Who are the 6 Mizzou Baseball products currently on MLB rosters?

Over the past few years, Mizzou has gained a lot of hype for its sports programs. Whether it's basketball, football, gymnastics, or even wrestling, almost all the major sports at Mizzou receive recognition—except for one: baseball.

Due to the team’s lack of recent success compared to other sports on campus, many people overlook the impact Mizzou baseball is having in the major leagues. While it may seem unusual to call Mizzou a "baseball school" given the current performance of the team, when you look at the number of Tigers excelling at the next level, it may actually have some truth to it.

There are around 25 Tigers who are in some type of MLB or MILB system currently in 2024, but who are the ones at the top level?

Max Scherzer

Arguably the most famous Mizzou alum, Max Scherzer, is playing in his 17th MLB season and is widely regarded as the best active pitcher in baseball. A St. Louis native and Parkway Central graduate, Scherzer attended Mizzou from 2004-2006. During his college career, he posted a combined 16-8 record with a 2.40 ERA, leading to his selection in the 2006 MLB Draft.

Since entering the league, Scherzer has displayed dominance throughout his career. The three-time Cy Young winner and two-time World Series champion is currently pitching for his third team and has shown few sign of regression.

Even now, Scherzer continues to demonstrate why he is a future first-ballot Hall of Famer. This season, as he turns 40, he moved into the top 10 all-time for strikeouts in MLB history, currently sitting at 3,405—the most of any active MLB player.

In 2012, Max Scherzer was inducted into the Mizzou Baseball Hall of Fame, one of only 35 players to receive that honor. In 2019, his number 31 was retired by the Mizzou baseball team. Scherzer was given the number on his first day as a freshman and has kept it throughout his career. He has often reflected on the impact Mizzou, his coaches, and his teammates had on him as he continues to dominate his opponents in the MLB.

Tanner Houck

The latest Mizzou athlete to be named to any type of "All-Star" team, Tanner Houck, came to Mizzou after four years at Collinsville High School in Collinsville, Illinois, just two hours outside of Columbia. Although he was drafted out of high school, Houck chose to pass up the offer and play for the Tigers instead, a decision that paid off well.

In his three seasons at Mizzou, he posted a 3.26 ERA with 292 strikeouts, leading to his selection in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft.

Houck made his debut during the shortened 2020 season and quickly made a name for himself, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning in just his second start. Since then, Houck has continued to impress, improving with each season. In 2024, Houck earned his first All-Star selection, becoming the 10th different Tiger to be named to an MLB All-Star team.

Pete Fairbanks

Coming out of Webster Groves High School in Webster Groves, Missouri, Pete Fairbanks was a risk that the Tigers took when recruiting him, and it paid off. After suffering a torn UCL and undergoing Tommy John surgery in his junior year of high school, Fairbanks entered college with limited pitching experience over the previous two years.

This lack of experience was evident in his first year at Mizzou, where he only pitched in six games. However, after spending a summer in the Cape Cod League, Fairbanks returned as a different pitcher.

Fairbanks ended his career at Mizzou with a 3.90 ERA in 40 appearances, 23 of them starts, which led to his selection in the 9th round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers. After several years in the minors and another Tommy John surgery in 2017, Fairbanks finally made it to the big leagues in 2019 at 25 years old. Since then, he hasn’t looked back and is now playing in his sixth MLB season.

Currently with the Rays, Fairbanks has become a reliable arm and a leader in the Tampa Bay bullpen since being traded there just eight games into his MLB career in 2019. Over the past two years, he has taken on the role of closer and has been lights out, finishing 73 games with a 3.08 ERA.

Pete's father, Shane Fairbanks, also played for the Tigers, manning the outfield before being drafted by the Houston Astros in the 1983 MLB Draft.

Kyle Gibson

After missing his sophomore year of high school due to injury, he put together outstanding junior and senior seasons and opted to turn down a 36th-round draft pick. After spending his first year at Mizzou in the bullpen, he transitioned to a starting role in his sophomore year—and that was all he needed to make his mark.

After three years at Mizzou, where he posted a combined 3.67 ERA in nearly 260 innings, Kyle Gibson was selected 22nd overall in the 2009 MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins, just 10 picks ahead of his teammate Aaron Crow. Gibson's journey through the minors was lengthy and included Tommy John surgery in 2011, but he finally made his MLB debut in 2013 with the Twins and has been a mainstay in the big leagues ever since.

After seven years with the Twins, Gibson was traded to the Texas Rangers before the shortened 2020 season. The following year, he was named to his first All-Star team before being traded once again. Now playing for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2024, Gibson has started at least 25 games and struck out at least 100 batters in 10 different seasons.

Rob Zastyzny

Born in Edmonton, Canada, and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, Rob Zastryzny wasn’t initially expected to make it far in baseball. While playing for Calallen High School in Corpus Christi, Zastryzny was both a pitcher and an infielder, but eventually focused on pitching, which propelled him to the next level. After graduating, he played for the Tigers for three years, where he compiled 228 strikeouts (eighth all-time in school history) with a 3.82 ERA.

His impressive college performance led to a selection in the second round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs. Zastryzny spent the next few years pitching at various levels within the Cubs' minor league system before receiving his first call-up in the middle of the 2016 season to make his major league debut. He remained on the roster through the end of the season, eventually earning his first World Series ring in 2016. Zastryzny stayed with the Cubs until the end of the 2019 season, when he was released and subsequently signed with the Dodgers.

Since then, Zastryzny has been released or opted for free agency seven times, signing with a different team each time. This past offseason, he signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers and began the season with their Triple-A affiliate. After making 30 appearances and posting a 3.03 ERA, his contract was selected by the team, and he was promoted to the major league roster on June 29th. Since then, he has appeared in nine games, three as a starter and two as a closer, and has recorded an impressive 1.17 ERA.

Kameron Misner

The latest Tiger to make it to the big leagues, Kameron Misner, was born and raised in Missouri, growing up in Poplar Bluff, just north of the Arkansas border. After multiple successful seasons in high school, Misner earned recognition as a top three player in the state and decided to take his talents to Mizzou. During his three years with the Tigers, he batted .302 with 31 doubles, 21 homers, and 91 RBIs. Despite missing part of his sophomore season due to injury, Misner continued to excel and solidified his reputation as a top prospect.

He was drafted 35th overall by the Miami Marlins in the 2019 MLB Draft and made his professional debut a few days later in Rookie Ball. After just eight games, during which he collected seven hits, including two doubles, Misner was promoted to Single-A, where he finished the 2019 season.

With no games played in 2020 due to COVID, Misner started the 2021 season in High-A and steadily progressed through the minor leagues, eventually finishing the 2023 season in Triple-A. He began the 2024 season in Triple-A as well, but in early August, Misner received the call to join the Tampa Bay Rays’ major league roster.

Since joining the Rays, Misner has played in eight games and has managed just one hit, which he collected in his most recent game. He’ll need to figure things out quickly as the Rays get healthier in the coming weeks.