TCU saw two of its outfielders land professional deals after the 2026 MLB Draft, with Sawyer Strosnider and Chase Brunson both agreeing to terms with their new clubs.
Strosnider, selected No. 66 overall by the Milwaukee Brewers, signed for $2.1 million. MLB.com listed the slot value at $1.35 million. The former TCU standout spent two seasons in Fort Worth and left with plenty of hardware from his freshman year, when he was named a freshman All-American and the Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
His draft stock took a hit after an uneven 2026 season, but the tools that made him such a coveted prospect were still enough to keep him in the first two rounds. Strosnider hit .273 last season with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs, and he led the Horned Frogs in homers.
ESPN had initially pegged him as the 36th-best prospect before he slid to No. 66.
Brunson followed a similar path into the pro ranks. The Washington Nationals, who took him at No. 42 overall, reached a deal worth $1.8 million. MLB.com valued that pick at $2.39 million.
A native of San Clemente, California, Brunson was an All-Big 12 selection in both 2025 and 2026. He hit .304 with 10 home runs and 51 RBIs over that stretch.
The departures of Strosnider and Brunson leave TCU with a significant hole in the outfield as the program continues its coaching staff overhaul in an effort to get back to the College World Series.
In Other News...
How TCUs New QB Stacks Up Against Josh Hoover Is Concerning
Jaden Craig arrives in Fort Worth with a chance to take over a major role after transferring from Harvard to TCU for the 2026 season, but the early outside view of the quarterback room is hardly flattering. The Athletic slotted Craig as the 38th-best projected FBS starter and eighth among Big 12 quarterbacks, placing him in tier 4 of its rankings and setting an immediate benchmark for how much ground he has to make up after replacing Josh Hoover.
Hoover, meanwhile, landed much higher in the same evaluation, coming in 12th overall and in tier 2, which only sharpens the contrast for TCU as it moves into a new era under center. Craig has the rsum to make this an intriguing transition, but the ranking gap underscores how much the Horned Frogs are asking of him before he has even taken a snap in purple and white. [Read more 🡒]
National Voice Says Dallas Blew It With Former TCU Star
Bill Simmons stirred the pot this week by putting Olivia Miles early WNBA run in a familiar, high-stakes frame, and for TCU fans it is the kind of comparison that lands hard. Miles has been one of the leagues most productive rookies right away, showing the same kind of playmaking and scoring punch that made her such a compelling pro prospect, while the Wings went in a different direction at the top of the draft with Azzi Fudd.
Dallas has not exactly stood still since then, either. The Wings have made roster moves that seem built around Fudds strengths and the way the offense already flows through Arike Ogunbowale and Paige Bueckers, which makes the debate more than a simple hindsight exercise. Still, when a former Horned Frogs star is producing like one of the best rookies in the league, it is easy to see why the conversation keeps circling back to what Dallas passed on. [Read more 🡒]
TCUs No. 39 Countdown Brings Back A Horned Frog Moment Fans Love
With TCUs 2026 season opener in Dublin against North Carolina still on the horizon, the programs No. 39 countdown turned into a reminder of how many different eras have shaped Horned Frog football. The spotlight landed on former kicker Griffin Kell and linebacker Jason Phillips, two players separated by nearly two decades but linked by the same purple standard, with Kells run from 2019 to 2023 and Phillips stretch from 2004 to 2008 both leaving a clear mark on the program.
Kells time in Fort Worth brought the kind of steady reliability that coaches love and fans remember, while Phillips built his reputation as a decorated defender before moving on to the NFL and eventually back to TCU in coaching and analyst roles. The countdown piece also serves as a quiet nod to how the Horned Frogs have kept recycling important figures into the programs modern identity, even as the next chapter is set to begin overseas. [Read more 🡒]