Which Horned Frogs baseball players have made it to MLB? One is a legend of TCU athletics

With over 12 seasons of experience under his belt, San Diego Padres infielder Matt Carpenter, and TCU baseball alum, is still hanging around the big leagues.

He’s among over 40 other former Horned Frogs that donned the uniform of a Major League Baseball team.

Carpenter was drafted from TCU in the 13th round of the 2009 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.

He has over 1,200 hits and 174 RBI throughout his career, which after 10 seasons with the Cardinals, brought him to the New York Yankees, the San Diego Padres and even the minor league system of the Texas Rangers.

His stint with the Rangers was a hometown reunion, but it ended in his departure for San Diego.

In 2019, Carpenter was inducted into TCU’s Hall of Fame.

Some of the most notable and most recent Frogs made the list, including Jake Arrieta.

Jake Arrieta

Similar to Carpenter, Arrieta is a TCU Hall of Fame inductee. He was honored in the 2022 class.

The starting pitcher was drafted three times, once out of high school and twice throughout his collegiate career. He eventually took the offer from the Baltimore Orioles, who drafted him in the fifth round of 2007. He made his major league debut for the Orioles in 2010, which started a lengthy career.

He was most well-known for his time with the Chicago Cubs, where he threw two no-hitters (August 30, 2015 and April 21, 2016) and helped the Cubs’ World Series drought with a championship in 2016.

He won the Cy Young Award in 2015 and was chosen as an All-Star in 2016.

Arrieta retired in 2021, with his last appearance on the mound on September 19.

Andrew Cashner

Another notable starting pitcher that came from TCU is Andrew Cashner.

He was drafted three different times before he chose to sign with the Chicago Cubs after they selected him 19th overall in 2008.

He made his debut with the Cubs, but was mostly known for his time on the San Diego Padres, who he spent four seasons with.

From the Padres, he returned to North Texas to play for the Rangers for one season before heading to the northeast to pitch for the Orioles and Boston Red Sox.

Cashner played his last game on Sep. 28, 2019 when he retired.

Bryan Holaday

Catcher Bryan Holaday was drafted from TCU by the Detroit Tigers in the sixth round of the 2010 draft.

He made his debut for the on June 6, 2012 for the Tigers, who he played for until 2016 when he went to the Rangers.

He played 29 games for the Rangers before he went to the Red Sox.

He went back to the Tigers and played for a couple other organizations before retired, playing his last game on August 28, 2021 with the Diamondbacks.

Luken Baker

The St. Louis Cardinals recently promoted the latest product of Horned Frog baseball to the major leagues; Luken Baker.

Baker, a product of Oak Ridge High School in Conroe, Texas, was drafted by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2018 draft — he was the 75th overall pick.

In his career with the Horned Frogs, he tallied 28 home runs and 129 RBI. While the Cardinals have used him as a designated hitter, he was an effective pitcher for TCU.

He started 10 games and only gave up nine earned runs.

Baker was a part of the 2016 and ‘17 TCU teams that made it to the College World Series.

Nick Lodolo

Also on the 2017 team was starting pitcher Nick Lodolo, who made his MLB debut for the Cincinnati Reds on April 13, 2022.

Lodolo became the highest draft pick in program history after the Reds took him in the first round, seventh overall, of the 2019 draft.

He came back to North Texas earlier this season where he pitched against the Texas Rangers. He threw 4.0 innings and gave up six earned runs.

Alex Young

Sticking with current Reds, Alex Young has worked as a relief pitcher on the same team as Lodolo.

Young was originally drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 32nd round of the 2012 draft, however, he decided to go to college at TCU, 20 miles away from where the Rangers play.

Young was on the roster when the Frogs went to Omaha in 2014 and ‘15 before he was drafted again, this time by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second round. He also played with Cleveland from 2021-2022.

Kevin Cron

First baseman Kevin Cron was drafted out of high school, but chose to play for the Frogs from 2012-2014, where he joined them for their run in the College World Series.

Cron then took his opportunity, signing with the Diamondbacks after getting drafted in the 14th round of the 2014 draft.

He made his debut on May 24, 2019. Following stints in Japan and Korea, he made his way back to the United States, playing in the Oakland Athletics organization — their Triple-A affiliate.

Stefan Crichton

Relief pitcher Stefan Crichton was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 23rd round of the 2013 draft. He made his debut for the Orioles on April 16, 2017 against the Toronto Blue Jays.

He would finish his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks, pitching his last game on August 1, 2021.

Dutch Meyer

The stories from 1900 until 1950 about TCU athletics often include the name Dutch Meyer.

He played on the baseball team from 1918-1921. He also coached the team from 1926-1934.

As head coach, he led the Frogs to their first Southwest Conference baseball title in 1933.

He was then the head football coach for 19 years, leading the Frogs to bowl games seven times, including three times to the Cotton Bowl and twice to the Sugar Bowl.

During that time, Meyer couldn’t stay away from the baseball field, taking over coaching duties in 1945 and then again from 1956-1957.

In 1956, the Horned Frogs won another Southwest Conference title and made their first appearance in the NCAA baseball tournament.

During this busy stretch of coaching, he also played in the Major Leagues, debuting on June 23, 1937. He played for the Chicago Cubs for a year, took three years off and returned to play for the Detroit Tigers from 1940-1942.

He served in the military for the next two years before he came back and played for Cleveland.

Meyer played his last Major League game on September 22, 1946, but continued to play in the minor leagues, playing his last three seasons with the Dallas Eagles from 1951-1953.