Nine former players from the California baseball program saw action for Major League Baseball teams during the league's 2024 regular season and were among 36 Pro Bears that were on professional baseball rosters in 2024.

Among the nine players on MLB rosters during the 2024 regular season was one who advanced to the league's playoffs in RHP Lucas Erceg of the Kansas City Royals. Erceg, who had 14 saves in a combined 61 appearances for Kansas City and Oakland, was traded from the A's to the Royals on July 30 and picked up 11 of his saves with Kansas City, including in all three games of a sweep at Washington in the final week of the regular season that helped the Royals clinch an American League Wild Card Series playoff spot.

Erceg was not the only former Cal player who had success in the major leagues in 2024.

Texas 2B Marcus Semien became the first Rangers' player ever to start back-to-back All-Star Games, while playing in 159 regular-season games and belting out 23 home runs with 74 runs driven in.

Washington 2B Darren Baker was called up by the Nationals on Sept. 1 and singled as a pinch hitter on the first major league pitch he saw. He finished with seven hits in 14 at bats for a .500 batting average in limited MLB action. Baker also had a strong showing in AAA ball before his promotion with a .285 batting average to go along with 70 runs scored, 49 RBI and 38 stolen bases in 112 games for the Rochester Red Wings.
Three Pro Bears played for hometown Bay Area teams in 2024.

OF Mark Canha and C Andrew Knapp both made appearances for San Francisco. Canha was traded to the Giants from Detroit on July 30 and two days later had a pair of hits for San Francisco. A week later, Canha delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly in a Giants' win. Knapp was called up on Aug. 23 and made his first appearance in the big leagues in more than two years. He started behind the plate and singled in his return.

RHP Grant Holman was called up to The Show by Oakland on Aug. 16 after an incredible season for two minor league teams with AA Midland and AAA Las Vegas (40 G, 25 GF, 4-0, 0.55 ERA, 9 SV). He pitched out of the bullpen in 16 of Oakland's remaining 40 games and picked up his first big league win in a 7-6 12-inning victory over Detroit on Sept. 6. Holman was also credited with holds in each of his first five appearances.

INF Andrew Vaughn and C Korey Lee played 149 and 125 games, respectively, for the Chicago White Sox. Vaughn hit .246 with 18 home runs and drove in 70, while also contributing 30 doubles. Lee batted .210 with 10 home runs and 32 RBI.

RHP Daulton Jeffries played for both San Francisco and Pittsburgh but was limited to a total of six games due to injuries.

The top 2024 minor league performances from former Cal players in addition to those by Baker, Knapp and Holman that earned them calls to the big leagues came from OF Dylan Beavers, INF/OF Nathan Martorella and RHP Steven Zobac.

Beavers played the final week of the season with the Baltimore Orioles' AAA affiliate Norfolk Tides after smacking 15 homers, driving in 51 runs and stealing 38 bases in 119 games for AA Bowie Baysox.

Martorella had a combined 18 homers and 55 RBI for a pair of AA teams with the San Antonio Missions and Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He was traded 25 games into his 2024 campaign from the San Diego Padres to the Miami Marlins' organization.

Zobac was a combined 11-8 with a 3.64 ERA for Kansas City Royals' affiliates Quad Cities River Bandits and Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Zobac started his season with single-A Quad City before being moved up and making his double-A debut with the Naturals on July 12.

Cal also had four players selected in the 2024 MLB Draft. C Caleb Lomavita was taken in the first round as a competitive balance pick (No. 39 overall) by the Washington Nationals, followed by OF Rodney Green Jr. (Oakland A's, fourth round, No. 104 overall), RHP Christian Becerra (Minnesota Twins, 12th round, No. 368 overall) and RHP Andres Galan (Tampa Bay Rays, 17th round, No. 516 overall).

The selections of Lomavita and Green gave the Bears two picks in the first four rounds of the MLB Draft for the second time in the last three seasons and fifth time in the last nine campaigns. Cal also accomplished the feat in 2016, 2018 and 2019.

A full list of former Cal players and their 2024 professional teams is below.

2024 California Baseball Pro Bears

NAME – POS – 2024 PROFESSIONAL TEAM – LEAGUE – LEVEL – MLB ORGANIZATION
Darren Baker – 2B/LF – Rochester Red Wings/Washington Nationals – International/National – AAA/MLB – Washington Nationals
Dylan Beavers – OF – Bowie Baysox/Norfolk Tides – Eastern/International – AA/AAA – Baltimore Orioles
Christian Becerra – RHP – Fort Myers Mighty Muscles – Florida State – A – Minnesota Twins
Mark Canha – INF – Detroit Tigers/San Francisco Giants – American/National – MLB/MLB – Detroit Tigers/San Francisco Giants
Darryl Dilworth – OF – Danville Dans – Prospect – Independent – None
Tanner Dodson – RHP – Oklahoma City Baseball Club – Pacific Coast – AAA – Los Angeles Dodgers
Cam Eden – OF – Buffalo Bisons/Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRide – International – AAA – New York Yankees
Cole Elvis – C – Fort Myers Mighty Muscles/FCL Twins – Florida State/Florida Complex – A/Rookie – Minnesota Twins
Lucas Erceg – RHP – Oakland A's/Kansas City Royals – American – MLB – Oakland A's/Kansas City Royals
Andres Galan – RHP – Not Assigned – None – None – Tampa Bay Rays
Rodney Green Jr. – OF – Stockton Ports – California – A – Oakland A's
Grant Holman – RHP – Midland Rockhounds/Las Vegas Aviators/Oakland A's – Texas/Pacific Coast/American – AA/AAA/MLB – Oakland A's
Dalton Jeffries – RHP – San Francisco Giants/Pittsburgh Pirates/Sacramento River Cats/Indianapolis Indians – MLB/MLB/AAA/AAA – San Francisco Giants/Pittsburgh Pirates/San Francisco Giants/Pittsburgh Pirates
Joseph King – RHP – Peoria Chiefs – Midwest – A+ - St. Louis Cardinals
Andrew Knapp – C – San Francisco Giants/Round Rock Express/Sacramento River Cats – MLB/AAA/AAA – San Francisco Giants/Texas Rangers
Kade Kretzschmar – OF – Palm Beach Cardinals/Peiora Chiefs – A/A+ - St. Louis Cardinals
Korey Lee – C – Chicago White Sox – American – MLB – Chicago White Sox
Caleb Lomavita – C – Fredericksburg Nationals – Carolina – A – Washington Nationals
Erik Martinez – RHP – ACL Angels/Inland Empire 66ers – Arizona Complex/California – Rookie/A – Los Angeles Angels
Nathan Martorella – INF/OF – San Antonio Missions/Pensacola Blue Wahoos – Texas/Southern – AA/AA – San Diego Padres/Miami Marlins
Brandon McIlwain – OF – Binghamton Rumble Ponies/Washington Wild Things – Eastern/Frontier – AA/Independent – New York Mets/None
Keshawn Ogans – INF – Mississippi Braves – Southern – AA – Atlanta Braves
Paulshawn Pasqualotto – RHP – Fort Myers Mighty Muscles – Florida State – A – Minnesota Twins
Ripken Reyes – INF – San Antonio Missions – Texas – AA – San Diego Padres
Arman Sabouri – LHP – Missoula Paddleheads – Pioneer – Independent – None
Marcus Semien – INF – Texas Rangers – American – MLB – Texas Rangers
Luke Short – LHP – Oakland Ballers – Pioneer – Independent – None
Aaron Shortridge – RHP – FCL Pirates/Bradenton Marauders/Indianapolis Indians – Florida Complex/Florida State/International – Rookie/A/AAA – Pittsburgh Pirates
Tyler Stasiowski – RHP – Fort Myers Mighty Muscles – Florida State – A – Minnesota Twins
Connor Sullivan – RHP – Oakland Ballers – Pioneer – Independent – None
Sean Sullivan – RHP – Altoona Curve – Eastern – AA – Pittsburgh Pirates
Robbie Tenerowicz – INF – Arkansas Travelers/San Antonio Missions – Texas – AA – Seattle Mariners/San Diego Padres
Andrew Vaughn – OF – Chicago White Sox – American – MLB – Chicago White Sox
Ian Villers – RHP – ACL Giants (AZ)/San Jose Giants – Arizona Complex/California – Rookie/A – San Francisco Giants
Josh White – RHP – Beloit Sky Carp/Pensacola Blue Wahoos – Midwest/Southern – A+/AA - Miami Marlins
Steven Zobac – RHP – Quad Cities River Bandits/Northwest Arkansas Naturals – Midwest/Texas – Kansas City Royals
 
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