By Isaiah Rosario, Sports Editor
Last year, two of Manhattan College’s own baseball alumni got the call-up to Major League Baseball. Tom Cosgrove and Joe Jacques were drafted out of college to join major league programs.
In the 2018 MLB Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Jacques at pick 984 in the thirty-third round. In the twelfth round at number 348 in the 2017 MLB draft, the San Diego Padres selected Cosgrove.
Tom Cosgrove ‘17: San Diego Padres
On April 29, 2023, Cosgrove made his major league debut against the San Francisco Giants. He was able to get the win despite only pitching a third of an inning.
In the 2023 season, he had a record of 1-2 pitching to a stellar 1.75 earned run average in 54 games and 51.1 innings pitched. He allowed 31 hits and 12 runs with 10 of them earned and allowed three home runs.
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2024 looks quite different for the second-year relief pitcher. In 13 games, he has a 10.13 earned run average in 13 games. In 10.2 innings pitched he allowed 15 hits and 12 earned runs. Additionally, he allowed three home runs and four walks. He has also rung up 13 batters.
This season does not look too great for Cosgrove, but he has the stuff to pick it back up and be the elite reliever he was last year. Cosgrove spoke to the Riverdale Press about being able to pitch in the major leagues.
“Honestly, I was waiting for that moment my whole life,” Cosgrove said in the RP article. “After the first pitch, I got my breathing under control and was just focused on getting the out.”
Joe Jacques ‘18: Arizona Diamondbacks
On June 12, 2023, Jacques made his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox. 2023 would be the year when Jacques would have the most appearances in his career. In his debut, he threw five pitches with three of those being strikes against the Colorado Rockies.
In 2023, he was 2-1, with an earned run average of 5.06 in 23 appearances, and started in one game. In his appearances, he pitched 26.2 innings, allowing 32 hits and 17 runs with 15 of those runs being earned. Hitters unfortunately saw him well at the plate, as he allowed batters to have a .308 average.
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One of his best appearances came in a game against the Oakland Athletics on July 7 where he pitched two scoreless innings and allowed two hits. Another great outing from Jacques was on August 4 where he pitched one and two-thirds innings of relief against the Toronto Blue Jays where he struck out one on 18 pitches and 14 were strikes.
2024 is a bit of a different story for Jacques, as he only appeared in one game on April 18. In one and two-thirds innings, he allowed three hits, one earned run and two strikeouts. On April 23, Jacques was designated for assignment and claimed off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The left-handed pitcher is currently in the Diamondbacks system in Triple-A.