Former Auburn Tigers on the Rise

A look at three former Auburn Tigers who are rising through the ranks of minor league baseball.

Former Auburn Tigers pitcher Bailey Horn in the Show with the Boston Red Sox. / Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports

While the Auburn Tigers may have not had the most successful baseball season last year, they have been a team heading in the right direction. In just the last-five years, they have made two College World Series appearances, the 2019 outing being the first for the team since 1997. 

This has to do with the level of talent that coach Butch Thompson has been bringing in each and every year. Even when they aren’t able to get players on campus the high level of play that Auburn attracts is MLB caliber.

Gunnar Henderson of the Baltimore Orioles is one of the top young players in the league today, and just a few short years ago he was committed to play baseball with the Tigers. Unfortunately for Auburn he was selected in the 2nd round of the MLB draft and decided to forgo his college eligibility. The point still stands that the school is constantly bringing in players with aspirations of playing in the MLB.

There are currently five players playing in the Majors right now who played for Auburn University. Ryan Bliss, Garrett Cooper, Edouard Julien, Casey Mize and Keegan Thompson. However, what is really interesting is the number of players from the Tigers who are gearing up to take the next step and make the jump from Triple A to the Majors. 

Bailey Horn

Bailey Horn played baseball at junior college before transferring to Auburn prior to his sophomore year. He posted a 2.08 ERA in four starts his junior year which led to him being drafted by the Chicago White Sox and later being traded to the Boston Red Sox. Unlike the other people on this list, Horn was actually just called up to the majors a week ago. He has made three appearances so far with a 2.45 ERA. If he keeps playing like this Horn will be a valuable addition to an already stacked Red Sox bullpen. 

Will Holland

Will Holland played at Auburn for 3 seasons between 2017-2019 and was drafted to the Minnesota Twins after his junior year. Holland has been struggling to find his groove since he got to pro ball, but it seems like this season he has finally put it together. He is batting .299 with an OPS of .984. He has 20 RBI and has stolen 13 bases. A speedy outfielder like him could log a lot of time for the Twins in place of someone like Trevor Larnach who hasn’t really been able to be consistent since getting brought up in 2021. 

Daniel Robert 

Daniel Robert was a Tiger through thick and thin, playing all-four years at Auburn. He played both ways in college and was a threat both at the plate and on the bump. He was hitting .290 and led the team in RBI his senior year, while also boasting a 2.16 ERA. Robert was drafted by the Texas Rangers and has been all over the minor league system. He has been playing in Triple-A the last 3 years and has been improving consistently every season. This season he has a 2.37 ERA in 24 appearances, almost cutting it in half from the previous year. If he keeps on this trajectory he is likely to make a major league appearance within the next season or two.