As Duke baseball marches towards the end of the season, former Blue Devils are keeping busy in the professional leagues. The Blue Zone takes a look at some previous Duke stars making it big:
Marcus Stroman, P, New York Yankees
As the season marches on, Stroman’s tumultuous start to the campaign has continued. The former Blue Devil ace has not made it farther than six innings in any of his last three starts, as he continues to find a way to extend outings. However, both of the Medford, N.Y., native’s last two appearances have been solid in competitive ballgames. On May 3, in a home bout with the Tigers, Stroman pitched 5.1 innings while only surrendering three hits and one run, helping the Yankees to a 2-1 victory. However, the next start for the right-hander ended up a narrow defeat, as he allowed four runs en route to a 4-3 loss to the Astros. Overall, Stroman now totes a 3.80 ERA and 40 strikeouts through eight starts.
Joey Loperfido, LF, Houston Astros
After an impressive run in AAA, Loperfido was finally called up to the big leagues by the Astros, making his debut April 30 against the Guardians in what turned out to be an extra-innings thriller. In that first contest, the Philadelphia native burst onto the scene with a splash, coming up with his first MLB hit and racking up two RBIs that helped propel Houston to a victory. While he has not knocked in any runs since, Loperfido has still been solid at the plate. He currently sports a .316 batting average and a .381 on-base percentage.
Matt Mervis, 1B, Chicago Cubs
Like Loperfido, Mervis is another young former Blue Devil new to the big leagues in 2024. After spending some time in Chicago last season, the 26-year-old was recently called up. Unfortunately, Mervis has largely struggled up to this point, with a current .115 batting average through 26 at-bats. As the season progresses, the Washington native will likely need to up his production or risk being optioned back down to the minor leagues.
Bryce Jarvis, P, Arizona Diamondbacks
After originally projecting as a starter, Jarvis continues to try to settle into a new reliever role, with mixed success so far this season. The Lexington, Ky., native currently holds a 5.14 ERA through 21 innings, racking up 18 strikeouts while issuing 15 walks. The former Duke ace had his best outing of the season April 30 against a loaded Dodgers lineup, entering the contest in relief and going three scoreless innings while only allowing one hit, helping Arizona capture an extra-innings victory. The Diamondbacks continue to call Jarvis’ number, so the 26-year-old will continue settling into his newfound role in the bullpen deeper into the campaign.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.