BATON ROUGE — Eleven former LSU players appear on Major League Baseball rosters as the 2007 MLB season began this week.
Seven former Tigers are on active MLB rosters, while four others appear on their clubs’ 40-man rosters.
The active players include right-handed pitcher Paul Byrd (Cleveland), outfielder Brad Hawpe (Colorado), infielder Aaron Hill (Toronto), outfielder Todd Linden (San Francisco), right-handed pitcher Russ Springer (St. Louis), infielder Ryan Theriot (Chicago Cubs) and infielder Todd Walker (Oakland).
Players on the 40-man rosters are left-handed pitcher Randy Keisler (St. Louis), right-handed pitcher Brian Wilson (San Francisco), left-handed pitcher Shane Youman (Pittsburgh) and right-handed pitcher Billy Sadler (San Francisco).
Springer, who made his major league debut in 1992 with the New York Yankees, is a 15-season MLB veteran.
Byrd, a 1990 all-American at LSU, is entering his 13th season in the big leagues, while Walker, the 1993 College World Series Most Outstanding Player, is in his 12th MLB season.
Linden is in his fifth season with the Giants, and Hawpe is a four-year veteran with the Rockies. Hill and Theriot are entering their third seasons with the Blue Jays and Cubs, respectively.
Thirteen former Tigers appeared on major league rosters during the 2006 season. That figure may be surpassed as this season progresses, as there are 25 former LSU players currently active in the minor leagues.
LSU has produced 40 MLB players since 1985, including 22 pitchers and 18 position players. The Tigers have had at least one former player make his MLB debut in each of the past 16 seasons (1991-2006).