Indiana Baseball Alumni Ready to Shine in MLB Playoffs

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – For the first time since the 2021 season, five former Indiana baseball players have played at least one game for a Major League Baseball team in 2024.

Two of them are expected to make significant contributions to their clubs as the baseball playoffs begin.

The playoffs begin Tuesday, but Indiana’s two expected playoff contributors won’t start until the divisional playoff round, with their teams receiving byes as one of the top two division champions in their respective leagues.

A former Indiana star player is familiar. Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber had one of his finest seasons in 2024.

Schwarber had 38 home runs, 104 RBIs and a .248 average for the Phillies, appearing in 150 games for the NL East champions.

While he crossed the 40 home run mark in 2022 and 2023 for the Phillies, Schwarber’s .248 batting average was his best since hitting .266 while splitting the 2021 season between the Washington Nationals and the Boston Red Sox.

Schwarber had a career-high 3.5 WAR according to baseball-reference.com’s definition of advanced statistics. His previous best was 2.3 for the Chicago Cubs in 2019 and the Phillies in 2022.

In addition to his on-field exploits, Schwarber is the Phillies’ nominee to win the coveted Roberto Clemente Award.

Schwarber has been stronger in the playoffs than he typically is in the regular season. His career postseason batting average is .245, 15 points better than his career regular season average. Schwarber hit 5 home runs in 7 games for the Phillies during their 2023 NLCS series against Arizona.

He also hit 6 home runs during Philadelphia’s 2022 World Series championship. Schwarber also hit 5 home runs as a rookie in 2015 during the Chicago Cubs’ run to the postseason.

Schwarber, a native of Middletown, Ohio, played at Indiana from 2012-14, helping the Hoosiers reach the College World Series in 2013.

The Phillies will begin their playoff run Saturday by hosting the winner of the Milwaukee Brewers-New York Mets Wild Card series. This NLDS series will be televised on Fox or FS1.

Another former Hoosier who will play an important role in the postseason is Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Tim Herrin.

Herrin had an exceptional season for the Guardians. Part of the best bullpen in baseball with a 2.57 ERA, Herrin was lights out. He had a 1.95 ERA in 75 appearances for Cleveland. His WHIP (scores and hits divided per innings pitched) was an outstanding 0.975. Herrin struck out 68 batters in 65 2/3 innings.

Herrin was at the front of the Guardians’ bullpen, as he usually entered the game in the sixth or seventh inning. Herrin had 16 catches for the guards.

Herrin, a native of Terre Haute, Indiana, is in his second season at the Major League level. He improved significantly from his rookie campaign in 2023, where he had a 5.53 ERA in 23 appearances.

Herrin pitched for Indiana from 2016 to 2018. He had a career ERA of 3.44 for the Hoosiers.

The Guardians begin their American League playoff journey Saturday by hosting the winner of the Detroit Tigers-Houston Astros Wild Card Series. This ALDS series will be televised on TBS.

Another former Hoosier, pitcher Scott Effross, pitched for the New York Yankees in 2024. He appeared in three games, most recently in a Friday game against Pittsburgh. Effross is a long way from making the Yankees’ postseason roster. The Yankees begin their ALDS series against Baltimore or Kansas City on Saturday. Effross played for the Hoosiers from 2013-2015.

Two other former Hoosiers who played in 2024 will not make the playoffs.

Pitcher Tanner Gordon made eight starts for the Colorado Rockies in 2024. He finished with an 0-8 record and an 8.65 ERA for a Rockies team with 101 losses. Gordon played at Indiana in 2019.

Andrew Saalfrank, who played at Indiana from 2017-2019, made 2 appearances for the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks were eliminated from the playoffs on the final day of the season, but Saalfrank wouldn’t have played a role anyway. He was banned by Major League Baseball in June for one year for violating MLB’s sports gambling rules.