Over the years, the Michigan Wolverines have sent a number of players to the MLB, with the likes of Barry Larkin and Jim Abbot being only a fraction of those players. There are still a few players in this current era that have made it to the MLB from Michigan, continuing the legacy of the Wolverines in Major League Baseball.
Jake Cronenworth played for Michigan from 2013 to 2015, where he played the infield and also starred as a pitcher. He’s still second on Michigan’s career saves list with 27, and ended his collegiate career with a 2.76 ERA and a .312 batting average.
Cronenworth was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 7th round of the 2015 amateur’s draft and made his debut for the San Diego Padres in 2020, then made the All-Star selection in back to back years, 2021 and 2022.
The now 31 year-old 2nd baseman is playing in his 6th season in 2025 for the Padres and is currently batting .248 in his MLB career.
Jeff Criswell attended Michigan from 2018 to 2020, helping the team as a starting pitcher and a relief pitcher. Though his 2020 season was cut short due to COVID-19, he posted a career ERA of 2.88 over 162.1 innings, in which he only allowed a batting average of .216.
Criswell was first drafted out of high school clear back in round 35 of the 2017 amateur draft, but forewent signing with the Detroit Tigers to play college ball at Michigan. The righty was then drafted in the 2nd round of the 2020 draft by the Oakland Athletics, and then two years later was traded to the Colorado Rockies.
In his first MLB season in 2024, he appeared in 13 games with a record of 1-0, posting an ERA of 2.75 over 19.2 innings pitched. Criswell is currently on the injured list, needing Tommy John Surgery, and will not be pitching for the rest of 2025.
Rich Hill was drafted out of high school to the Cincinnati Reds in the 36th round of the 1999 amateur draft, but turned them down to attend Michigan. Hill went to Michigan from 2000 to 2002 as a pitcher, with a career ERA of 4.92 over 177.1 innings pitched and allowing a batting average of .221.
After his 3 year collegiate career, the left-handed pitcher was then drafted to the Chicago Cubs in the 4th round of the 2002 amateur draft and made his debut in 2005. Over his 19-year career, Hill has played for a total of 13 MLB teams, and has racked up a career ERA of 4.01 over a total of 1,409 innings pitched, with a Win/Loss record of 90-74.
Rich Hill is currently playing on the Kansas City Royals AAA team of the same name.