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Baseball Alumni Set to Begin Pro Seasons
4/5/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Three former Brown baseball players are set to begin another season in the professional ranks for their respective clubs as the calendar month turns to April.
J.J. Franco '14 will make his debut with the St. Lucie Mets this season as he starts his fifth campaign at the professional level. St. Lucie is the single-A (Advanced) affiliate of the New York Mets. Franco, a former All-Ivy infielder at Brown, split time between three clubs in 2017 as he played for the Winston-Salem Dash of the Carolina League before the Kannapolis Intimidators and Columbia Fireflies of the South Atlantic League. He hit .306 with Kannapolis and then posted six doubles with 17 runs in Columbia.
Rob Henry '17 will play for the Carolina Mudcats (Brewers advanced single-A affiliate) of the Carolina League. A First Team All-Ivy selection as a senior, Henry was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 39th round of the 2017 MLB Draft. He spent last summer with the AZL Brewers of the Arizona rookie league, where he totaled 32 runs, 17 RBIs and added 17 stolen bases, finishing with a .421 on-base percentage.
Christian Taugner '17 will begin his first season with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, the single-A affiliate of the Brewers in the Midwest League. Taugner, a two-time All-Ivy selection as the ace of the Bears, was drafted by the Brewers in the 37th round of the MLB Draft in 2017 and then started three games out of 14 appearances with the AZL Brewers last summer. Taugner led the team with 50 strikeouts to just eight walks, and ranked second on the team with 45.2 innings pitched.
| Brown Alum | Pro Team | League | MLB Organization |
| J.J. Franco '14 | St. Lucie Mets | Florida State League | New York Mets |
| Rob Henry '17 | Carolina Mudcats | Carolina League | Milwaukee Brewers |
| Christian Taugner '17 | Wisconsin Timber Rattlers | Midwest League | Milwaukee Brewers |
