Three former Evansville Otters players appeared on Major League Baseball spring training rosters this season as left-handed pitcher Chris Nunn along with right-handed pitchers Ryan Atkinson and Max Duval had the opportunity to suit up for MLB teams.
All three played for the Otters within the last two seasons.
Since Andy McCauley became Evansville’s manager midway through the 2010 season, over 20 players have signed contracts with affiliated organizations.
Nunn appeared in two games for the Houston Astros this spring, pitching 1 2/3 innings and finishing with a 0.00 ERA. He pitched the seventh inning of the Astros’ 8-2 win over the New York Mets Feb. 27.
The Astros took him in the Triple-A phase of MLB’s Rule 5 draft in December after the Chicago Cubs signed him in August from Evansville after making one start for the Otters.
Nunn had a 1.80 ERA with Evansville and he was immediately assigned to the Cubs’ Double-A affiliate.
In his start at Bosse Field Aug. 9, Nunn struck out nine Florence batters as he allowed one earned run off three hits in five innings. After the first two batters he faced reached base, Nunn regrouped to strike out the next seven. Through three innings, he had eight strikeouts.
Nunn was drafted in the 24th round of the 2012 MLB Amateur Draft by the San Diego Padres. He spent four years in the Padres organization and also spent time with the Milwaukee Brewers organization in 2017 prior to arriving in Evansville.
Duval also made a roster after being activated by the Miami Marlins in March, however, he didn’t make an appearance.
The Marlins signed Duval July 28 after he went 12-3 with 155 strikeouts in two seasons with Evansville. Last season, he was 8-2 in earning the Frontier League’s Brian Tollberg Award for being the most valuable pitcher with a 2.28 ERA in 14 starts.
Duval was named the Frontier League Pitcher of the Week June 26 after he made two starts on the mound the week before and went seven innings in both games.
Atkinson appeared in four games with the Arizona Diamondbacks this spring and started one.
In his March 17 start against San Diego, Atkinson went three innings and didn’t allow a run. He struck out four batters and walked three, throwing 47 pitches. He finished the spring with a 12.79 ERA in 6 1/3 innings.
He was signed by the Otters June 22, 2016 and spent eight days in Evansville before being signed by the Diamondbacks. He pitched 5 2/3 innings in two games and finished with a 0.00 ERA.
The most recent MLB organization signee was right-handed pitcher Ryan Etsell, who was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies organization in December.
Two former players have appeared in a regular season MLB game with George Sherrill (1999-00) making 442 career MLB appearances from 2004-12 and Andrew Werner (2009-10) starting eight games for the Padres in 2012.
Evansville will celebrate Bosse Field’s Opening Night May 11 against the Washington Wild Things at 6:35 p.m.
The Evansville Otters are
