Stanford Professional Athletes

Stanford's Week in MLB: Aug. 23–29

Tim Tawa Powers Arizona's Offense

Tim Tawa is giving Diamondbacks fans something to cheer about down the stretch. The Stanford outfielder went deep twice in the span of a week — homering in Arizona's 5-11 loss to the Reds on Sunday, Aug. 23 (2-for-2, 2 RBI, 1 R), then delivering again Saturday against the Giants (2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R) as Arizona rolled to a 9-5 victory. Tawa joined Corbin Carroll and Lars Nootbaar in the long ball column against San Francisco, giving the D-backs a Stanford alumnus right in the thick of their offensive surge. His average has climbed to .246 on the back of a productive week, and at this pace he's making a case to be in Arizona's everyday lineup plans heading into September.

Erik Miller Is a Force in Fenway's Bullpen

While Tawa was doing damage with his bat, Erik Miller was quietly putting together one of the more impressive stretches for any Stanford product in the league. The Red Sox lefty owns a 2.09 ERA — a number that's drawing national attention. MLB Network's Dan Plesac called him "a force," and Boston pitching coach Chad Tracy echoed the sentiment, saying Miller has "been everything as advertised." Over consecutive appearances Monday and Tuesday against Miami, Miller tossed two clean innings and struck out four total batters. At a point in the season when Boston's bullpen construction matters most, Miller has become a reliever his club can genuinely count on in high-leverage moments.

The Rest of the Cardinal Flock

Cal Quantrill had arguably his best outing of the season for the Rangers on Aug. 23, spinning six scoreless innings and striking out six in a 5-3 win over the Angels. It was a vintage performance from the Stanford right-hander, who has quietly been one of Texas's steadiest starters in a down year for the club.

Quinn Mathews turned in a mixed week for St. Louis. The Cardinals righty got pummeled by the Phillies in one start but bounced back impressively Friday against Pittsburgh — 5.2 innings, 7 strikeouts, just 1 earned run in a Cardinals 4-1 win. The Jekyll-and-Hyde stretch reflects a season that has both frustrated and flashed potential.

Nico Hoerner continued his reliable production for the Cubs, going 3-for-3 with a run scored Friday and adding hits in four of his five appearances during the week. He's hitting .260 and remains one of Chicago's most consistent table-setters.

Tommy Edman delivered a highlight-reel moment Wednesday, going 2-for-4 with a homer, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored for the Dodgers against Atlanta — a reminder of just how dangerous Los Angeles's Stanford-stocked lineup can be.

Brendan Beck had a brief cup of coffee with the Yankees — called up as the 27th man for a doubleheader Saturday before being optioned back down. He worked one inning against Boston. With an 8.22 ERA in limited looks, Beck will need more development time before sticking on a big-league roster.

Austin Slater also made news this week, opting out of his contract with the Tampa Bay Rays, per FanSided's Robert Murray — a move that puts the Stanford veteran back on the market ahead of what could be a final push for a meaningful roster spot.

Stanford Alumni Week in Review: Aug. 16–22

The Farm's MLB alumni had a week worth watching, headlined by a walk-off hero, an extra-innings standout, a promising young arm — and one rough outing that served as a reality check.

Edman Delivers When It Counts Most

Tommy Edman has a flair for the moment. The Dodgers second baseman came through when Los Angeles needed it most, driving in Kiké Hernández with a single in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Dodgers past the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4 on Saturday. It capped a strong week for Edman, who went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the walk-off game, hit safely in Tuesday's 11-5 win over Colorado, and is now batting .274 on the season. The one blemish: a pair of errors in a 6-2 loss to Milwaukee earlier in the week that helped the Brewers score three unearned runs. The highs were higher, though, and walk-off RBIs have a way of making people forget fielding miscues.

Hoerner Moves Into the Spotlight

With Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson sidelined roughly a month with a left oblique strain, Nico Hoerner shifted from second base to shortstop and immediately made his presence felt. His standout performance against the crosstown White Sox in extras earned him "Superhero" honors in the Cubs' own game recap — Chicago won 7-5 — and Hoerner backed it up with another hit Saturday against Seattle. He also had a four-hit, two-RBI explosion on Tuesday in a 7-5 win over the White Sox. Sitting at .263 on the year, Hoerner is proving indispensable as Chicago navigates injury attrition.

Mathews: Flashes of Promise, One Rough Night

Quinn Mathews made two starts for St. Louis this week, and the results couldn't have been more different. On Monday in Cincinnati, the rookie Cardinals starter was sharp — four innings, seven strikeouts, just one earned run. That's the version that made him one of nine MLB debuts the Cardinals have celebrated this season. Then came Saturday against Philadelphia: five innings, three strikeouts, seven earned runs against a stiff Phillies lineup featuring Andrew Painter on the other side. The ERA jumped to 6.43, but the ceiling shown Monday keeps the optimism alive. Growing pains for a young arm are expected — what matters is that the Cardinals keep running him out there.

Tawa Quietly Productive in Arizona

Tim Tawa had a quietly useful week for the Diamondbacks, going 2-for-4 in Saturday's game against Cincinnati with an RBI, a run scored, and a walk. Across the week he posted multiple multi-hit performances and has nudged his average up to .240. Not a headline-grabbing line, but the kind of steady contribution that keeps a roster spot secure.

Also on the Radar

Cal Quantrill had a strong outing for the Rangers — seven scoreless innings and five strikeouts in a 5-0 win over Washington — though a subsequent game saw the Rangers fall to the Nationals 6-0. Erik Miller continued his solid late-inning relief work for Boston, punching out two batters in one inning Friday against San Francisco with an ERA sitting at 2.20.

It was a full week for Stanford's MLB footprint. Edman's moment is the highlight reel clip, but Hoerner's quiet elevation to shortstop may be the more consequential story as September approaches.

The week of August 2–8 was a busy one for Stanford's MLB diaspora — a surprise trade, a bat catching fire in the desert, and a second baseman quietly torching two of baseball's marquee clubs.

Erik Miller Lands in Boston — and Finds Out on TV

The most dramatic Cardinal storyline came off the field. Left-handed reliever Erik Miller was dealt from the San Francisco Giants to the Boston Red Sox at the trade deadline in exchange for highly-touted prospect Marcelo Mayer — and Miller found out about it the way most fans would: watching television.

"It definitely wasn't expected," Miller told Boston.com.

The swap was eyebrow-raising. Mayer had been one of Boston's crown-jewel prospects, and surrendering him for a reliever signals how seriously the Red Sox are treating their bullpen. Miller wasted little time making himself useful: he threw 2.0 innings with three strikeouts in his Thursday outing against the White Sox, posting a 2.57 ERA with his new club. The Stanford product previously pitched for the Orleans Firebirds in the Cape Cod League before making his way through the Giants' system — now he's pitching in a pennant race on the opposite coast.

Tawa Heats Up in Arizona

Tim Tawa's week was a statistical highlight reel. The Diamondbacks outfielder went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs in an 8-? win over the Padres on Thursday, punctuating a stretch in which he's steadily climbed his batting average from .209 to .236. Earlier in the week, he went 3-for-3 with another homer, three RBIs, and two runs scored against San Diego on Tuesday in a 5-1 win.

He also made headlines for reasons beyond the box score. Benches cleared during Arizona's game against the Guardians after Tawa dropped down a bunt attempt during a perfect game bid — a play that drew sharp reactions from Cleveland's dugout over baseball's unwritten rules. Tawa didn't back down, and the headlines followed.

Hoerner Keeps Finding Ways to Beat the Big Names

While Miller was getting traded and Tawa was stirring controversy, Nico Hoerner just kept raking. The Cubs second baseman went 3-for-4 with an RBI double in a 7-6 win over the Dodgers, then followed that up with a solo home run and two hits in a 5-1 series win over Los Angeles — delivering a go-ahead infield single in the sixth inning that helped spoil Tarik Skubal's Dodgers debut. Against the Yankees later in the week, Hoerner went 2-for-4 with a solo shot in a 5-2 Chicago comeback victory.

Hoerner is batting .257 on the season and has consistently been one of the Cubs' most reliable offensive contributors through a stretch that has seen Chicago take down two of the NL's heavyweights in the same week.

Also Watching: Kris Bubic, Kyle Stowers

The trade deadline also moved Stanford lefty Kris Bubic, who was acquired by the Dodgers from the Kansas City Royals. However, Bubic is currently on the 60-day injured list with elbow and shoulder soreness and isn't expected to contribute immediately. Meanwhile, Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers had a strong Friday — going 4-for-4 with two RBIs against the Angels — though he was reportedly at the center of a failed deadline pursuit by the Astros, who couldn't close a deal for his services before the deadline passed.

For a program that has sent more position players and pitchers to the big leagues than almost any school in the country, this was a quintessentially Stanford week: loud, a little controversial, and consistently productive.