LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. – Five former Blowfish players appeared in Major League Baseball games during the 2023 season, including one debut.
TJ HOPKINS
TJ Hopkins (pictured) made his MLB debut June 3, 2023 with the Cincinnati Reds. Hopkins, who played for the Blowfish during the 2016 season, spent most of June and August with the Reds. In his first MLB plate appearance, he drew a walk with the bases loaded in the 9th inning against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 3. Two days later, he recorded his first big-league hit, a single, against Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Julio Teheran.
The 26-year-old completed the 2023 MLB season with 7 hits in 41 at-bats. He also had one RBI and one stolen base.
FULL STATS ON MLB.COM | VIDEO INTERVIEW AFTER MLB DEBUT
CODY MORRIS
After making his MLB debut with the Cleveland Guardians in 2022, Cody Morris battled an injury to start the 2023 season. He made six appearances out of the bullpen for the Guardians in his second season. Morris, who played for the Blowfish in 2017, pitched 8.0 innings with 9 strikeouts and a 6.75 ERA.
Four of his six outings were scoreless. He posted back-to-back scoreless appearances on June 13 and 15 in a series at San Diego. In the June 13 outing, Morris struck out both Manny Machado and Ha-Seong Kim to earn his first hold of the season.
JP SEARS
As a starting pitcher for the Oakland A’s, JP Sears posted a 5-14 record with a 4.54 ERA over 172.1 innings. The left-hander, who pitched for the Blowfish in 2016, struck out 161 batters and walked 53 during the 2023 season.
Sears struck out 11 in a no-decision against the Texas Rangers on April 21.
CHAS MCCORMICK
In his third year with the Houston Astros, Chas McCormick posted career numbers at the plate. He batted .273 in 403 at-bats with 22 home runs, two triples, 17 doubles and 70 RBIs. The 2016 Blowfish standout also scored 59 runs and reached base at a .353 clip with an .842 OPS during the 2023 season.
McCormick tallied eight hits, including a homer, in the 2023 postseason, helping the Astros to the American League Championship Series.
FULL STATS ON MLB.COM | MLB VIDEO FEATURE
WIL CROWE
Wil Crowe made five relief appearances for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023. The right-hander hurled 9.2 innings, logged one save and a 4.66 ERA. Crowe, a 2016 Blowfish player, also struck out nine batters.