SCSU alumni look ahead to 2023 professional season
3/29/2023 5:15:00 PM | Baseball
Five former Huskies can be found across the ranks of professional baseball entering 2023
ST. CLOUD, Minn – As Opening Day approaches across professional baseball, five St. Cloud State Baseball alumni are preparing for another season at the game's highest levels. Righthanded pitcher Nick Anderson (2009-11), lefthander Matt Osterberg (2018-21) along with outfielders Najee Gaskins (2019) and Caeden Harris (2017-19) each are currently active while Jordan Smith (2010-11) looks ahead to his first season as the manager of the Lynchburg Hillcats (Class A, Cleveland).
Matt Osterberg enters his third season of professional baseball in the Philadelphia Phillies organization, selected in the 15th round of the 2021 MLB Amateur Draft. Last season, the lefthander posted a 3.18 ERA across 65.0 innings of work between Class A Clearwater and AA affiliate Reading, striking out 52 batters while walking just 15. Osterberg made his AA debut with the Fightin' Phils on August 27 against Binghampton, retiring four of five batters faced in a scoreless appearance.
"Learning to pitch to my strengths – one of the things I've worked on a lot is hitting the upper-third of the zone," said Osterberg, "My fastball has a lot of ride to it, so that's one of the pieces they really had me focusing on. Throughout the instructs block in 2021 I spent plenty of time developing a changeup. I think I went through five or six different grips on it before I finally found one that worked for me. Increasing the percentage that I threw it really worked for me, keeping hitters off-balance and off my fastball.
After signing with the Phillies on July 20, 2021, Osterberg made his professional debut in the FCL before spending the rest of his rookie season in Clearwater – allowing just four earned runs in 19.2 innings of work for a 1.83 ERA and striking out 21.
"Another area I focused on was forcing myself to the inside corner against righties," Osterberg said, "My whole life had been focused on hitting that outer half over and over and over, so finally being able to get to the gloveside consistently and bust in on hitters' hands has made a big difference to me."
Over his four-year Huskies career, Osterberg won 12 games over 35 appearances and 25 starts, tossing 159.2 innings to the tune of a 3.72 ERA and a 3.04 FIP. Working to a 146 ERA+, the lefthander struck out 192 batters and spun a 1.322 WHIP with a .240/.322/.346 opponent slash line.
"I hope to bare minimum finish in AA," Osterberg concluded, "I had that little taste of it last season, and I don't want to be any lower than that this year – I think that's my biggest goal."
Najee Gaskins heads into his fifth season of professional baseball after signing with the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the American Association this past March. The Vail, Arizona product was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 20th round of the 2019 MLB Amateur Draft and spent four seasons with the organization. Across 71 games between Class A San Jose and High-A Eugene last year, Gaskins slashed .270/.380/.351 for a .731 OPS before closing his season with Lake Erie in the Frontier League, hitting .300 and producing an .855 OPS over 15 games.
"I've been trying to stay through the zone way longer," said Gaskins, "Trying to lay off those outside sliders and backdoor sinkers. I've been working on that, working on my arm, and I feel ready to go for this season. I feel pretty good honestly, better than I have in previous years."
Gaskins has played in 141 games at the professional level, owning a career .285/.387/.387 triple-slash for a .773 OPS with 24 doubles, four triples, four home runs and 44 RBI while adding 29 stolen bases. Noted for his work in the field, Gaskins has committed just four errors in 999.2 pro innings across the three outfield spots with five outfield assists.
"I've grown so much in a sense of not taking every at-bat as seriously as I did my first and second year of pro ball," Gaskins continued, "Every at-bat I used to have the mindset of 'I have to get a hit, I have to do this.' It's not really that short-term mindset anymore, now it's about the long term. If I have a bad day, I always have tomorrow. That's something that I had to learn. You have to give everything you have, but the result won't always be in your favor."
Joining St. Cloud State in 2019 after two years at Arizona Western Community College, Gaskins set the table for a potent Huskies lineup by producing a .362/.452/.568 slash line for a 1.020 OPS, belting 12 doubles, four triples and six long balls while scoring 55 runs and stealing 18 bases. Gaskins did not commit an error as the Huskies' everyday centerfielder, leading the club to an NCAA Regional appearance.
"You have to rely on your teammates," concluded Gaskins, "You have to rely on and trust other people because you are not going to be 100% all the time. You have to find that core group that can build you up, remind you that you can do this and that you're here for a reason. It's finding that group and knowing that you are where you're supposed to be. There's times where you question whether you can play at that level, and it's tough. Playing 140 games or so – that's a lot. The season is long, and you have to figure out how to make it all the way. Maintaining your weight, being mobile, doing your work before the game, you have to be ready before practice. You have to be ready to go to practice and get better, then go and play the game."
Caeden Harris begins his fifth season of professional baseball in 2023, having made stops in the City of Champions Cup, Pioneer League and American Association. Originally signed by the Joliet Slammers of the Frontier League in 2019, Harris has played 45 games of independent ball with a strong combination of pop and speed.
"When you go into the offseason as a free agent, it's something where your number one priority is finding the right home," said Harris, "I ended the season with the Monarchs, then you become a free agent immediately. It just affects where you spend time in the offseason. There's plenty of resources for me in Kansas City to train. I've spent a good amount of time in Houston and Arizona each of my past three offseasons, it's great to go there with the increased amount of baseball down there in the winter months."
Harris made his American Association debut with the Kansas City Monarchs last season, going 2-for-6 (.333) in three games played while producing an .833 OPS. In 2021 the corner outfielder spent his time with the Billings Mustangs, scoring 17 runs and stealing seven bases in 28 games while crushing seven doubles and a home run.
"I was definitely pressed for success my senior year," Harris said, "I felt like it was my final opportunity to have scouts see me. Having such a big junior year and not being drafted after that made me feel like I had to be superman to get any attention, and so it took a little of the fun out of it my senior year and the first year of pro ball. Letting myself be able to mentally relax and just play the game has helped me to play better and enjoy training more again. I worked very hard in the weight room to be as big and as strong as I could, but I'm a lot more athletic and leaner now than I was in college. Flexibility has been a key for me, loosening up my swing. I use a lot more of my body, I'm a lot more fluid."
As a redshirt junior in 2018, Harris posted .393/.469/.577 slash line for a 1.045 OPS to go with eight doubles, five triples, four home runs, 39 runs scored, 39 RBI and a .459 wOBA. All in all, he led St. Cloud State in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, and wOBA. He finished second among all Northern Sun qualifiers in on-base percentage and was fourth in both batting average and OPS. Compared to his fellow qualifying NSIC outfielders, Harris led the position group in OBP and finished second in batting average and OPS. Harris rebounded from a nasty back injury suffered early in his 2019 campaign, finishing with a .280/.346/.445 triple slash while scoring 37 runs, clubbing eight doubles, five triples and three home runs to go with 30 RBI.
"Of all the seasons I've played so far, playing with the Monarchs has been my best experience," concluded Harris, "To play with so many ex-big leaguers, guys I could learn a lot from, that made baseball fun again for me too. Competing against guys older than me who played in the big leagues helped prove to me that I have the talent, I have what it takes, but continuing to keep working on my mentals to know what's important."
Nick Anderson will begin his fifth season of Major League Baseball and ninth professional campaign overall as a member of the Atlanta Braves' Opening Day Roster. The righthander signed with the Braves in November after missing most of 2022 following surgery on his UCL, owning a career 2.89 ERA across 93 major league appearances with eight saves and a 137:23 K:BB ratio over 87.1 innings of work.
Anderson spent three seasons with St. Cloud State from 2009-11 before closing his collegiate career at Mayville State. The Crosby, Minnesota native delivered a phenomenal sophomore season at SCSU in 2010 by going 8-4 with a 3.33 ERA across 14 starts, striking out 88 batters and working to a 1.24 WHIP over 92.0 innings of work.
Jordan Smith begins his first season as the manager of the Lynchburg Hillcats, the Class A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. A veteran of the organization, Smith is in his fifth season of coaching with the Guardians and spent 2022 as the manager of the club's Arizona Complex League affiliate.
"I've really enjoyed my time with Cleveland," said Smith, "It's been an awesome fit for my family and myself. Once you retire and move on, it's always interesting to see what happens next. Being with Cleveland has been the perfect home. I loved it as a player, and now coaching they've treated us incredibly well. We're enjoying it, we love the adventure and we're doing it as a family so it's been a lot of fun."
Smith began his coaching career in 2019 as the bench coach of the Class A Lake County Captains, remaining in the role through 2021 as the affiliate moved up to High-A.
"My main takeaway is reflecting back on coaches I've had," Smith said, "From Dolan to youth coaches to my dad, just basically seeing what good coaches do. The backbone of that is that they just care about their players as people and young men first, and let the baseball side come second. All my favorite coaches and managers have respected me and tried to develop me as a man first and a player second."
An eight-year professional player in the Cleveland organization, Smith was a lifetime .271 hitter with 159 doubles, 27 triples and 32 home runs while driving in 348 runs. The lefthanded hitter reached AAA in both 2016 and 2017 before closing his playing career in the American Association with Sioux Falls and St. Paul in 2018.
"The older you get and further you get from playing, the more it slows down," Smith said, "As a younger player in college I had a lot of success and played on some really good teams, but when you're in it it's really hard to reflect. Once your career is done, you really enjoy the experiences, the coaches, the players – some of my best experiences were just traveling with the guys. A lot of my memories are the trips, the travel, having conversations. I don't remember a lot of my individual experiences, instead it's being on a field with a group of guys that you genuinely care about."
Earning both NSIC Freshman and Player of the Year honors in his time at St. Cloud State, Smith was selected in the ninth round of the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft following a sophomore campaign in which he hit .382 with 22 doubles, seven home runs and 57 RBI. His freshman season in 2010 saw the standout slash .457/.521/.829 for a 1.349 OPS with 23 doubles, five triples, 15 home runs and 78 RBI while stealing 17 bases.
"I'm most excited about the new challenge, the unknowns and being able to bring my family with on the adventure," concluded Smith, "Being able to make it a family thing. Every year you go into a new season, especially Minor League Baseball, you're not exactly sure what your team is going to be. You're not sure what players you're going to have, who's going to be healthy – there's a lot of challenges, but there's also a lot of excitement to see how good we can get as a team with what we have on the field. Doing it with my kids and family there, looking up and seeing them in the stands is the best joy in the world."
In all, St. Cloud State Baseball has seen six alumni reach the Major Leagues, 18 selected in the MLB Amateur Draft and 20 ink professional contracts for a total of 38 pro players. Six Huskies recruited and coached by head coach Pat Dolan have been selected in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft – lefthander David Deminsky in 2010, third baseman Jordan Smith and outfielder Brian Hansen in 2011, righthander Kyle Fischer in 2014, outfielder Najee Gaskins in 2019 and lefthander Matt Osterberg in 2021 – in addition to 10 free agent signees. Across Dolan's entire career, he has recruited and coached 37 professional players. Ryan Duffy, Caeden Harris, Caleb Marquez, Reese Gregory, Garrett Harrison, Mike Jurgella, Sean Borman, Scott Lieser, Nate Hammes and Kyle Resser each signed professional contracts after their St. Cloud State careers concluded.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Baseball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Matt Osterberg enters his third season of professional baseball in the Philadelphia Phillies organization, selected in the 15th round of the 2021 MLB Amateur Draft. Last season, the lefthander posted a 3.18 ERA across 65.0 innings of work between Class A Clearwater and AA affiliate Reading, striking out 52 batters while walking just 15. Osterberg made his AA debut with the Fightin' Phils on August 27 against Binghampton, retiring four of five batters faced in a scoreless appearance.
"Learning to pitch to my strengths – one of the things I've worked on a lot is hitting the upper-third of the zone," said Osterberg, "My fastball has a lot of ride to it, so that's one of the pieces they really had me focusing on. Throughout the instructs block in 2021 I spent plenty of time developing a changeup. I think I went through five or six different grips on it before I finally found one that worked for me. Increasing the percentage that I threw it really worked for me, keeping hitters off-balance and off my fastball.
After signing with the Phillies on July 20, 2021, Osterberg made his professional debut in the FCL before spending the rest of his rookie season in Clearwater – allowing just four earned runs in 19.2 innings of work for a 1.83 ERA and striking out 21.
"Another area I focused on was forcing myself to the inside corner against righties," Osterberg said, "My whole life had been focused on hitting that outer half over and over and over, so finally being able to get to the gloveside consistently and bust in on hitters' hands has made a big difference to me."
Over his four-year Huskies career, Osterberg won 12 games over 35 appearances and 25 starts, tossing 159.2 innings to the tune of a 3.72 ERA and a 3.04 FIP. Working to a 146 ERA+, the lefthander struck out 192 batters and spun a 1.322 WHIP with a .240/.322/.346 opponent slash line.
"I hope to bare minimum finish in AA," Osterberg concluded, "I had that little taste of it last season, and I don't want to be any lower than that this year – I think that's my biggest goal."
Najee Gaskins heads into his fifth season of professional baseball after signing with the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the American Association this past March. The Vail, Arizona product was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 20th round of the 2019 MLB Amateur Draft and spent four seasons with the organization. Across 71 games between Class A San Jose and High-A Eugene last year, Gaskins slashed .270/.380/.351 for a .731 OPS before closing his season with Lake Erie in the Frontier League, hitting .300 and producing an .855 OPS over 15 games.
"I've been trying to stay through the zone way longer," said Gaskins, "Trying to lay off those outside sliders and backdoor sinkers. I've been working on that, working on my arm, and I feel ready to go for this season. I feel pretty good honestly, better than I have in previous years."
Gaskins has played in 141 games at the professional level, owning a career .285/.387/.387 triple-slash for a .773 OPS with 24 doubles, four triples, four home runs and 44 RBI while adding 29 stolen bases. Noted for his work in the field, Gaskins has committed just four errors in 999.2 pro innings across the three outfield spots with five outfield assists.
"I've grown so much in a sense of not taking every at-bat as seriously as I did my first and second year of pro ball," Gaskins continued, "Every at-bat I used to have the mindset of 'I have to get a hit, I have to do this.' It's not really that short-term mindset anymore, now it's about the long term. If I have a bad day, I always have tomorrow. That's something that I had to learn. You have to give everything you have, but the result won't always be in your favor."
Joining St. Cloud State in 2019 after two years at Arizona Western Community College, Gaskins set the table for a potent Huskies lineup by producing a .362/.452/.568 slash line for a 1.020 OPS, belting 12 doubles, four triples and six long balls while scoring 55 runs and stealing 18 bases. Gaskins did not commit an error as the Huskies' everyday centerfielder, leading the club to an NCAA Regional appearance.
"You have to rely on your teammates," concluded Gaskins, "You have to rely on and trust other people because you are not going to be 100% all the time. You have to find that core group that can build you up, remind you that you can do this and that you're here for a reason. It's finding that group and knowing that you are where you're supposed to be. There's times where you question whether you can play at that level, and it's tough. Playing 140 games or so – that's a lot. The season is long, and you have to figure out how to make it all the way. Maintaining your weight, being mobile, doing your work before the game, you have to be ready before practice. You have to be ready to go to practice and get better, then go and play the game."
Caeden Harris begins his fifth season of professional baseball in 2023, having made stops in the City of Champions Cup, Pioneer League and American Association. Originally signed by the Joliet Slammers of the Frontier League in 2019, Harris has played 45 games of independent ball with a strong combination of pop and speed.
"When you go into the offseason as a free agent, it's something where your number one priority is finding the right home," said Harris, "I ended the season with the Monarchs, then you become a free agent immediately. It just affects where you spend time in the offseason. There's plenty of resources for me in Kansas City to train. I've spent a good amount of time in Houston and Arizona each of my past three offseasons, it's great to go there with the increased amount of baseball down there in the winter months."
Harris made his American Association debut with the Kansas City Monarchs last season, going 2-for-6 (.333) in three games played while producing an .833 OPS. In 2021 the corner outfielder spent his time with the Billings Mustangs, scoring 17 runs and stealing seven bases in 28 games while crushing seven doubles and a home run.
"I was definitely pressed for success my senior year," Harris said, "I felt like it was my final opportunity to have scouts see me. Having such a big junior year and not being drafted after that made me feel like I had to be superman to get any attention, and so it took a little of the fun out of it my senior year and the first year of pro ball. Letting myself be able to mentally relax and just play the game has helped me to play better and enjoy training more again. I worked very hard in the weight room to be as big and as strong as I could, but I'm a lot more athletic and leaner now than I was in college. Flexibility has been a key for me, loosening up my swing. I use a lot more of my body, I'm a lot more fluid."
As a redshirt junior in 2018, Harris posted .393/.469/.577 slash line for a 1.045 OPS to go with eight doubles, five triples, four home runs, 39 runs scored, 39 RBI and a .459 wOBA. All in all, he led St. Cloud State in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, and wOBA. He finished second among all Northern Sun qualifiers in on-base percentage and was fourth in both batting average and OPS. Compared to his fellow qualifying NSIC outfielders, Harris led the position group in OBP and finished second in batting average and OPS. Harris rebounded from a nasty back injury suffered early in his 2019 campaign, finishing with a .280/.346/.445 triple slash while scoring 37 runs, clubbing eight doubles, five triples and three home runs to go with 30 RBI.
"Of all the seasons I've played so far, playing with the Monarchs has been my best experience," concluded Harris, "To play with so many ex-big leaguers, guys I could learn a lot from, that made baseball fun again for me too. Competing against guys older than me who played in the big leagues helped prove to me that I have the talent, I have what it takes, but continuing to keep working on my mentals to know what's important."
Nick Anderson will begin his fifth season of Major League Baseball and ninth professional campaign overall as a member of the Atlanta Braves' Opening Day Roster. The righthander signed with the Braves in November after missing most of 2022 following surgery on his UCL, owning a career 2.89 ERA across 93 major league appearances with eight saves and a 137:23 K:BB ratio over 87.1 innings of work.
Anderson spent three seasons with St. Cloud State from 2009-11 before closing his collegiate career at Mayville State. The Crosby, Minnesota native delivered a phenomenal sophomore season at SCSU in 2010 by going 8-4 with a 3.33 ERA across 14 starts, striking out 88 batters and working to a 1.24 WHIP over 92.0 innings of work.
Jordan Smith begins his first season as the manager of the Lynchburg Hillcats, the Class A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. A veteran of the organization, Smith is in his fifth season of coaching with the Guardians and spent 2022 as the manager of the club's Arizona Complex League affiliate.
"I've really enjoyed my time with Cleveland," said Smith, "It's been an awesome fit for my family and myself. Once you retire and move on, it's always interesting to see what happens next. Being with Cleveland has been the perfect home. I loved it as a player, and now coaching they've treated us incredibly well. We're enjoying it, we love the adventure and we're doing it as a family so it's been a lot of fun."
Smith began his coaching career in 2019 as the bench coach of the Class A Lake County Captains, remaining in the role through 2021 as the affiliate moved up to High-A.
"My main takeaway is reflecting back on coaches I've had," Smith said, "From Dolan to youth coaches to my dad, just basically seeing what good coaches do. The backbone of that is that they just care about their players as people and young men first, and let the baseball side come second. All my favorite coaches and managers have respected me and tried to develop me as a man first and a player second."
An eight-year professional player in the Cleveland organization, Smith was a lifetime .271 hitter with 159 doubles, 27 triples and 32 home runs while driving in 348 runs. The lefthanded hitter reached AAA in both 2016 and 2017 before closing his playing career in the American Association with Sioux Falls and St. Paul in 2018.
"The older you get and further you get from playing, the more it slows down," Smith said, "As a younger player in college I had a lot of success and played on some really good teams, but when you're in it it's really hard to reflect. Once your career is done, you really enjoy the experiences, the coaches, the players – some of my best experiences were just traveling with the guys. A lot of my memories are the trips, the travel, having conversations. I don't remember a lot of my individual experiences, instead it's being on a field with a group of guys that you genuinely care about."
Earning both NSIC Freshman and Player of the Year honors in his time at St. Cloud State, Smith was selected in the ninth round of the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft following a sophomore campaign in which he hit .382 with 22 doubles, seven home runs and 57 RBI. His freshman season in 2010 saw the standout slash .457/.521/.829 for a 1.349 OPS with 23 doubles, five triples, 15 home runs and 78 RBI while stealing 17 bases.
"I'm most excited about the new challenge, the unknowns and being able to bring my family with on the adventure," concluded Smith, "Being able to make it a family thing. Every year you go into a new season, especially Minor League Baseball, you're not exactly sure what your team is going to be. You're not sure what players you're going to have, who's going to be healthy – there's a lot of challenges, but there's also a lot of excitement to see how good we can get as a team with what we have on the field. Doing it with my kids and family there, looking up and seeing them in the stands is the best joy in the world."
In all, St. Cloud State Baseball has seen six alumni reach the Major Leagues, 18 selected in the MLB Amateur Draft and 20 ink professional contracts for a total of 38 pro players. Six Huskies recruited and coached by head coach Pat Dolan have been selected in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft – lefthander David Deminsky in 2010, third baseman Jordan Smith and outfielder Brian Hansen in 2011, righthander Kyle Fischer in 2014, outfielder Najee Gaskins in 2019 and lefthander Matt Osterberg in 2021 – in addition to 10 free agent signees. Across Dolan's entire career, he has recruited and coached 37 professional players. Ryan Duffy, Caeden Harris, Caleb Marquez, Reese Gregory, Garrett Harrison, Mike Jurgella, Sean Borman, Scott Lieser, Nate Hammes and Kyle Resser each signed professional contracts after their St. Cloud State careers concluded.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Baseball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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