the 6-4, right-handed pitcher with the 10th overall pick in 2022, making him the second-highest Idahoan ever selected in the MLB Draft. Colorado was aggressive with his assignments, pushing him all the way to Double-A last summer, where he was 3.4 years younger than the league average. He’s struggled to post consistent results thus far with a 6-5 record and a 5.94 ERA across all levels. He underwent Tommy John surgery in July and will miss most, if not all, of the 2024 season.
Tyler Burch
Club: Orioles
Position: Relief pitcher
Level: Double-A (injured list)
Age: 26
Idaho tie: Lewis-Clark State
Originally signed by the Phillies as an undrafted free agent in 2019, the right-hander moved to Baltimore in a 2021 trade. He’s spent three seasons in Double-A, going 2-3 with a 3.29 ERA last summer. But he was placed on the 60-day injured list on March 27.
Ike Buxton
Club: Marlins
Position: Pitcher
Level: High-A
Age: 23
Idaho tie: Wood River High (2018 grad), Boise State
The right-handed pitcher has bounced between the starting rotation and the bullpen thus far in his career. The 2022 15th-round pick made a lone appearance in Double-A during his sophomore season last summer. He started the year in the High-A Midwest League, where he shined in his season debut, going 5 ⅓ innings while giving up one unearned run on four hits and striking out eight.
Nate Dahle
Club: Rays
Position: Relief pitcher
Level: High-A
Age: 26
Idaho tie: College of Southern Idaho
Two seasons in Twin Falls led to a spot at BYU, where the Rays picked the right-hander in the 13th round in 2022. He posted a 2.47 ERA in 29 appearances in his first pro season last summer. He started 2024 back in the High-A South Atlantic League.
Trent Sellers
Club: Yankees
Position: Pitcher
Level: High-A
Age: 24
Idaho tie: Lewis-Clark State
After two years in Lewiston, he spent his final college season at Oregon State before signing with the Yankees last summer as an undrafted free agent. He didn’t make his pro debut until Saturday, when he threw three scoreless innings and struck out seven for the Hudson Valley Renegades.
Jake Pfennigs
Club: Athletics
Position: Pitcher
Level: Low-A (injured list)
Age: 24
Idaho tie: Post Falls High (2018 grad)
A 13th-round pick in 2022, the 6-7 right-hander went 0-1 with a 3.72 ERA in eight appearances last year in the Low-A California League. But he went on the injured list in May and has not taken the mound since. A comeback won’t come anytime soon as the A’s assigned the former Idaho Gatorade basketball player of the year to the 60-day injury list in March.
Chase Adkinson
Club: Cardinals
Position: Catcher
Level: Low-A
Age: 23
Idaho tie: Grangeville High (2019 grad), Boise State
Adkinson landed on his feet after Boise State folded its program, ending up at Oklahoma State before signing with St. Louis as an undrafted free agent in July. He hit .333 in 16 games last season in the Low-A Florida State League. He started 2024 back in Palm Beach as one of four catchers on the roster.
Josh Trentadue
Club: Rangers
Position: Pitcher
Level: Low-A
Age: 22
Idaho tie: College of Southern Idaho
The lefty didn’t allow a single run and gave up just one hit in three appearances for the Rangers’ rookie club after getting selected in the 14th round last summer. He’s continued the streak this spring, throwing five scoreless, no-hit innings in his debut in the Low-A Carolina League on Saturday.
Casey Anderson
Club: Diamondbacks
Position: Pitcher
Level: Low-A (injured list)
Age: 23
Idaho tie: College of Southern Idaho
After pitching at the College of Southern Idaho in 2022, Arizona drafted him out of Utah Valley in the 11th round last summer. He went 1-2 with an 8.44 ERA in his debut season between rookie ball and Low-A. He was slated to start the year in Low-A before he went on the seven-day injured list Saturday.
