Major League Aussie Round Up

While many people question the validity of the name ‘World Series’ in Major League Baseball, simply because the event is exclusive to North America, the league itself is truly gaining an international flavour with players from all over the world. It usually doesn’t surprise fans that countries such as Japan, Mexico, Cuba, Canada, Colombia, Panama, Taiwan, and Venezuela all have players in the league, but when they hear there are currently six Australians playing in MLB, they’re usually taken aback.


They’re even more amazed to find out the first Australian to play Major league Baseball was 19-year-old Sydney-born Joe Quinn, a second baseman who made his debut for the St. Louis Maroons way back in 1884 and lasted 18 years in the majors.

Quinn definitely didn’t lead a parade of Aussies over to North America though, as it was over 100 years later until the next Australian, Craig Shipley, stepped onto a major league ball diamond in 1986.

There have been a total of 24 Aussies on MLB rosters over the years with six of them playing in the just- completed 2009 season with another suiting seven suiting up for minor league pro teams. These minor league pros players were: Travis Blackley, Trent Durrington, Brad Harman, Damian Moss, Chris Oxspring, Brad Thomas, and Glenn Williams.

Last year’s Major League Baseball Australian Players

Grant Balfour-Pitcher-Sydney
Balfour made it to the big leagues with the Minnesota Twins in 2001 as a 23 year old. He only lasted 2.2 innings in his debut and gave up four earned runs, two home runs, and walked three batters. He left the field with an ERA of 13.50, so it wasn’t much of a surprise that he didn’t play another game for the Twins until two years later. The right hander played for the Tampa Bay Rays last season and had a 5-4 record with a 4.81 ERA and four saves. His best season was 2008, when he went 6-2 with a 1.54 ERA and four saves.

Justin Huber-First Baseman/Outfielder-Melbourne
Huber started out as a catcher, but a knee injury forced him to change positions. He made his MLB debut as a 22 year old with the Kansas City Royals in 2005. He hit .218 in 78 at bats as a rookie with no home runs and six RBI in 25 games. He only managed 10 at bats in each of the next two seasons and played in less than 10 games each year. Huber was traded to the San Diego Padres in 2008 and hit .246 with two homers and eight RBI in 61 at bats in 33 games. He signed with the Minnesota Twins in 2009, only played in one game with them with a hit in two at bats.

Peter Moylan-Pitcher-Perth
This sidearm pitcher broke into the majors in 2006 with the Atlanta Braves as a 27 year old. He pitched in 15 games as a rookie with a 4.80 ERA. He pitched in 80 games in 2007 and had a 5-3 record with an excellent 1.80 ERA and one save. However, Moylan missed most of the 2008 season as he had Tommy John Surgery on his right arm. He only managed to throw in seven games, but had a 1.59 ERA, an 0-1 record with a save. Moylan recovered well from the injury and came back strong in 2009 with a fine 6-2 record and 2.84 ERA in 87 games pitched.

Trent Oeltjen-Outfielder-Sydney
Oeltjen won a silver medal with the Australian Olympic team in Athens in 2004. He was signed by the Minnesota Twins organization in 2001 and proved to be a fine hitter in the minors. He finally made his way to the big leagues last season as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He performed well as a 26-year-old rookie even though he saw limited action. He played in 24 games and hit .243 in 70 at bats with three home runs and four RBI. He also had four doubles and a triple in his 17 hits and ended up with a .457 slugging percentage.

Ryan Rowland-Smith-Pitcher-Sydney
Rowland-Smith also played for the Aussies in the 2004 Olympics and earned his first start in MLB as a 24 year old with the Seattle Mariners in 2007. The left hander pitched in 26 games as a rookie with a 1-0 record and a 3.96 ERA. He improved on those stats the next season with a 5-3 record and 3.42 ERA with two saves. Rowland-Smith was placed on the disabled list near the start of the 2009 season and was then sent to the minors for rehab. He pitched his way back into the Mariners’ rotation and went 5-4 with a 3.74 ERA in 15 games.

Rich Thompson-Pitcher-Hornsby
Thompson is another member of the 2004 Olympic team. He found himself on the pitchers’ mound for the first time in the majors as a member of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim as a 23 year old near the end of the 2007 season. He got into seven games, but ended with a 10.81 ERA. Things didn’t get any better the next season as he only pitched in two games because of a shoulder injury and his ERA soared to 22.50. Thompson improved after the injury healed and last season he pitched in 13 games and lowered his ERA to 5.12.

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