WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Highlighted by Kevin Plawecki earning the Opening Day start at catcher for the New York Mets, 10 Purdue baseball alumni are beginning their pro ball seasons as the calendar turns to April.
Plawecki was 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and two runs scored in the Mets' Opening Day win vs. St. Louis. He was behind the plate as ace Noah Syndergaard struck out 10 over six innings. Plawecki (2010-12) became the first Boilermaker since Jermaine Allensworth in 1998 to start on Opening Day of the Major League Baseball season. Allensworth was the Pittsburgh Pirates' Opening Day center fielder in both 1997 and 1998. Allensworth (1991-93) will be inducted into the Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame this year.
Plawecki was among the program-record four former Boilermakers to play in the big leagues in 2017. He made his MLB debut in April 2015 and was on the Mets' playoff roster that fall, including the World Series. Plawecki is purportedly in line for an increase in playing time this season and could serve as Syndergaard's designated catcher.
Cameron Perkins (2010-12), Nick Wittgren (2011-12) and Josh Lindblom (2007-08) also played in the big leagues last year.
Wittgren remains on the Marlins' 40-man roster, but is expected to start the season with Triple-A New Orleans as he continues to work his way back from an injury that sidelined him for the final two months of the 2017 season.
Perkins will also begin the new season in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League with the Tacoma Rainiers. He made his MLB debut with the Philadelphia Phillies last season, but was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners in December. Seattle originally drafted Perkins in 2009 after his senior season of high school. Perkins' previous Triple-A experience was exclusively in the International League. He's currently on the Mariners' 40-man roster.
Lindblom returned to the Korean Baseball Organization to finish the 2017 campaign. In the offseason, he signed with the Doosan Bears of the KBO. Lindblom has opened the new season in Doosan's rotation.
Jordan Comadena (2005-2008) begins his third year as a bullpen catcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was an assistant coach with the Boilermakers in 2016 when he first received an opportunity to join the Pirates in a part-time role for home games. He was elevated to full-time role in time for MLB spring training last season.
Matt Frawley (2014-16), Jordan Minch (2013-14), Brad Schreiber (2010-13) and Kyle Johnson (2013-16) are continuing to pitch in MiLB. Frawley and Minch are expected to return to familiar locales with the Tampa Tarpons (Yankees affiliate) and Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Cubs affiliate) at the Class A Advanced level where they finished the 2017 season.
Like Wittgren, Schreiber and Johnson are working their way back from injuries. Schreiber is likely to return to the Lancaster JetHawks (Rockies affiliate) of the High-A California League. Johnson made the transition from outfielder to pitcher after signing as an undrafted free agent with the New York Yankees in 2016. He had shoulder surgery last summer and is reporting to Florida for extended spring training next week. He'll be there for about a month before receiving his MiLB assignment.
Shane Bryant (2015-16) and Kyle Wood (2013-16) are ready to play another season in the independent Frontier League. Bryant has been part of the starting rotation the last two years for the Joliet Slammers, a ball club managed by Purdue alumnus Jeff Isom (1991-93). Wood is ready for another season with the Windy City ThunderBolts. He was an all-star last year. The Frontier League season begins the second weekend of May. Joliet and Windy City play 12 games against each other, squaring off in one series every month from May through August.
| Purdue Alumnus | MiLB/Pro Team | Location | League (Class) | MLB Organization |
| Shane Bryant | Joliet Slammers | Joliet, Ill. | Frontier (Indie) | NA |
| Matt Frawley | Tampa Tarpons | Charleston, W.Va. | Florida State (High A) | New York Yankees |
| Kyle Johnson | MiLB Assignment TBD | TBD | TBD | New York Yankees |
| Josh Lindblom | Doosan Bears | Seoul, South Korea | Korean Baseball Organization | NA |
| Jordan Minch | Myrtle Beach Pelicans | Myrtle Beach, S.C. | Carolina (High A) | Chicago Cubs |
| Cameron Perkins | Tacoma Rainiers | Tacoma, Wash. | Pacific Coast (AAA) | Seattle Mariners |
| Kevin Plawecki | New York Mets | New York, N.Y. | National (MLB) | New York Mets |
| Brad Schreiber | Lancaster JetHawks | Lancaster, Calif. | California (High-A) | Colorado Rockies |
| Nick Wittgren | New Orleans Baby Cakes | New Orleans, La. | Pacific Coast (AAA) | Miami Marlins |
| Kyle Wood | Windy City ThunderBolts | Crestwood, Ill. | Frontier (Indie) | NA |