BATON ROUGE – Four former LSU baseball players are on the opening day rosters of Major League Baseball clubs, the league office in New York released on Sunday.
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Kurt Ainsworth, who was traded to the team from the San Francisco Giants on July 31, is scheduled to start against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. The right-hander went 5-4 with a 3.82 ERA in 11 starts in 2003 before injuring his pitching shoulder in June. He is projected to be the No. 3 starter for the new-look American League East club.
Ainsworth earned first team All-America honors by Baseball America in 1999, leading the Tigers to a Super Regional appearance.
Major League veteran Keith Osik joins Ainsworth in Baltimore. The catcher spent the 2003 season with the Milwaukee Brewers, hitting .303 in 33 at-bats before being released on October 27. Osik, a 1990 first-team All-SEC selection, begins his ninth big league season.
Curtis Leskanic continues his career with the Kansas City Royals after being traded in July of last season. Leskanic, who began the 2003 season with the Milwaukee Brewers, was a perfect 5-0 with a 2.22 ERA in 52.2 innings of work. The righty added two saves in his 12th Major League season.
The 1989 All-SEC selection is expected to play a pivotal role in the middle relief corps of the Royals.
Chicago Cubs second baseman Todd Walker may have been the most intriguing move by any former Tiger this offseason. The 1992 National Freshman of the Year had one of the most productive postseasons in Boston Red Sox history, leading the Sox to an American League Championship Series appearance against the New York Yankees.
Walker became the first player in Major League history to record four RBI in his first postseason game, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two home runs in Game 1 of the American League Division Series versus the Oakland Athletics. He finished the 2004 postseason hitting .349 with nine runs and five homers. The five homers shattered a Boston Red Sox single-postseason record.
Three former LSU standouts will begin the 2004 season on the disabled list. Brandon Larson was projected to be the opening day third baseman for the Cincinnati Reds before suffering a strained toe in a spring training contest. Larson, who set an LSU and SEC single season record with 40 homers in the Tigers’ 1997 national championship season, will begin the year on the 15-day disabled list before rejoining the club at Philadelphia, April 12-15.
Cleveland Indians pitcher Brian Tallet underwent elbow surgery last summer and will start the season on the 60-day disabled list.
Right-handed pitcher Paul Byrd signed a free-agent contract with the Atlanta Braves in December. Byrd, a member of the 1991 national championship team, is rehabilitating from Tommy John surgery performed in July of 2003. He is ahead of schedule and could possibly join the team in May or June. Byrd is expected to enter the rotation, giving the Braves some much needed depth in their depleted pitching corps.
Several other former Tigers will begin the 2004 season in the minor leagues, including San Francisco’s Todd Linden and Atlanta’s Trey Hodges. Both Linden and Hodges were optioned to their respective Triple-A clubs to start the season.
A complete list of former Tigers in the minor leagues will be released later this month.
Player Position Years at LSU 2004 ML Team
Kurt Ainsworth RHP 1997-99 Baltimore Orioles
Curtis Leskanic RHP 1987-89 Kansas City Royals
Keith Osik C 1987-90 Baltimore Orioles
Todd Walker 2B 1992-94 Chicago Cubs