Left-handed pitcher Connor Butler testified to the successful player development of Biola University’s baseball program when the Boston Red Sox drafted him in the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft with the 609th pick. Boston’s selection of Connor Butler makes him the third alumnus to be drafted out of Biola’s baseball program since 2011 and the 23rd player drafted in the history of Biola baseball. 

THIRD ALUMNUS DRAFTED

Along with Butler’s impressive accomplishment of being the third alumnus drafted out of Biola, he also finds himself in the exclusive company of former Eagles pitching for professional baseball teams as he follows the trio of Larson Kindreich, Troy Stainbrook and Kenny Carrillo in the minor league levels.

According to milb.com, Kindreich has a record of four wins and two losses on the mound for the Texas Rangers’ High-A affiliate minor league team, known as the Hickory Crawdads, and has an earned run average of 3.39 through sixteen games pitched so far on the 2022 season. Meanwhile, Troy Stainbrook has a record of 2 wins and 3 losses for the Washington Nationals’ High-A affiliate team Wilmington Blue Rocks and currently maintains an earned run average of 4.75 in the span of 27 games pitched.

Both Kindreich and Stainbrook look to finish their 2022 campaign strong as their minor league seasons wrap up in the fall. In addition, Carrillo is signed with the Mexican Baseball League’s Tigres De Quintana Roo based out of Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. 

BACA SIGNS WITH WASHINGTON NATIONALS

Butler’s Biola teammate Tyler Baca also joins the ranks of professional baseball. Baca was a four-year veteran for the Biola Boys and was awarded the opportunity to sign with the Washington Nationals as an undrafted free agent following the MLB Draft in July. In Baca’s final season as an Eagle he batted for an average of .301 with 176 at bats and 53 base hits. All together, these players preserve the pedigree of successful Biola alumni pursuing a career in the Major Leagues.