As the 2024 Major League Baseball season commenced on Thursday, ten former UCLA baseball players found themselves named to the Opening Day rosters of various teams.
Among them, four notable alumni were included on their respective teams’ active rosters: right-handed pitcher Jake Bird (Colorado Rockies), right-handed pitcher Griffin Canning (Los Angeles Angels), infielder Brandon Crawford (St. Louis Cardinals), and infielder/outfielder Michael Toglia (Colorado Rockies).
Returning to their managerial roles for another season are two UCLA alumni: Dave Roberts (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Torey Lovullo (Arizona Diamondbacks), making UCLA the sole college with multiple alumni managing MLB clubs.
Additionally, four Bruin alums will begin the season on the Major League Injured List: right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole (New York Yankees), infielder Matt McLain (Cincinnati Reds), outfielder Garrett Mitchell (Milwaukee Brewers), and right-handed pitcher Zack Weiss (Minnesota Twins).
For Bird and Toglia, this Opening Day marks their first participation in such festivities. Notably, Crawford experiences his inaugural Opening Day with the St. Louis Cardinals following a distinguished 13-year tenure with the San Francisco Giants.
Bird, entering his third MLB season, boasts 108 appearances out of the Colorado bullpen with a 4.53 ERA over the past two years. Canning, heading into his fifth season with the Angels, achieved career highs in various categories last season, including strikeouts, innings pitched, and wins.
Crawford, now with the Cardinals, embarks on his 14th year in the league after numerous Opening Day starts with the Giants. Toglia, experiencing his first Opening Day, has demonstrated promise with the Rockies over the past two seasons and performed impressively during spring training.
Toglia’s versatility is expected to be utilized at both first base and in the outfield throughout the upcoming season with the Rockies.
