BATON ROUGE — Eight former LSU players appear on Major League Baseball rosters as the 2009 MLB season opened this week.
The active players include outfielder Brad Hawpe (Colorado), infielder Aaron Hill (Toronto), right-handed pitcher Russ Springer (Oakland), shortstop Ryan Theriot (Chicago Cubs), second baseman Mike Fontenot (Chicago Cubs), left-handed pitcher Brian Tallet (Toronto), right-handed pitcher Roy Corcoran (Seattle) and right-handed pitcher Brian Wilson (San Francisco).
Springer, who made his major league debut in 1992 with the New York Yankees, is a 17-season MLB veteran.
Tallet begins his seventh MLB season this spring while Hawpe, who helped lead Colorado to the 2007 National League pennant, is entering his sixth year with the Rockies.
Theriot and Fontenot are entering their fifth and fourth seasons, respectively, with the Cubs. They were integral parts of Chicago’s drive to the 2007 and 2008 NL Central Division titles.
Hill is in his fifth season with the Blue Jays and Wilson, a 2008 National League All-Star, begins his fourth season with the Giants.
Corcoran, a five-year MLB veteran, is in his second season with the Mariners.
Twelve former Tigers appeared on major league rosters during the 2008 season. LSU has produced 43 MLB players since 1987, including 23 pitchers and 20 position players.
The Tigers have had at least one former player make his MLB debut in each of the past 18 seasons (1991-2008).