NORMAL, Ill. – Former Redbird Dan Savas didn't have to wait too long to earn his first professional pitching win.
Savas was drafted in the 19th round in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on June 7. The 6-foot-5 right-hander was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks and was assigned to the Hillsboro Hops of the Class A Short Season Northwest League.
Savas made his professional debut just 10 days later, and collected his first win after tossing three innings of relief with five strikeouts in Hillsboro's 5-3 win over visiting Everett.
The former Redbird has since improved his record to 3-0, with wins at Eugene on July 19, and against Boise on July 28. In all, Savas has appeared in 12 games and recorded an ERA of 5.67 with 27 strikeouts in 27 innings of work.
Other former Redbirds playing professional baseball include:
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Neal Cotts – Texas Rangers – American League – Major League Baseball – Link to Texas bio
- Currently 2-5 with a 3.38 ERA in a team-high 52 appearances this year for Texas
- Collected his 14th and 15th holds of the season over the past week, pitching scoreless innings against the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians
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Chad Hinshaw – Inland Empire 66ers - Los Angeles Angels – Class A Advanced California League – Link to Inland Empire bio
- Batting .261 with 20 home runs and 32 stolen bases in 99 games across two minor-league levels
- Went 1-fo-4 with a home run, two RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base in a 9-0 win at Lake Elsinore on Aug. 5
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Jeremy Rhoades – Orem Owlz - Los Angeles Angels – Rookie Pioneer League – Link to Orem bio
- Owns a 1-0 record and a 5.32 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 23.2 innings in the Rookie Pioneer League
- Pitched three relief innings without allowing an earned run on Aug. 4 at Great Falls
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Eric Aguilera – Burlington Bees - Los Angeles Angels – Class A Midwest League – Link to Burlington bio
- Batting .292 across two minor-league levels, with 20 doubles, 14 home runs and 65 RBIs in 111 games
- Went 4-for-4 with two solo home runs and a double at Cedar Rapids on July 30
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Chris Razo – Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - Milwaukee Brewers – Class A Midwest League – Link to Wisconsin bio
- Currently 1-1 with a 5.29 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 34 innings at Wisconsin
- On a streak of 9.2 innings over five appearances without allowing an earned run
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Ryan Court – Mobile BayBears - Arizona Diamondbacks – Double A Southern League – Link to Mobile bio
- Batting .263 over two minor-league stops this season, with 22 doubles and 32 RBIs in 87 total games
- Reached base three times with a double, single and walk in a 3-1 win over Mississippi on Aug. 1
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Brett Kay – Salem-Keizer Volcanoes - San Francisco Giants – Class A Short Season Northwest League – Link to Salem Keizer bio
- Hitting .257 with four doubles and six RBIs in 26 games at Salem-Keizer
- Went 2-for-4with a walk and a run scored on July 29 against Eugene
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Brock Stewart – Ogden Raptors - Los Angeles Dodgers – Rookie Pioneer League – Link to Ogden bio
- Currently 0-2 with a 4.86 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 16.2 innings at Ogden
- Allowed one run in two appearances spanning 3.2 innings of work over the past week
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Mike Hollenbeck – Arizona League White Sox - Chicago White Sox – Rookie Arizona League – Link to Arizona bio
- Hitting .222 with five RBIs in 16 games in the Rookie Arizona League
- Went 1-for-3 with an RBI triple in a 3-2 win over the Arizona League Dodgers on Aug. 3
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Joe Claver – GCL Blue Jays - Toronto Blue Jays – Rookie Gulf Coast League – Link to CGL Blue Jays bio
- Owns a 1-1 record and a 13.11 ERA in nine relief appears in the Rookie Gulf Coast League
- Allowed three runs in two innings of relief work on Aug. 1 against the GCL Tigers
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Note: Statistics updated Wednesday, August 6
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