NEWS

NEWPORT, R.I- In total, the Newport Gulls now have 23 alumni that have played in the Major Leagues after a pair of left-handed pitchers, Kris Bubic (Stanford) and Kyle Hart (Indiana), made their debut this season. Of these 23,13 are active. The MLB is approximately a third of the way through this year’s shortened season and some of these alumni have shined for their respective clubs. Let’s take a look at how these 13 former Gulls are performing after returning to the ballpark this summer:

 

Kris Bubic and Kyle Hart were both called up earlier this year, and each was given the ball as a starter in their debut. Bubic played for the Newport Gulls during the summer of 2016 and was drafted by the Kansas City Royals with the 40th Overall Pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. He quickly rose through their minor league system and was named the starting pitcher on July 31 against the Chicago White Sox. His outing lasted four innings and included three strikeouts while holding hitters to a .200 batting average. Bubic received the loss upon giving up two earned runs in his debut but has started five additional games including an eight-strikeout performance this past weekend against the White Sox.

 

Kyle Hart was a member of the 2013 Newport Gulls while attending Indiana University. The Boston Red Sox selected Kyle in the 19th Round of the 2016 MLB Draft and he made his debut for the Sox on August 13, 2020, against the Tampa Bay Rays. He has started a total of three games for the Red Sox, highlighted by fanning five Philadelphia Phillies on August 19 in just 3.2 innings of work. 

 

There were six former Gulls that made their debut in 2019; RHP Branden Kline (Virginia), RHP Brett Graves (Missouri- Columbia), LHP Taylor Guilbeau (Alabama), C Will Smith (Louisville), INF Tommy Edman (Stanford), and RHP James Karinchak (Bryant). Graves completed 2019 with a total of 21 appearances and 33.1 innings pitched for the Miami Marlins but has not seen game action in 2020 as he remains on the Marlins 60-Man Extended Roster. The same goes for 2010 Newport Gull Branden Kline who threw in 34 games during 2019 for the Baltimore Orioles and will await his time to contribute in 2020 while on the 60-Man Extended Roster. 

 

2013 Gull Taylor Guilbeau and 2015 Gull James Karinchak have been stellar out of the bullpen in 2020. Guilbeau, who was drafted in the 10th Round by the Washington Nationals in 2015 has surrendered just one run in eight appearances for the Seattle Mariners. Karinchak has emerged as one of the best relief pitchers in the league for the Cleveland Indians. He has gotten work in 15 games thus far and is striking out nearly two batters per inning pitched (31 K in 16.2 IP) while opponents are hitting just .096 against the Newburg, NY native. 

 

Both Will Smith and Tommy Edman played vital roles during the 2019 MLB Playoffs after being called up earlier in the season. The two were members of the 2014 NECBL Champion Newport Gulls and each got selected in the 2016 MLB Draft; Smith- Round 1, Edman- Round 6. Smith has blasted four home runs in 19 games played and has collected 11 RBI for the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers. Edman is a staple in the St. Louis Cardinals lineup, starting games at numerous positions for manager Mike Shildt and is hitting .253 with three doubles, a triple, and a home run over the course of 23 games played. 

 

Austen Slater is in his fourth season with the San Francisco Giants after being called up in 2017. The Giants selected Slater out of Stanford University in the 8th Round of the 2014 MLB draft. He helped the Gulls win the NECBL Championship in 2012, blasting a pair of home runs during the Gulls six-game playoff run that year. Slater is putting together his best professional season yet, hitting .347 in 19 games with four home runs and leads the Giants in OPS (1.111) and SLG % (.653).

 

Greg Garcia (Hawaii) also secured an NECBL Championship during his time as a Newport Gull. He was an NECBL All-Star in 2009 and got drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 7th Round of the 2010 MLB Draft. After making his debut with the Cardinals in 2014 and spending five seasons with the team, Garcia was claimed off waivers by the San Diego Padres in November of 2018. Garcia played in 134 games for the Padres in 2019 and has seen action in 23 of 36 games this year, hitting .263. 

 

Chris Taylor is a teammate of Will Smith on the Los Angeles Dodgers and is in his seventh Major League season after the Mariners drafted him in the 5th Round of the 2012 MLB Draft. He played for Newport in 2011 while attending the University of Virginia and is currently hitting .255 with two home runs and three stolen bases in 2020.

 

Unfortunately, two Newport Gulls Hall of Famers who started the season on Major League rosters are patiently waiting to return to The Show. Andrew Kittredge (Washington), who was inducted into the Gulls Hall of Fame as part of the 2019 Class for his amazing season in 2009 saw his season come to an end after an MRI showed a right UCL sprain earlier this month. He will not return to the Tampa Bay Rays this season and manager Kevin Cash was quoted as saying “Kitt provides so much for us. His consistency -- I think over time he’s become a big key and a high-leverage guy for us. We’re going to miss him the rest of the year. It’s a big loss.” Dan Otero (University of South Florida) was a member of the Third Hall of Fame Class in 2014 and helped Newport capture their third NECBL Championship in 2005. He has had an eight-year MLB career with three teams (San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, and Cleveland Indians) before the New York Yankees signed the product of Miami, Fla this past off-season. He was placed on the MLB Restricted List in late July for an undisclosed reason and no timetable has been released for his return. 

 

The Newport Gulls are proud of each of their alumnus’ accomplishments in reaching the Major Leagues and are excited to see their continued contributions this season and for many years to come. Stay tuned to the Newport Gulls Social Media Accounts and Website for all the latest news on all your favorite former Gulls. 

 

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The Newport Gulls, members of the 13-team New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded as the Rhode Island Gulls in 1998 in Cranston, R.I., before moving to Newport in 2001. In addition to recruiting, fielding, and developing a team of the nation’s top collegiate baseball athletes and attracting 50,000 fans annually to Cardines Field, the predominantly volunteer organization strives to benefit the community of Newport County via summer camps, reading programs, fundraisers, scholarships, and charitable donations – totaling over $1 million since 2001. The Gulls are six-time champions of the NECBL – the winningest franchise in league history – and were ranked as the overall No. 1 summer collegiate baseball team in the country by Perfect Game USA in 2012.

 

For more information about the Newport Gulls, visit facebook.com/newportgulls, follow the Gulls on Twitter @NewportGulls or visit www.newportgulls.com.