Minor League Baseball Opening Day is today, which means ten former Iowa Hawkeye players are back in action on the diamond. With last years minor league season canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, this is the first time in a year and a half that teams have been on the field.

Let’s take a look at where the former Iowa baseball players will start their 2021 campaigns.

Triple A

Pitcher Nick Allgeyer (Buffalo Bison – Blue Jays Affiliate)

2019 Stats: 10-6, 3.95 ERA, 118.1 innings, 104 SO, 29 BB – 23 Appearances

Allgeyer is the closest to making the MLB out any of the ten players in the minors. He started 15 games for the Hawkeyes in 2018, posting a 2.41 ERA, while striking out 95 batters. He was selected in the 12th Round of the 2018 MLB Draft.

LF Joel Booker (Charlotte Knights – White Sox Affiliate)

2019 Stats: .245 Avg, .308 OBP, 45 R, 13 2B, 4 HR, 19 SB – 102 Games

Booker was a semifinalist for the Gregg Olson Breakout Player of the Year Award in 2016, while amassing a .370 batting average, while showing speed on the base paths, stealing 23 bases. Booker was drafted in the 22nd Round of the 2016 MLB Draft.

SS Mason McCoy (Norfolk Tide – Baltimore Orioles)

2019 Stats: .290 Avg, .345 OBP, 81 R, 22 2B, 7 3B, 48 RBI – 132 Games

McCoy batted a blazing .328 for the Hawkeyes in 2017, while walking 27 times to just 25 walks. He also crushed 18 doubles in route to being named to the Second-Team All-Big Ten Team. McCoy was selected in the 6th Round of the 2017 MLB Draft.

Double A

Catcher Tyler Cropley (Northwest Arkansas Naturals – Kansas City Royals)

2019 Stats: .187 Avg, .294 OBP, 23 H – 41 Games

Cropley batted .342, with 20 doubles and 50 RBIs for the Hawkeyes in 2018, while being named a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award. He was also named to the First-Team All-Big Ten Team. Cropley was selected in the 8th Round of the 2018 MLB Draft.

RF Robert Neustrom (Bowie Baysox – Baltimore Orioles)

2019 Stats: .256 Avg, .321 OBP, 20 2B, 7 HR – 82 Games

Neustrom posted three straight years of a +.300 batting average at Iowa, as well as 15 doubles and 11 home runs during the 2018 season. He was selected for the First-Team All-Big Ten Team in 2018 and was selected in the 5th Round of the MLB Draft. He is the highest selected Iowa positional player in the draft since 1992.

High-A

Pitcher Zach Daniels (Rome Braves – Atlanta Braves)

2019 Stats: 4-2, 4.93 ERA, 34.2 innings, 38 SO, 13 BB – 15 Appearances

Daniels threw 114 innings for the Hawkeyes over three seasons. He posted a 2.56 ERA in 2018, while striking out 49 batters and walking 23. Daniels ranks fifth in school history with 65 career appearances. He was selected in the 19th Round of the 2018 MLB Draft.

Pitcher Nick Gallagher (Lake County Captains – Cleveland Indians)

2019 Stats: 2-2, 4.89 ERA, 49.2 innings, 55 SO, 26 BB – 20 Appearances

Gallagher was 8-2, with a 3.48 ERA for the Hawkeyes in 2017. He was a reliable starter for Iowa, striking out 87 batters in 95.2 innings of work. He was also named to the Second-Team All-Big Ten Team and was drafted in the 16th Round of the 2017 MLB Draft.

Pitcher Cole McDonald (Asheville Tourists – Houston Astros)

2019 Stats: 1-0, 2.39 ERA, 26.1 innings, 29 SO, 15 BB – 10 Appearances

McDonald started 45 games for the Hawkeyes over four seasons and posted a 4.12 career ERA. He ranks fifth in program history with 203 strikeouts, including a career high 83 strikeouts in 2019. McDonald was selected in the 15th Round of the 2019 MLB Draft.

Pitcher Brady Shanuel (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers – Milwaukee Brewers)

2019 Stats: 5-2, 4.76 ERA, 39.2 innings, 70 SO, 30 BB, 15.8 K/9 – 21 Appearances

Shanuel pitched one season for the Hawkeyes, going 5-7, with a 5.94 ERA. He was selected in the 27th Round of the 2018 MLB Draft.

Low-A

Pitcher Grant Judkins (Stockton Ports – Oakland A’s)

2021 – First Season in the MiLB

Judkins is the most recent Iowa player to make it to professional baseball, as he played for the Hawkeyes’ just last season. Judkins struck out 24 batters in 21 innings over four starts last season. He elected to forgo his extra year of eligibility due to Covid and was not drafted in the shortened MLB Draft. Judkins signed a free agent contract with the Oakland A’s.