Spokane Indians legends, recent Gonzaga standouts taking part in World Baseball Classic
The list of World Baseball Classic players and coaches with ties to the area includes some Spokane Indians greats – past and present MLB notables who opened their pro careers at Avista Stadium – plus a couple of Gonzaga products who took advantage of family heritage to claim spots on international rosters.
As the global baseball tourney opens this week, here’s a look at WBC participants who have played for local universities or the city’s historic minor league team.
Gonzaga
Great Britain
Right-handed pitcher Owen Wild – Drafted in the seventh round by Tampa Bay in 2023, Wild has progressed quickly in the minors, reaching Double-A Montgomery last year.
There, he posted a 7-8 record with a 4.71 ERA and 96 strikeouts against 39 walks over 105 innings. He’s expected to open the 2026 season in Montgomery.
The Gig Harbor product went 13-8 in 23 starts from 2022-23 with the Zags, finishing his GU career with a 4.29 ERA.
Israel
First baseman Troy Johnston – Johnston has reportedly decided to remain with the Colorado Rockies in Arizona and will not play in the WBC after initially committing last month to suit up for Israel.
Johnston is competing for the Rockies’ first base job at spring training. He’s hitting 5-for-21 with a double, two RBIs and two stolen bases through nine Cactus League games.
The former Zags star (2017-19) from Puyallup made his MLB debut in July of last year with the Marlins, recording a hit in his first career at-bat. He finished the year batting .277 with 13 RBIs in 44 games for Miami, then was claimed by Colorado off waivers in November.
Johnston was the Marlins Minor League Player of the Year in 2023. He led the entire MiLB with 119 RBIs that year, adding 26 homers, 36 doubles and 24 stolen bases.
He helped GU to a WCC title in 2018. An All-WCC first-teamer in 2019, Johnston hit .312 over 109 games as a Zag, and was selected my Miami in the 17th round of the 2019 draft.
Right-handed pitcher Eli Morgan – Also signed up to play for Israel, but reportedly won’t compete in the WBC due to insurance issues.
Morgan has appeared in 168 major league games since 2021, posting a record of 18-12 with an ERA of 3.97 between 2021-24 with Cleveland. He appeared in seven games out of the Chicago Cubs’ bullpen last year, giving up 10 runs on 12 hits in 7⅓ innings, and spent more time in the minors as he rehabbed an elbow injury.
Morgan was signed to a minor league deal by Kansas City in January. He’s appeared in three games at spring training, allowing three hits, one walk and striking out two over three scoreless innings.
Morgan was drafted by Cleveland in the eighth round in 2017 after garnering All-America honors at GU.
Italy
Right-handed pitcher Alek Jacob – The 27-year-old from Spokane appeared in 29 games out of the San Diego Padres’ bullpen last year and he’s hoping to make a case for a more consistent role with the franchise this spring. Jacob is off to a nice start with the Padres in Cactus League play, pitching three scoreless innings with no hits and one walk allowed, and five strikeouts.
The North Central High grad, who claimed WCC pitcher of the year honors in 2021 at GU, made his big league debut in 2023 and has appeared in 39 MLB games since.
He went 1-0 with a 5.13 ERA last year, striking out 23 against 14 walks in 33⅓ innings.
Washington State
Great Britain
Catcher Will Cresswell – The Auburn, Washington, product landed on the All-Mountain West second team after batting .329 as a senior at WSU last year, then was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 18th round. Cresswell played in seven games for Single-A Dunedin last summer, hitting 5-for-25 with five RBIs.
Spokane Indians
Canada
Bullpen catcher Kellin Deglan – A first-round draft pick for the Texas Rangers in 2010, Deglan began his pro career that year with Spokane, where he hit .159 in 22 games. Deglan spent 12 years in the minors.
Colombia
Right-handed pitcher Emerson Martinez – Went 4-5 with Spokane during the 2015 season, posting a 5.33 ERA over 13 games and 54 innings. Martinez played in the minors from 2013-19 and spent the last few years playing professionally in Venezuela.
Left-handed pitcher Reiver Sanmartin – Had a brief but effective stint in Spokane, posting a 2.27 ERA and a 3-1 record in seven games (five starts) in 2017. Sanmartin allowed 38 hits and eight earned runs, striking out 28 against just three walks in 31⅔ innings. He’s appeared in 62 games for the Cincinnati Reds since making his MLB debut in 2021.
Catcher Jorge Alfaro – A 10-year major leaguer who’s appeared in 510 career games with six franchises, Alfaro was 18 years old when he played for Spokane in 2011. He hit .300 with six homers and nine doubles in 45 games with the Indians.
Alfaro’s best MLB season came with Miami in 2019, when he hit .262 with 18 homers and 57 RBIs. He appeared in 14 games last year for the Nationals and is now with Kansas City.
Dominican Republic
Right-handed pitcher Juan Mejia – Signed by the Rockies as a 16-year-old in 2017, Mejia worked his way through the minors, making two stops in Spokane, and made his major league debut last year, posting a 2-2 record with a 3.96 ERA in 55 appearances out of the Colorado bullpen.
Mejia appeared in 13 games in relief for Spokane in 2022, logging a 6.75 ERA and a 1-1 record. He improved in 2023, going 2-2 with a 4.81 ERA over 35 games with the Indians.
He’s looking to solidify a big league role during Cactus League play. Mejia is 1-0 at spring training, allowing one hit and one earned run with three walks and four strikeouts in 2⅔ innings.
Israel
Infielder/outfielder Cole Carrigg – The WBC player to most recently spend time with the Indians, Carrigg was a key piece of the 2024 Spokane team that won the Northwest League championship. He hit .280 in 114 games that season with a team-high 16 home runs, 60 RBI, 16 doubles, 11 triples and 51 stolen bases.
A second-round Colorado draft pick in 2023, Carrigg hit .237 with 15 homers at Double-A Hartford last year. He is the Rockies’ No. 3 major league prospect, according to MLB.com, and is shining at spring training. He’s 7-for-18 (.389) with two doubles, a triple and three runs through seven Cactus League games.
Outfield coach Jerry Narron – The 70-year-old veteran coach played catcher for the Triple-A Indians during the 1980 and ‘82 seasons. He hit .283 with nine homers in 67 games during his first stint in Spokane, then batted .311 with 24 doubles, 12 homers and 61 RBIs in 1982 – Spokane’s last season as a Triple-A club. Narron went on to play in the majors for parts of eight seasons, and has been a major league coach over the past 30 years. Narron managed the Texas Rangers from 2001-02 and the Cincinnati Reds from 2005-07. He served as catching coach for the Los Angeles Angels last year.
Netherlands
Infielder Juremi Profar – Hit .247 with 10 doubles in 67 games for Spokane in 2014. Profar spent seven seasons in the minors, reaching as high as Triple-A, then went on to play in international leagues.
Outfielder Jurickson Profar – The older Profar brother was removed from the WBC roster this week after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. The Braves outfielder is facing a full-season suspension. Profar has been a regular on MLB rosters since 2012, earning an All-Star nod with San Diego in 2024. He began his professional career in Spokane in 2010, hitting .250 with 19 doubles in 63 games with the Indians.
Nicaragua
Third base coach Garry Pettis – A five-time Gold Glover as a major leaguer (1982-92) and a two-time World Series champion as an assistant coach (Astros, 2017 and ‘22), Pettis played in 133 games with the Indians in 1982 before being promoted to the California Angels. He hit .288 with 22 doubles, 14 triples and 53 stolen bases for Spokane.
Catcher Melvin Novoa – Hit .281 in 38 games for the Indians in 2017. Novoa played in the minors for six seasons and has spent recent years competing in the Nicaraguan Winter League.
Puerto Rico
First base coach Sandy Alomar Jr. – A six-time All-Star and one of the best players in Cleveland history, the former catcher started his pro career in Spokane in 1984, hitting .215 in 59 games. He went on to play 20 seasons in the majors, most notably with Cleveland in the ‘90s. Alomar has been an assistant coach with the Guardians since 2010 and currently serves as the franchise’s first base/catching coach.
Third base coach Joey Cora – Cora was an All-Star who batted .300 for the 1997 AL West-winning Mariners team that boasted AL MVP Ken Griffey Jr. and ace Randy Johnson. Twelve years earlier, the second baseman began his pro career in Spokane, hitting .324 with 11 doubles and 26 RBI in 43 games. He spent 11 seasons in MLB, most of four years with the M’s. The 60-year-old has been a coach in the majors since 2004, currently serving as the Detroit Tigers’ third base coach.
Venezuela
Right-handed pitcher German Marquez – A 200-game career starter for the Rockies and a 2021 All-Star, Marquez pitched four scoreless innings in a rehab assignment with the Indians in 2024.
Right-handed pitcher Antonio Senzatela – Another longtime Rockies starter (145 starts since 2017), Senzatela also went to Spokane in 2024 on a rehab assignment, pitching 5⅓ innings and striking out five with two earned runs over two starts.
Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar – Hit .239 with four homers and 18 RBI in 32 games with the Indians in 2021. Tovar is now entering his fourth season in the majors as the Rockies’ primary shortstop.