Twelve former Washington State players are still working their way through professional baseball, with Kyle Manzardo and Ryan Walker holding down spots in the majors while the rest of the Cougars spread across the minors and independent ball.
Manzardo has been a regular piece for the Cleveland Guardians this season, appearing in 81 games and hitting .225 with seven doubles, one triple, 10 home runs and 29 RBI. He has also scored 31 runs.
Walker has made 25 appearances for the San Francisco Giants and has logged three saves, three holds and 19 strikeouts in 24.1 innings.
Ian Hamilton is in the Atlanta Braves organization after spending the last three seasons with the Yankees. He has made four big-league appearances for Atlanta this season, including three last week, and has struck out four in 4.2 innings. At Triple-A Gwinnett, he has worked 21 games and gone 2-0 with four saves, two holds, a 3.18 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 22.2 innings.
Brandon White has split time between Double-A and Triple-A in the Miami Marlins system. He posted a 2-1 record with a 3.00 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 33 innings over 14 appearances, including 13 starts, at Double-A before moving up to Triple-A Jacksonville in late May. There, he has made seven starts and is 3-3 with 43 strikeouts in 33.2 innings.
Jonah Advincula’s season started with an injury in spring training, followed by a rehab assignment that included action for the Guardians in the Arizona Cactus League. He has since joined Double-A Akron and has played in five games, going 7-for-20 with three doubles, two home runs, one stolen base and seven runs scored.
Sam Brown has played 51 games at Double-A and is batting .249 with 47 hits, 11 doubles, three home runs, 17 RBI and 18 runs scored. Brown came to the Nationals in a trade last July after starting with the Los Angeles Angels.
Zane Mills, who joined the Chicago Cubs organization this past offseason, made one appearance for Double-A Knoxville, striking out four over three innings. His season ended because of injury.
Dakota Hawkins has already moved through three levels in the Mets system this year. He has one appearance each at Double-A and Triple-A, and has spent most of his time with High-A Brooklyn, where he is 2-0 with two holds, a 3.00 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 33 innings over 16 appearances.
Will Cresswell, a 18th-round pick by the Toronto Blue Jays last summer, also represented Great Britain at the World Baseball Classic early this spring. In 32 games this season, he has 15 hits, two doubles, one home run, eight RBI and 11 runs scored.
Connor Wilford’s path has taken him from the American Independent League to the Mariners’ system. He had made seven starts for Lexington in the American Independent League before Seattle purchased his contract. Wilford struck out 40 and walked only three in 37.2 innings for Lexington, then threw five scoreless innings with four strikeouts in his first career start for the ACL Mariners, earned a win with three innings in relief and three strikeouts, and was promoted to High-A Inland Empire, where he started and struck out six in four innings.
A.J. Block, who finished last season at Double-A with Los Angeles, recently pitched in 14 games for Durango in the Mexican League, striking out 14 in 8.2 innings. He has since signed with the Lake Country DockHounds in the American Association Independent League in Wisconsin and has appeared in five games, including four starts, with 20 strikeouts in 18 innings.
In Lincoln, Nebraska, Morrow has been on a tear, hitting .360 in 24 games with six doubles, two home runs, 16 RBI and 18 runs scored.
In Other News...
Why Colorado State Suddenly Feels Like A Pac-12 Team WSU Can't Ignore
Colorado State has been easy to overlook in the Pac-12 reshuffle conversation, but the Rams are starting to look more relevant to Washington State than their recent results would suggest. The school itself has plenty of heft, too, as a public land-grant R1 research university in Fort Collins with an athletic department that has long chased more consistent football success.
The football piece is what makes the Cougars pay attention, especially after a rough 2025 season pushed the program into a reset. There are also some familiar Pac-12 threads inside the building, with multiple staffers carrying Washington State ties and another connection running through Ali Farokhmaneshs family, which gives the Rams a little more crossover appeal than a typical Mountain West stop. [Read more 🡒]