Flying Squirrels alumni in the 2021 MLB Postseason

The 2021 Major League Baseball Postseason gets started tonight as the Boston Red Sox host the New York Yankees in the American League Wild Card Game at Fenway Park. Richmond Flying Squirrels alumni contributed in 2021 for six of the ten teams in the playoffs.

The San Francisco Giants, the Flying Squirrels’ parent club since the beginning of the franchise, won 107 games this year to take the National League West crown. Thirteen Flying Squirrels alumni saw time for the Giants this season, including Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Austin Slater, Reyes Moronta, Tyler Beede, Steven Duggar, Conner Menez, Sam Selman, Logan Webb, Tyler Rogers, Caleb Baragar, Joey Bart and Sammy Long.

CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF FLYING SQUIRRELS ALUMNI IN THE MAJORS

The Giants will face the winner of Wednesday’s National League Wild Card Game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS beginning Friday. The roster will not be announced until later this week. Crawford, Slater and Duggar could make up the Richmond alumni in the list of position players on San Francisco’s roster for the series. Belt, who played for the Flying Squirrels in 2010, is currently injured and his availability for the playoffs has not been announced.

Crawford set new career highs in OPS (.895), slugging percentage (.522), on-base percentage (.373), batting average (.298), homers (24), RBIs (90), steals (11) and several other categories in his 11th year in the big leagues. He played for the Flying Squirrels in 2010 and returned for a rehab assignment in 2017.

Slater, who spent parts of two seasons in Richmond in 2015 and 2016, was an everyday outfielder for the Giants this season and clubbed a career-best 12 homers. Duggar, who played with the Flying Squirrels in 2016, saw a career-high 107 games in the majors this year.

Webb rocketed to the majors in 2019 after beginning the year with Richmond. This year, he went 11-3, with a 3.03 ERA in 27 outings. He pitched the season finale on Sunday against the Padres as the Giants clinched the division title.

Rogers, a reliever for Richmond in 2015 and 2016, saw time as a late-inning pitcher for the Giants this year and went 7-1 with a 2.22 ERA. His 80 appearances ranked second in the NL. Baragar climbed from the Flying Squirrels in 2019 to the big leagues for the first time in 2020. This year, he floated between the Giants and Triple-A, posting a 1.57 ERA in 25 MLB games.

Moronta, Menez and Long all saw time on the mound for the Giants this year but closed out the season in the minors. Beede missed most of the season with an injury. Selman was traded to the Los Angeles Angels in July. After playing 33 games for the Giants in 2020, Bart appeared twice in the majors this year and spent most of the season in Triple-A.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals face off the in NL Wild Card Game on Wednesday. The only player to see time with either of these teams this year was pitcher Mike Kickham, who played in Richmond in 2012 and 2016. He played in one game for the Dodgers this year and spent most of the season in the minors.

The AL Wild Card Game winner will face the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS beginning Thursday. The only former Richmond player to appear for the Rays this season was pitcher Hunter Strickland, a member of the Flying Squirrels in 2014, but he was traded to the Angels in June and then swapped to the Milwaukee Brewers later that month.

With Milwaukee, Strickland went 3-2 with a 1.73 ERA in 35 outings this year. If Strickland makes the postseason roster, he will join the Brewers in the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves beginning Friday.

This year’s Braves roster has included a pair of former Flying Squirrels players. Adam Duvall of the 2013 Flying Squirrels was with the Braves for three years prior to signing with the Miami Marlins prior to the 2021 season. He was sent back to Atlanta at the trade deadline on July 30. He clubbed a career-best 38 homers this season, which was second in the NL behind only San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr.

Duvall is joined on the Atlanta roster by former Flying Squirrels teammate Ehire Adrianza, who spent time in Richmond in 2012 and 2013. After spending the last four seasons with the Minnesota Twins, Adrianza played 109 games for the Braves this year as a utility player, seeing time in all three outfield positions, second base, shortstop and third base.

In tonight's AL Wild Card Game, 2016 Flying Squirrels infielder Christian Arroyo will suit up for the Red Sox against the Yankees. Time on the injured list this year limited Arroyo to 57 games in his second year with the Red Sox, during which he hit .262 with six homers.

The Chicago White Sox face the Houston Astros in the other ALDS. No Flying Squirrels alumni played for either team this year.