Former Stony Brook baseball standout Nick Tropeano is headed to the show. The two-time America East Pitcher of the Year was called up by the Houston Astros on Sept. 2 and will make his major league debut Wednesday as he’ll get the start for Houston in Seattle.
Tropeano will be the fifth former America East baseball standout to play in the majors this season. Former Stony Brook hurlers Joe Nathan, a six-time MLB All Star, and Tom Koehler are on Detroit and Miami, respectively, while the conference’s 2004 Pitcher of the Year Adam Ottavino (Northeastern) has made 70 appearances out of Colorado’s bullpen. Carlos Pena (Northeastern) played in 18 games for Texas before being released. He’s amassed 286 career homers and an .808 OPS in 14 seasons with eight organizations.
Tropeano was one of the most dominant pitchers in Stony Brook history. In just three seasons of action, he won 25 games and compiled a 2.84 ERA while striking out 275 in 250 2/3 innings of work. He is the only pitcher in America East history to be named America East Pitcher of the Year twice, earning the award in 2010 and 2011.
Originally a fifth-round selection by the Astros in the 2011 MLB Draft, Tropeano has worked his way up the ranks in the Minor Leagues. After starting in Short-Season A in 2011, he moved up to A ball in 2012 and then AA ball in 2013 before pitching this entire year in AAA. In 90 career Minor League outings, Tropeano is 31-24 with a 3.26 ERA and 479 strikeouts in 469-2/3 innings.
This season, Tropeano has been stellar pitching for the Oklahoma City Redhawks of the Pacific Coast League (PCL), boasting a 9-5 record and a PCL-best 3.03 ERA with 120 strikeouts in 124-2/3 innings. He also led the PCL with a 0.99 WHIP. At midseason, he was named to the PCL All-Star Game.
Check out America East’s complete listing of major league players and draft picks.
Information from Stony Brook Athletic Communications was used in this report.