Which CFB Playoff school has the best alums in MLB?

January 1st, 2024

While this year’s College Football Playoff features four teams with plenty of history on the gridiron, the four schools -- Alabama, Washington, Texas and Alabama -- also boast a strong baseball program.

With that in mind, here’s a look at what their alumni have accomplished in Major League Baseball in honor of Monday's College Football Playoff semifinals.

Note: Only players who were drafted or selected into the professional ranks directly out of one of these universities are eligible for this list. For example, Jim Colburn was a member of the Washington Huskies team for one year, but he is not eligible here because he finished his college career at Whittier College.

1. Michigan Wolverines
You can’t talk about Michigan baseball without talking about Hall of Famer Barry Larkin. A native of Cincinnati, Larkin planted his flag on the other side of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry when he went to the Wolverines on a football scholarship to play for legendary coach Bo Schembechler, before becoming a full-time baseball player.

Larkin ended up returning to Ohio and playing 19 years for the Reds, where he won the NL MVP in 1995 and was a 12-time All-Star. Michigan has also produced two other position player Hall of Famers in catcher Ted Simmons and second baseman Charlie Gehringer, and an 11-time All-Star in catcher Bill Freehan.

When it comes to the pitching staff, Rich Hill would be the staff ace, while J.J. Putz would serve as the team’s relief ace. Hill is one of four active Wolverines in MLB, along with Jake Cronenworth, Tommy Henry and Karl Kauffmann.

While Hill takes ace honors, we can't overlook what the Yankees' Jim Abbott did on Sept. 4, 1993, vs. Cleveland. Born without a right hand, Abbott twirled a no-hitter against a stacked lineup that featured Kenny Lofton, Carlos Baerga, Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome.

Oh yeah, and a former Montreal Expos Draft pick went to Michigan but decided to play football. Wonder how that worked out for him.

2. Texas Longhorns
Before Roger Clemens was an 11-time All-Star, he was a two-time All-American pitcher who helped lead Texas to a College World Series title in 1983. “The Rocket” went on to become the first pitcher to win seven Cy Young Awards, an MVP and was the first player to have his number retired by the University of Texas’ baseball program.

After Clemens, the Longhorns' best alumni is Pinky Higgins, a three-time All-Star who hit .292 across a 14-year career. Additionally, they produced two pitchers with more than 2,000 career innings (Burt Hooton and Greg Swindell),

They’ve also put together a good number of alumni recently: a list that includes Huston Street, Brandon Belt, Corey Knebel, Drew Stubbs and Bryce Elder.

3. Alabama Crimson Tide
While the Crimson Tide have put more than 280 players into organized baseball, their alumni list is led by Joe Sewell, who hit .312 over his 12-year career and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977. Their rotation would be led by ace Frank Lary, who had a 3.49 ERA over his 12-year career; he finished third in Cy Young voting in 1961 when he pitched 275 1/3 innings with a 3.24 ERA and a league-leading 22 complete games.

Some of the better modern players from Alabama include Dave Magadan, David Robertson, Alex Avila and Tommy Hunter. Robertson and Spencer Turnbull are the two active Crimson Tide alumni.

4. Washington Huskies
The Huskies' MLB legacy begins and ends with Tim Lincecum, who was the No. 10 pick in the 2006 Draft. “The Freak” won two National League Cy Youngs and won three World Series across his 10-year career, and he was a key piece of the San Francisco Giants' even-year dynasty in the 2010s. After Lincecum, the Huskies' biggest alumni is Fred Hutchinson, who pitched 1,464 innings with the Tigers between 1939-53.

Their most accomplished position player alumna is Jeff Heath, who was named to two All-Star Games and hit 194 home runs in his 14-year career. The Huskies have four alumni currently playing in MLB: Jake Lamb, Andrew Kittredge, Jeff Brigham and Austin Voth.