As the snow begins to melt away and the first signs of spring touch the air, three former Harvard pitchers are busy training to compete at the next level.
Pitchers Brent Suter, Frank Herrmann, and Sean Poppen all share a background in a Crimson uniform. The three are, however, entering the 2017 spring at various stages of their careers beyond Harvard’s gates. As Suter find himself on a major league roster, Herrmann is transitioning out of MLB and Poppen is settling into minor league play.
After making his major league debut in August of 2016, Suter will be suiting up this season for the Milwaukee Brewers. The 27-year-old left-hander completed the 2016 season with an ERA of 3.32 over 14 games.
Suter, who was drafted in the 31st round of the 2012 Draft by the Brewers, is the only former Harvard baseball player listed as active on an MLB 40-man roster. He currently vying for a spot in the Milwaukee bullpen as the team undergoes spring training.
Right-handed pitcher Frank Herrmann will be on the mound in Japan this year, as he’ll be competing in Nippon Professional Baseball. Coming out of Harvard, Herrmann signed with the Cleveland Indians in 2006. The New Jersey native pitched in the minors for four years, before making his major league debut in June of 2010. While in the major leagues, he spent three seasons with the Indians and one with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Herrmann signed with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in November of last year. This season will mark the first in the NPB for the 32-year-old Harvard alumnus.
Fresh off O’Donnell Field, Poppen will be furthering his baseball career in the minor leagues. After graduating from Harvard last year, the right-handed pitcher went in the 19th round of the 2016 MLB Draft to the Minnesota Twins. He is currently playing Single-A baseball with the Cedar Rapid Kernels in Iowa.
During his time with the Crimson, Poppen had an ERA of 4.39 in 39 appearances and recorded a total of 175 strikeouts.
As these three alumni take to mounds across the globe, a piece of Harvard will travel behind every pitch.
On Tuesday, Jeff Bridich’00 and tricaptain of the 2000 baseball team was named the third general manager in Colorado Rockies’ team history. The move came after Dan O’Dowd, the team’s general manager since 1999, and Bill Geivett, the team’s senior vice president, resigned following Colorado’s disappointing 2014 campaign.
(Continued)
It was a busy week both on and off the field for Harvard athletes, including those not currently in season. The Back Page takes a closer look.
Harvard Fencers at Junior World Championships
While Harvard fencers compete for the Crimson during the season, much of their competition comes on the international circuit. When not in season, the majority of the team goes abroad to fence against some of the world’s best, and the level of fencing is generally understood to be higher than that of the NCAA.
(Continued)
The Back Page takes a step back from the NCAA tournament bracket madness to reconnect with some Crimson alums from years past.
He’s Got Heart: Desmond Bryant ’09
A little over a year ago, Crimson sports alumnus Scott Sherman covered Bryant’s new contract with the Cleveland Browns. Since his multi-million dollar contract, Bryant has been busy; after recording 31 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 12 games in his first season with the Browns, the former Crimson star underwent an emergency medical procedure in December to correct an irregular heartbeat.
With his career on hold, Bryant worked hard to return to his former strength. Just a few weeks ago, the defensive end was given full clearance to return to full football activities. He is currently preparing to make a full comeback to the Brown’s starting defensive line.
The 6’6” Bryant turned town offers from Duke, Florida A&M, and Towson to come to play for the Crimson, and he became a key starter on the perfect 10-0 2005 Harvard team that was led by fellow future NFL player Ryan Fitzpatrick ’05.
After the promising start, Bryant ran into some trouble and was suspended from the team twice, first for violating team rules and then for academic reasons. He returned for his senior year, though, recording 4.5 tackles for a loss and was granted second-team Ivy League honors.
Undrafted coming out of Harvard, Bryant got his chance with the Oakland Raiders as a rookie in 2009, recording 32 tackles in 16 games. Since then, the 310-pounder has found continued success in the NFL, recording five sacks in his third year and four in his fourth year.
(Continued)
While you were busy power-watching housing day videos and writing strongly worded letters to your various friends in Kirkland house, here is what happened in Harvard sports this weekend.
With its 70-58 win over Yale on Friday night, the men’s basketball team secured the Ivy League championship outright and earned its third straight bid to the Dance. Sports writers nationwide rejoiced with the win, immediately pitching Tommy Amaker features to everyone around them. “It is such a great story for a long-form feature,” they exclaim. TRUST US, WE KNOW. JUST STOP ALREADY. Besides, the original is still the best.
Speaking of top-notch basketball coaches, women’s basketball coach Kathy Delaney-Smith now owns the most wins in Ivy League basketball history, passing Princeton legendary men’s basketball coach Pete Carril with her 515th against Yale on Friday night. It remains unclear whether Delaney-Smith will be getting the Amaker treatment or not (she is certainly more than deserving), but Bartley’s Burger Cottage, known for its special burgers named after pop culture references, did have a Delaney-Smith special on Friday afternoon. While rumors abound on the Cambridge community’s desire for a “Fire Donato!” special, Bartley’s has neither confirmed nor denied that such a burger is in the works.
(Continued)
