Spring is in the air and baseball is back! Opening Day is Sunday with three games on the schedule. The remaining teams begin the 162-game season on Monday.
Here’s a look at each team’s Opening Day starter, where they went to school, or the country they’re from (for international players), and how they wound up in the Major Leagues.
Play ball!
Where the Opening Day Starting Pitchers Are From
AL East
Baltimore Orioles – Kevin Gausman – Grandview (Aurora, Colo.), Class of 2010
Gausman was 5-3 with a 4.53 ERA in his senior year. He also hit .371 with 27 RBIs and three home runs as a senior. Drafted by the Dodgers, he instead went to LSU and was drafted in 2012 by the Orioles. He was 9-12 with a 3.61 ERA in 30 starts for the O’s in 2016.
Boston Red Sox – Rick Porcello – Seton Hall Prep (West Orange, N.J.), 2007
The reigning AL Cy Young winner was 10-0 in his senior year for the Pirates. He recorded 103 strikeouts with a 1.44 ERA and threw a perfect game. He was drafted by the Tigers out of high school and reached the Majors two seasons later, landing on the Tigers’ 2009 Opening Day roster. Porcello was traded to the Red Sox prior to the 2015 season.
New York Yankees – Masahiro Tanaka – Japan
Tanaka led Tomakomai to a regional title in his senior year. He struck out 458 batters in high school and was taken by the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan in the high school draft and was their ace until 2013. He made his Major League debut in 2014 with the Yankees after signing a seven-year, $155 million contract.
Tampa Bay Rays – Chris Archer – Clayton (N.C.), 2006
Archer was 8-3 as a senior for the Comets with a 1.75 ERA. Drafted by Cleveland in the fifth round in 2006, Archer landed with the Rays after being dealt twice during his time in the minors. He made his Major League debut against Cleveland in 2013. He was the Rays’ Opening Day starter the past two seasons.
Toronto Blue Jays – Marco Estrada – Sylmar (Calif.), 2001
Estrada didn’t make the Spartans’ team until his senior year but got noticed at Glendale Community College and Long Beach State. He was drafted in the sixth round in 2005 by the Nationals and made his MLB debut in August of 2008. He’s also played with the Brewers before landing in Toronto in 2014.
AL Central
Chicago White Sox – Jose Quintana – Colombia
Quintana, who is starting despite furious trade rumors, was signed as an international free agent in 2006. He made his MLB debut for the White Sox in 2012. He was an All-Star last season and finished with 13 wins and a 3.20 ERA. He pitched for Colombia in this year’s World Baseball Classic.
Cleveland Indians – Corey Kluber – Coppell (Texas), 2004
Kluber was injured his senior year for the Cowboys and went undrafted, but headed to Stetson University. He was drafted by San Diego in 2007 and traded to the Indians in 2010. He led the Indians to the World Series, where they lost to the Cubs. Kluber finished third in the 2016 AL Cy Young voting.
Detroit Tigers – Justin Verlander, Goochland (Va.), 2001
Verlander failed to grab MLB interest his senior year, despite striking out 144 in 72 innings and posting a 0.38 ERA. He went to nearby Old Dominion and was drafted in 2004 by the Tigers. He’s now a six-time All-Star, AL MVP, Al Cy Young winner and has tossed a pair of no-hitters.
Kansas City Royals – Danny Duffy – Cabrillo (Lompoc, Calif.), 2007
Duffy was 5-3 for the Conquistadores with a 0.60 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 58.2 innings in his senior year. He was drafted by the Royals out of high school and made his debut in 2011. He is 36-33 for the Royals, who recently signed the lefty to a five-year contract extension.
Minnesota Twins – Ervin Santana – Dominican Republic
Santana, born Johan Ramon Santana, changed his name in 2003 to avoid conflict with a former Mets pitcher with the same name. Ervin Santana was drafted in 2000 and made his MLB debut in 2005 for the Angels. He’s also played for the Royals and Braves before landing in Minnesota in 2014.
AL West
Houston Astros – Dallas Keuchel – Bishop Kelley (Tulsa, Okla.), 2006
Keuchel, who was labeled as crafty rather than dominant, started three state championship games for the Comets – winning two, including a 3-1 victory his senior year. He was selected out of the University of Arkansas in 2009 and made his MLB debut three years later. Keuchel is the 2015 AL Cy Young award winner.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – Ricky Nolasco – Rialto (Calif.), 2001
Nolasco was drafted out of high school in the fourth round by the Cubs. He made his MLB debut in 2006 with the then-Florida Marlins. He struck out 16 in a 2009 game, breaking the franchise record. Nolasco also has played for the Dodgers and Twins before being shipped to the Angels at last season’s trade deadline.
Oakland Athletics – Kendall Graveman – Benjamin Russell (Alexander City, Ala.), 2009
Graveman struck out 90 in 63 innings and posted a 6-3 mark with a 1.19 ERA in his senior season. He attended Mississippi State and was taken in the 2012 draft, but didn’t sign. He was taken in 2013 by Toronto and made his MLB debut as a late-season call-up in 2014. He was part of the 2014 trade that sent Josh Donaldson from Oakland to Toronto.
Seattle Mariners – Felix Hernandez – Venezuela
The Mariners signed King Felix when he turned 16 in 2002. He dominated the minors and made his Mariners debut in August of 2005. Hernandez is a six-time All-Star, AL Cy Young winner, the M’s all-time strikeout leader and tossed a perfect game in 2012.
Texas Rangers – Yu Darvish – Japan
Darvish was 7-3 in his final high school year for Tohoku High School and despite being heavily scouted, chose to play professionally in Japan for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. He came to the Texas Rangers in 2012 after they won the rights to Darvish for $60 million. He is a three-time All-Star with a 46-30 mark for Texas.
NL East
Atlanta Braves – Julio Teheran – Colombia
Teheran was signed by the Braves as a non-drafted free agent at age 16 in 2007. He made his MLB debut in 2011 against the Phillies. Teheran has a 47-40 record and is a two-time All-Star.
Miami Marlins – Edinson Volquez – Dominican Republic
Volquez signed with the Rangers in 2001 under the name of Julio Reyes before changing to Edinson Volquez in 2003. He made his MLB debut for the Rangers in 2005 and has also played for the Reds, Padres, Dodgers, Pirates, Royals and is now with Miami. He won a World Series in Kansas City in 2015.
New York Mets – Noah Syndergaard – Mansfield Legacy (Mansfield, Texas), 2010
A late bloomer, Syndergaard was a self-described awkward and chubby freshman, but grew to 6-foot-6 by his senior year and his fastball was approaching 96 mph. He was taken by the Blue Jays with the 38th pick in the 2010 draft. A top prospect in the Jays’ system, he was dealt to the Mets in the R.A. Dickey trade and made his Major League debut for the Mets in 2015. Having grown out his hair while in the minors, Syndergaard has embraced the “Thor” moniker in the Big Apple.
Philadelphia Phillies – Jeremy Hellickson – Hoover (Des Moines, Iowa), 2005
After an injury-plagued junior year of high school, Hellickson was 3-0 with 33 strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA is his first 15 innings. Tampa Bay drafted him in the fourth round of the 2005 MLB draft. Hellickson made his MLB debut in 2010, winning the AL Rookie of the Year in 2011. He was traded to Arizona in 2014 and traded again to the Phillies in 2015.
Washington Nationals – Stephen Strasburg – West Hills (Santee, Calif.), 2006
Undrafted out of high school, Strasburg was 2-1 his senior year with a 1.62 ERA. He went to San Diego State to play for Tony Gwynn. Now highly touted, Strasburg was taken with the first pick in the 2009 draft. He advanced quickly through the minors and made his MLB debut in 2010 before tearing a ligament in his throwing arm that required Tommy John surgery. He’s 69-41 with 1,084 strikeouts in seven seasons for the Nats.
NL Central
Chicago Cubs – Jon Lester – Bellarmine Prep (Tacoma, Wash.), 2002
Lester showed his potential as early as his freshman year and was a three-time league MVP and Gatorade State Player of the Year his junior season. He was taken by the Red Sox in the second round in 2002 and made his MLB debut in 2006. A cancer survivor, he tossed a no-hitter in 2008. He was traded to Oakland in 2014 for a pennant run and signed with the Cubs the next season, winning the World Series for Chicago last season.
Cincinnati Reds – Scott Feldman – Burlingame (Calif.), 2000
Feldman tossed a no-hitter his junior season and went to the College of San Mateo after high school, where he was an All-American both seasons. He was taken in the 41st round of the 2002 draft by the Astros. A late-season call-up, he made his MLB debut for the Rangers in 2005. He spent seven seasons with the Rangers and has played for five other teams, including the Reds.
Milwaukee Brewers – Junior Guerra – Venezuela
Guerra was drafted by the Braves in 2001 as a catcher but converted to pitcher. The Mets signed him in 2006, and he played internationally and in independent leagues from 2009-2014. He made his MLB debut in June of 2015 for the White Sox but was waived after three starts. Milwaukee picked him up.
Pittsburgh Pirates – Gerrit Cole – Orange Lutheran (Calif.), 2008
Cole was 8-2 with an 0.47 ERA and 121 strikeouts his senior year. Despite being highly sought, Cole went to UCLA before being selected by the Pirates with the first pick in the 2011 draft. He made his MLB debut in 2013 and has a 47-30 record for the Bucs.
St. Louis Cardinals – Carlos Martinez – Dominican Republic
Martinez was originally signed by the Red Sox in 2009 as an international free agent, but the contract was voided after name and birth date discrepancies. He was signed by the Cardinals in 2010 and made his MLB debut in 2013. Martinez was named an All-Star in 2015 and is 34-21 for the Cards.
NL West
Arizona Diamondbacks – Zack Greinke – Apopka (Fla.), 2002
Greinke was known for his hitting and pitching, with a 9-2 record and a .692 batting average his senior year. Drafted by the Royals in 2002, he made his MLB debut in 2004. Greinke won the AL Cy Young Award in 2009. He has played for the Brewers, Angels, Dodgers, and Astros before signing with the Diamondbacks.
Colorado Rockies – Jon Gray – Chandler (Okla.), 2010
Gray had a stellar senior year with an 11-3 record and 1.20 ERA. He was drafted by the Yankees but chose to go to the University of Oklahoma. Drafted third overall by the Rockies in 2013, he made his MLB debut in 2015 and has become a staple in their rotation.
Los Angeles Dodgers – Clayton Kershaw – Highland Park (Dallas, Texas), 2006
Kershaw was 13-0 with an 0.77 ERA in his senior year. Drafted seventh overall by the Dodgers in 2006, he made his MLB debut in 2008. Kershaw is a three-time Cy Young Award winner and the 2014 NL MVP.
San Diego Padres – Jhoulys Chacín – Venezuela
Chacín was signed as an international free agent by the Rockies in 2004. He made his MLB debut in 2009. Chacín has also played for the Diamondbacks, Braves, Angels, and Brewers before joining the Padres.
San Francisco Giants – Madison Bumgarner – South Caldwell (Hudson, N.C.), 2007
Bumgarner was drafted 10th overall by the Giants in 2007. He made his MLB debut in 2009 and has been a key player in the Giants’ three World Series titles, earning the World Series MVP in 2014.
