Gauging Amir Garrett MLB Impact Among Former NCAA Division I Hoopers
May 5th, 2022 - 9:12
Boom or bust? How will history determine the MLB impact of lefthander Amir Garrett? The former St. John's hooper excelled in his first three starts five years ago with 1.83 ERA before struggling mightily majority of next nine starts, leaving him with an ERA of 7.41 two months later in mid-June. Four seasons ago as a reliever, Garrett got off to a grand beginning again, notching a 1.35 ERA through his first 21 appearances prior to coming back to Earth. Ditto three campaigns ago, compiling a 1.33 ERA through 25 stints following fanning the side against the Milwaukee Brewers in late May. After Garrett was traded to the Kansas City Royals this spring, he didn't allow a hit in first six relief appearances prior to the St. Louis Cardinals scoring three earned runs in back-to-back games the first week in May.
Sandy Koufax, perhaps the finest lefty in MLB history, was a freshman basketball player with the University of Cincinnati in 1953-54 prior to walking 12 opponents in first four relief appearances covering 9 2/3 innings for Brooklyn Dodgers in 1955. The greatest beginning of a MLB pitching career by an ex-college hooper was assembled by Mississippi State's David "Boo" Ferriss, who hurled 22 scoreless innings and won his his first eight starts with the Boston Red Sox in 1945.
Following is a comprehensive summary of early rookie performances by other MLB pitchers who played varsity basketball for a school presently or formerly at the NCAA Division I level:
| College Hooper | Current/Former DI School | Summary of Early MLB Pitching Career |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Acre | New Mexico State | held foes scoreless in first five games as Athletics reliever in 1994 and yielded only one ER in first 10 appearances (0.82 ERA) |
| Elden Auker | Kansas State | 8.07 ERA through first 10 games (including four starts) with Tigers in 1933 |
| Curt Barclay | Oregon | 5.01 ERA in first three starts with New York Giants in 1957 |
| Mike Barlow | Syracuse | allowed four earned runs covering three innings in his first two relief appearances with St. Louis Cardinals in 1975 |
| Stan Baumgartner | University of Chicago | 4.82 ERA in first nine games with Philadelphia Phillies in 1914 |
| Jim Beattie | Dartmouth | 4.70 ERA in first five starts with New York Yankees in 1978 |
| Carl Bouldin | Cincinnati | 15.43 ERA in first six games with Washington Senators in 1961 and 1962 |
| Ralph Branca | NYU | 8.41 ERA in first nine games with Brooklyn Dodgers in 1944 |
| Ownie Carroll | Holy Cross | 0-2 mark in first three starts with Tigers in 1925, allowing 19 runs in 17 innings |
| Marty Clary | Northwestern | 6.14 ERA in seven games after September call-up by Atlanta Braves in 1987 |
| Vince Colbert | East Carolina | 10.02 ERA in first 16 relief appearances with Cleveland Indians in 1970 |
| Gene Conley | Washington State | lost first two starts with Boston Braves, surrendering 10 earned runs in 7 1/3 innings in 1952 |
| Danny Coombs | Seton Hall | 8.74 ERA in first six games with Houston Colt .45's in 1963 and 1964 |
| Bill Crouch | Eastern Michigan | won all four verdicts in September and compiled 2.58 ERA in six games with Brooklyn Dodgers in 1939 |
| Dave "Boo" Ferriss | Mississippi State | won first eight decisions, including four shutouts, while manufacturing microscopic 0.74 ERA with Boston Red Sox in 1945 |
| Dave Frost | Stanford | 2.68 ERA in 15 games with Chicago White Sox and California Angels in 1977 and 1978 |
| Rich Gale | New Hampshire | won 13 of first 16 decisions while compiling 2.59 ERA in first 21 starts with Kansas City Royals in 1978 |
| Johnny Gee | Michigan | lost four of five decisions while posting 4.67 ERA in first six outings with Pittsburgh Pirates in 1939 and 1941 |
| Joe Gibbon | Mississippi | won first two relief appearances with Pirates covering five innings in 1960 |
| Bob Gibson | Creighton | yielded HR to first batter he faced in 1959 en route to allowing five hits and three earned runs in 2 1/3 innings in first two relief appearances with St. Louis Cardinals |
| Dave Giusti | Syracuse | lost first three starts and compiled 7.49 ERA in first eight games with Houston Colt .45's in 1962 |
| Dallas Green | Delaware | 5.45 ERA in first five starts with Phillies, allowing 35 hits and 18 walks in 34 2/3 innings |
| Paul Gregory | Mississippi State | unscored upon in first four relief appearances covering 6 1/3 innings with Chicago White Sox in 1932 |
| Ed Halicki | Monmouth (N.J.) | lost eight of nine decisions as San Francisco Giants rookie in 1974 |
| Steve Hamilton | Morehead State | 2.94 ERA in first 15 games covering 33 2/3 innings with Cleveland Indians and Washington Senators in 1961 and 1962 |
| Atlee Hammaker | East Tennessee State | 5.68 ERA in first nine games with Kansas City Royals in 1981 |
| Paul Hartzell | Lehigh | after dismal debut with California Angels in early 1976, yielded only one earned run in seven-game span covering 23 1/3 innings |
| Jim Hearn | Georgia Tech | lowered ERA to 2.44 after hurling first MLB shutout in 16th appearance with St. Louis Cardinals in 1947 |
| Mark Hendrickson | Washington State | 5.91 ERA in 12 relief appearances with Toronto Blue Jays in 2002 before lowering mark to 2.45 at season's end by winning three of four September starts |
| Bill Henry | Houston | won first four starts with Boston Red Sox in 1952, hurling complete games in last three of said assignments |
| Oral Hildebrand | Butler | 8.38 ERA covering 9 2/3 innings in first three relief appearances with Cleveland Indians in September 1931 |
| Jay Hook | Northwestern | 6.23 ERA covering 13 innings with Cincinnati Reds in 1957 and 1958 |
| Walt Huntzinger | Penn | 5.13 ERA covering 40 1/3 innings with New York Giants in 1923 and 1924 |
| Andy Karl | Manhattan | 1.37 ERA in first eight relief appearances with Boston Red Sox in 1943 |
| Bob Keegan | Bucknell | 6.59 ERA in first seven games with Chicago White Sox in 1953 |
| Jim Konstanty | Syracuse | 2.17 ERA in first 10 games, including seven starts, with Cincinnati Reds in 1944 |
| Bill Krueger | Portland | 2.54 ERA in first seven starts with Oakland Athletics in 1983 |
| Ted Lyons | Baylor | eventual Hall of Famer posted 10.12 ERA in first five games as Chicago White Sox reliever in 1923 |
| Dave Madison | Louisiana State | yielded two earned runs in three innings in debut with New York Yankees in 1950 before going scoreless in first eight relief appearances covering 14 innings with St. Louis Browns in 1952 |
| Bill McCahan | Duke | 1.23 ERA in first five games with Philadelphia Athletics in 1946 and 1947 |
| Ben McDonald | Louisiana State | won first six decisions while notching 2.52 ERA in first 17 games covering 53 2/3 innings with Baltimore Orioles in 1989 and 1990 |
| Jim Mooney | East Tennessee State | won first six decisions while posting 1.13 ERA in first eight games, including five complete games, with New York Giants in 1931 |
| Roy Parmelee | Eastern Michigan | 9.32 ERA in 13 games with New York Giants in 1929 and 1930 |
| Dennis Rasmussen | Creighton | 1.27 ERA in first five games covering 21 2/3 innings with San Diego Padres and New York Yankees in 1983 and 1984 |
| Ron Reed | Notre Dame | won first six starts in initial full season with Atlanta Braves in 1968 |
| Paul Reuschel | Western Illinois | 2.22 ERA in first 20 relief appearances with Chicago Cubs in 1975 |
| Denny Riddleberger | Old Dominion | 0.82 ERA in first 10 relief appearances covering 11 innings with Washington Senators in 1970 and 1971 |
| Eppa Rixey | Virginia | eventual Hall of Famer registered 2.50 ERA in 23 games (including 20 starts) with Philadelphia Phillies in 1912 |
| Robin Roberts | Michigan State | eventual Hall of Famer registered 2.50 ERA in first 15 starts with Philadelphia Phillies in 1948 |
| Garry Roggenburk | Dayton | 1.44 ERA in 34 relief appearances with Minnesota Twins in 1963 (also lost two starts) |
| Marius Russo | NYU | won last eight starts of rookie season while compiling 2.41 ERA in 21 games covering 116 innings with New York Yankees in 1939 |
| Don Schwall | Oklahoma | All-Star as rookie posted 1.31 ERA in winning first five starts with Boston Red Sox in 1961 |
| Rollie Sheldon | Connecticut | 2.28 ERA in first 18 games upon winning six straight decisions after firing back-to-back shutouts with New York Yankees in 1961 |
| Sonny Siebert | Missouri | 5.67 ERA in first 12 games with Cleveland Indians in 1964 |
| Lee Smith | Northwestern State | 1.26 ERA in first 12 relief appearances with Chicago Cubs in 1980 |
| Mike Smithson | Tennessee | 5.01 ERA in eight starts as Texas Rangers rookie in 1982 |
| Dave Stenhouse | Rhode Island | All-Star as Senators rookie compiled 0.88 ERA in seven games after winning first three starts in 1962 |
| Tim Stoddard | North Carolina State | 8.78 ERA in first eight relief appearances with Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles in 1975 and 1978 |
| George Stone | Louisiana Tech | 2.85 ERA in first 11 games covering 41 innings with Atlanta Braves in 1967 and 1968 |
| Darrell Sutherland | Southern California | 9.15 ERA in first eight games covering 20 2/3 innings with New York Mets in 1964 |
| Cecil Upshaw | Centenary | 1.95 ERA covering 37 1/3 innings in first 24 relief appearances with Atlanta Braves in 1966 and 1967 |
| Jim Wilson | San Diego State | 2.08 ERA in first six games covering 30 1/3 innings with Boston Red Sox in 1945 |
| Chris Young | Princeton | 5.85 ERA in first four starts with Texas Rangers in 2004 |