LA JOLLA, Calif. - At the Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star break, we take a look at the current whereabouts of former UC San Diego Tritons in the professional ranks.
Guido Knudson is at the highest level of pro baseball out of all UCSD affiliates, now in Triple-A with the Toledo (Ohio) Mud Hens in the Detroit Tigers organization. Knudson, a right-hander and San Diego native out of Bonita Vista High School who pitched for the Tritons from 2008-11, is 1-1 with a 2.22 ERA over 20 relief appearances and 24.1 innings for the Mud Hens (40-51). He has earned some closer duty, now with four saves, second-most on the team. Knudson has 26 strikeouts against 12 walks, and a stellar 1.11 WHIP. Read a recent feature on him in The Toledo Blade here, and watch another one here.
Tim Shibuya, like Knudson a right-hander for the Tritons from 2008-11 and the program's all-time leader in wins (40), innings (423.2) and strikeouts (324), continues to have success. After helping guide the Class A Advanced Fort Myers (Fla.) Miracle to a first-half title in the Florida State League (FSL) South in 2014, he aided the Chattanooga (Tenn.) Lookouts (48-38) to the first-half championship in the Southern League North this year. The Lookouts are the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. Shibuya is 0-3 with a 5.13 ERA over 16 appearances, two of them starts, and 26.1 innings. He has one save, 13 strikeouts and six walks.
Dillon Moyer, who started all 50 games at shortstop for the Tritons in 2013, is currently with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, Class A Advanced affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was placed on the seven-day disabled list on July 3. Moyer has appeared in 68 games so far this season, primarily as the Quakes' shortstop, hitting .202 with 21 runs scored, 12 doubles, three triples and 24 RBI. Rancho Cucamonga secured the California League South first-half crown (41-29), and is currently 50-39.
Justin Donatella was selected in the 15th round of the 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft and signed his first professional contract on June 19, foregoing his final season of college eligibility. He has remained in Scottsdale, Ariz., at the spring training facility of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Donatella has made a pair of perfect one-inning appearances thus far for the rookie-level AZL D-backs of the Arizona League. He drew the start at the AZL Rangers in his professional debut on July 7 and registered his first strikeout around a flyout and a groundout. He then posted two called third strikes before getting on the end of a 4-1 putout in the fourth inning of a 4-3 win at the AZL Athletics on July 12, earning a hold.
Richard Seigel (2012-13) is in his second season with the Gateway Grizzlies of the independent Frontier League in Sauget, Ill. He was Gateway's first-round selection in the league's 2014 draft. The Grizzlies are 17-33, with Seigel hitting .275 over 42 games played with 16 runs, six doubles, one triple, one home run and 14 RBI. He has been in the Grizzlies' lineup in right field, first base, or at designated hitter this year.
Trevor Scott, a four-year left-handed starting pitcher from 2012-15, took part in Sixth College commencement on June 14 having earned his UCSD degree in bioengineering, and three days later, flew overseas to Germany to begin a professional career with the Deggendorf Dragons. Deggendorf is a town in southeast Germany. It is about an hour and a half northeast of Munich, near the Czech Republic and Austria borders.
Infielder Vance Albitz (2007-10) was released by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim organization in the off-season after finishing 2014 with the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees, and is currently an assistant coach with a former club in the Memphis (Tenn.) Redbirds. The Redbirds are the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, and have produced a 48-43 record thus far in 2015, good enough for second place in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) American Southern at the conclusion of the first half. Right-hander Jeff Rauh (2009-12) was let go by the State College Spikes, the Cardinals' Class A Short Season affiliate, back on March 23.
Please email Doga Gur at dgur@ucsd.edu with any omissions on this list.
JUSTIN DONATELLA, RHP (@jdonatella9)
AZL D-backs (Rookie, Arizona Diamondbacks)
Arizona League
Scottsdale, Ariz.
GUIDO KNUDSON, RHP (@GKnudson15)
Toledo Mud Hens (AAA, Detroit Tigers)
International League
Toledo, Ohio
@MudHens
DILLON MOYER, IF
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (A Advanced, Los Angeles Dodgers)
California League
Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
@RCQuakes
TREVOR SCOTT, LHP
Deggendorf Dragons
Deggendorf, Germany
RICHARD SEIGEL, OF/IF (@rseigel18)
Gateway Grizzlies (Independent)
Frontier League
Sauget, Ill.
@GatewayGrizzlie
TIM SHIBUYA, RHP
Chattanooga Lookouts (AA, Minnesota Twins)
Southern League
Chattanooga, Tenn.
@ChattLookouts
#TritonsRising
