Sonoma State baseball players begin minor-league careers

Marin’s own Cal Becker inked a contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 13, making him the fourth Sonoma State player to receive a pro contract from the 2016 club, tying the most Seawolves to get a shot in the bigs since 2012.

Ryan O’Malley was taken in the 25th round by the Atlanta Braves and nine rounds later his teammate Ryan Luna was drafted by the Colorado Rockies. In addition, a pair of former right-handers signed post-draft free-agent deals. Jackson Zarubin signed a contract with the Los Angeles Angels on June 23 and Becker joined the Diamondbacks.

The quartet of Seawolves has now been assigned to various minor league affiliates.

O’Malley put on an offensive clinic for Sonoma State last season, leading the Seawolves in almost every offensive category. He hopes to do the same for the Danville Braves in Virginia.

O’Malley has two home runs, four RBIs and one stolen base in his first 12 games in the Appalachian Rookie League.

“A lot of young guys are coming into the league trying to throw hard. I’m just trying to look for fastballs and make solid contact,” O’Malley said. “If I can make solid enough contact with everyone throwing that hard, it should be good enough to send it out of the yard.”

O’Malley’s goal is to advance through the Braves’ minor league system as fast as possible. But the Braves have two third basemen ranked among their top 15 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. That’s the position O’Malley is most comfortable with.

“I wouldn’t mind getting reps in the outfield or even DH-ing occasionally. I just don’t want to stay in the minors forever,” O’Malley said. “Whatever it takes to play in the big leagues.”

O’Malley hopes to be playing in A ball for the Rome Braves by the start of next season.

Right-hander Luna threw his first pitch for the Grand Junction (Colo.) Rockies on June 23. Since then, he has a 3.86 ERA through 91/3 innings in the Rookie Pioneer League. Luna said the Rockies are trying to develop him into the kind of pitcher who can compete in their infamous “pitcher-unfriendly” Coors Field.

“My coaches have been stressing keeping the ball down since I got here,” said Luna. “You can’t get away with much. If you leave anything up, the thin air out here will carry it out.”

Luna was a front-end rotation starter during his Seawolves career, and now looks to make the transition to bullpen arm with the Rockies.

“It’s different pitching every day instead of focusing on pitching once a week. You really have to have your stuff ready every appearance,” said Luna. “It’s nice knowing the coaches have faith to put me in with runners in scoring position.”

Luna eventually wants to start in the big leagues but is satisfied coming out of the bullpen for now.

“My dream is to ultimately be a starter, but for now I just want to get better in the role I have and earn a spot in the rotation someday,” he said.

Zarubin didn’t hear his name called in the 2016 draft but that didn’t stop him from signing with a big league club. Sonoma State head coach John Goeltz was able to make some phone calls and get Zarubin workouts with a few teams.

Zarubin clocked in with a 96 mph fastball in front of the New York Mets and that was all they needed to see. Multiple teams reached out to Zarubin but the Angels were the first team to open up a roster spot.

Zarubin has demonstrated that power in his short stint with the Angels, hurling 15 strikeouts and only one walk in 10? innings pitched. Zarubin currently holds a 4.35 ERA in five games for the Arizona League Angels.

“It’s all about staying aggressive. I like being ahead in the count and looking back.” said Zarubin.

Becker, 23, is the fourth Seawolf from the 2016 squad to get a shot in the pros. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound right-hander led the Seawolves with 59 strikeouts in 44 innings.

After a few strong outings for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League with multiple scouts in attendance, the phone calls started to pour in for Becker’s services. But the D-backs have been on Becker’s trail since high school.

“I felt comfortable with the Diamondbacks, I felt needed,” said Becker, “I’m grateful for this opportunity. It’s a foot in the door with a professional team, a true dream come true.”

Becker credits a lot of this opportunity to Mike Roberts, the head coach of the Kettleers, who cut him from the Cape Cod league in 2015. “It was a humbling experience, but it motivated me,” said Becker. “I learned a lot about myself and my work ethic.”

Becker received a chance to join the Kettleers for the 2016 season and compete with Division I players from across the country. “I’ve never had an advocate for the game of baseball in my life like Mike Roberts,” Becker said. “He opened a lot of doors for me and gave me endless opportunities to pitch in big moments.”

Once Becker gets past the medical process, he will sign the dotted line of his contract sometime next week and join the Missoula Ospreys, Arizona’s rookie league team out of Montana.

O’Malley, Luna, Zarubin and Becker will join Scott Alexander, O’Koyea Dickson and Thomas Lee as Sonoma State alumni currently vying for positions on their clubs’ major league rosters.