Red Raiders in the Pros – MLB & AAA - Red Raider Dugout

Red Raiders in the Pros – MLB & AAA

As you know, we endeavor to keep up with Texas Tech Baseball players of the future, the present, and the past. Currently, there are 23 former Red Raiders chasing their dreams in professional baseball and we will check in occasionally to see how they’re doing in pro ball. You can keep up with them in our Red Raiders in the Pros section on the website, those profiles are updated regularly to include their newest advancements or setbacks.


MLB

In this section of the site, we track those Red Raiders who have played in the MLB for any length of time. There are three active players who have an MLB Debut, one of those is currently on an MLB roster. If a player does have an MLB Debut and is active, they will remain at the top of this page, but if they are currently in the MiLB they will also be tracked on our Active Sub-MLB Players section as well.


DANNY COULOMBE, LHP

2022: 2.2IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB | ERA: 0.00 | WHIP: 0.75 | OPP AVG: .111

Danny Coulombe was Texas Tech’s opening day starter in 2011 and tossed a combined no-hitter contributing four innings in his start. Season-ending Tommy John surgery cut his time in the Red and Black short but he has put together an MLB career spanning eight seasons and is currently on the Minnesota Twins’ active roster for the third straight season. Coulombe was drafted in the 25th round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the LA Dodgers and made his MLB Debut on September 16, 2014.


AAA

ZACH DAVIS, CF

2022: .125/.300/.250 | 2B, RBI, BB, 4K | 1-1 SB

Zach Davis is perhaps best remembered for his blazing speed, which was a large part of the famous steal of home against the University of Texas in Lubbock in 2014. That Sunday game ended in a loss, but the energy of that game-tying moment of speed and grit has become one of the defining moments of Texas Tech’s magical first run to the College World Series and of the Tim Tadlock era at Texas Tech. For many Red Raider fans, that was an introduction to what baseball was about to become at Texas Tech.


Davis has faced a long and challenging road through his entire baseball career, but his willingness to work and show up has continued to serve him well. That path was chronicled here in a 2019 article from Beachbound & Down from Davis’s time with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans: From the chopping block to the Cubs: How Zach Davis’ career almost ended before it started.

Davis was drafted in the 32nd round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs. He has remained in the Cubs organization for his entire career and broke into AAA in 2021. He has remained there with the Iowa Cubs playing center field. The Cubs have worked to turn Davis into a switch hitter and he has continued to use the speed tool in the outfield and on the basepaths. He is currently 88-for-121 in stolen bases in his career and was a 2018 Organizational All-Star with 38 swipes that season.


ROBERT DUGGER, RHP

2022: 5.0IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 4K, 3BB, 1HB | ERA: 0.00 | WHIP: 0.80 | OPP AVG: .067

Dugger became a Red Raider in 2016 after transferring from Cisco Junior College and was a key bullpen arm in the Red Raiders’ run to the College World Series that year. He posted a 2.67 ERA eating 60.2 innings and fanning 54 in his season for Tech.

Dugger was drafted in the 18th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners in 2016 and made his MLB Debut with the Miami Marlins on August 8, 2019. He has put in MLB work in each of the last three seasons and is currently with the AAA Durham Bulls as part of the Tampa Bay Rays organization, widely considered to have one of the top three farm systems in the MLB.


JOSH JUNG, 3B

Josh Jung’s contributions to Texas Tech Baseball need little introduction. He played for the Red Raiders from 2017-2019 and was the leader of two runs to the College World Series (Tech’s first back-to-back trips) and two Big 12 Championships.

Jung had many big swings in his Red Raider career, but one will live on in the memory of many because of how unusual it is to see at any level of baseball.

Jung was drafted #8 overall by the Texas Rangers in the 2019 MLB Draft and after hitting .588 over four games in Rookie ball in the Arizona League, finished the season with the High-A Hickory Crawdads. With the events of 2020 forcing cancellation of the MiLB season, Jung spent that MLB season in the Rangers’ Alternate Training Site where he impressed coaches and teammates with his preparation, commitment to improvement, and maturity.

Jung hit .308 in 43 games with the AA Frisco RoughRiders after missing the beginning of the season with a stress fracture in his foot. He then hit .348 over 35 games with the AAA Round Rock Express. It seemed Jung was poised to make an MLB Debut in the 2022 season, but a shoulder injury first noticed during weight training will sideline him for most of the season after he underwent shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum.

Jung remains one of the top prospects in the Texas Rangers system (#2 in the MLB prospect rankings) and will look to get back on track once he can get back to work, most likely in the early fall.


CALEB KILIAN, RHP

2022: 2.2IP, 2H, 0R, 0ER, 6K, BB | ERA: 0.00 | WHIP: 1.13 | OPP AVG: .222

Caleb Kilian played for the Red Raiders from 2017-2019 and emerged in his final two seasons as one of Texas Tech’s most reliable starters in recent memory. He finished his career in the Red and Black with a 23-6 record and in 2019 fanned 89 hitters to only 20 walks across 96.1 innings in 17 starts. Kilian finished with a career 3.61 ERA and was taken in the 8th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants. Kilian was one of two prospects sent from the Giants to the Cubs in a blockbuster trade that brought All-Star third baseman Kris Bryant to the Bay City.

Kilian has emerged as the top pitching prospect in the Cubs organization. In the Fall, Kilian was selected to participate in the Arizona Fall League, an opportunity reserved for top prospects. Kilian was exceptional in the AFL and tossed six perfect innings in the AFL Championship game, earning him a selection to the East Fall Star Team. Kilian has one appearance so far in 2022 and picked up right where he left off tossing “easy gas” as some writers have described his mid-90s velocity. Kilian is well-positioned and it’s reasonable to assume he’s one injury on the Cubs’ roster from seeing an MLB debut.


PARKER MUSHINSKI, LHP

2022: 2.1IP, H, R, 0ER, 3K, 0BB | ERA: 0.00 | WHIP: 0.43 | OPP AVG: .111

In his time at Texas Tech (2015-2017), Parker Mushinski developed into one of the Red Raiders’ most important bullpen options and led the team with 31 appearances in 2017. Mushinski held opposing batters to a .185 average that season and turned in a 2.15 ERA through 37.2 innings pitched.

Mushinski was taken in the 7th round by the Houston Astros in the 2017 MLB Draft and has risen quickly through the ranks jumping to High-A in 2019. After 15 appearances in in 2021 for the AA Corpus Christi Hooks where he posted a 3.76 ERA, he jumped to the AAA Sugar Land Skeeters (renamed the Space Cowboys in the 2021 offseason) and posted a 2.84 ERA in 12 games with 18K to only 3BB. While he is not ranked in the Top 30 Astros prospects, Mushinski appears to be well-positioned in Sugar Land with eyes on a debut in Houston.

During the Fall, Mushinski expressed his willingness to keep working to move forward but as with anyone on this list, staying healthy is always the key.


JOSE QUEZADA, RHP

After transferring to Texas Tech from Howard College, Jose Quezada emerged as an important bullpen contributor for Texas Tech in 2017 and 2018. A career 2.89 ERA, he earned 6 saves in his Red Raider career, fanning 93 hitters and holding opposing batters to a .196 average.

Queso was taken in the 10th round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres. He spent his first full season in professional baseball with the High-A Fort Wayne Tincaps, where he made 48 appearances and posted a 4.09 ERA with 89 strikeouts. He spent 2021 moving between the AA San Antonio Missions and AAA El Paso Chihuahuas.

Quezada was invited to play in the Arizona Fall League, which is reserved as a showcase for top prospects from each MLB system. He is currently on the 7-Day Injured list and has not yet appeared in 2022. He will look to settle in at the AAA level and find a groove against high-level hitters with a focus on command and limiting mistakes.


 

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