May 7, 2007

By Matthew Waxman

Special to CSTV.com

Alou, Bell, Cruz: the list of multi-generational major league baseball families is well documented. The surnames of well over a hundred father-son duos grace the pages of the Baseball Encyclopedia, including 11 combos in which more than one of the brothers made it to the show (hello Motas). But less publicized is the list of sons of major leaguers currently playing college baseball.

For anyone who has ever watched Field of Dreams, it's obvious why baseball proficiency is so often passed down from generation to generation like a ball relayed from the outfield to the plate. And it makes sense that these baseball progeny would be more likely to be financially stable enough to defer pro signing bonuses in order to play college baseball.

That being said, the first day of the 2006 Major League Draft alone culled nine sons of former major leaguers from the high school and college ranks, including Preston Mattingly (Don), Kyle Drabek (Doug), Marcus Lemon (Chet), and Joshua Lansford (Carney). Despite that pruning of college baseball's family tree, at least 11 sons of former ball players remain on Division 1 rosters, including a few names that should be recognizable to even the casual baseball fan.

At the top of the list is Drew Saberhagen, the son of two-time Cy Young Award winner Bret who bypassed college himself after being drafted out of high school by the Royals. The younger Saberhagen, a spitting image of his father, is currently a redshirt sophomore pitcher at Western Carolina, having transferred from Pepperdine after two seasons. This year Drew is 6-1 and currently tops Catamounts starters with a 3.08 ERA.

The top prospect among college players with a pro pedigree is Arizona State sophomore outfielder Ike Davis. Davis' father, Ron, was a hard-throwing relief pitcher who played 11 major league seasons for five teams. Last season, Ike, who wears the number 39 that his father wore, was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and First Team All-Pac-10, while setting numerous freshman offensive team records.

Davis' teammate at ASU, Andrew Romine, is the son of Kevin Romine, a former reserve outfielder for the Boston Red Sox. The elder Romine was a two-time All-American at Arizona State where he won a national title in 1981. Andrew is the team's starting shortstop and is hitting .307 this year.

Not surprisingly, the sons of players who went on to coach baseball are well represented on this list. Brett Bochy, the son of San Francisco Giants manager and former catcher Bruce Bochy, is a freshman pitcher for the Kansas Jayhawks. Another former manager and catcher Bob Brenly, who attended Ohio University, has a son, Michael Brenly, currently the starting catcher for UNLV. Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell, who pitched seven years for the Cleveland Indians after being drafted out of Oklahoma State, somehow raised a position player: Virginia sophomore Jeremy Farrell plays third base for the Cavaliers and is batting .436 in only 17 games. Jeremy's grandfather, Tom, also pitched in the Indians organization.

Stanford sophomore Austin Yount is the nephew of Brewers Hall of Famer Robin Yount, but the right-handed pitcher/second baseman's father, Larry, also had a pro career-- albeit a brief one (He was injured in warmups before his first outing but is still credited with an appearance). Andrew finished his freshman campaign going 4-0 as a reliever and his 2.84 ERA led the Cardinal staff.

Other sons of former guns include Nevada's Rod Scurry, the son of the former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher of the same name. Texas Longhorns pitcher James Russell is the kin of Texas Rangers pitcher Jeff Russell, a two-time MLB All-Star who led the AL in saves in 1989. Brad Boxberger is a USC legacy -- dad Rod Boxberger pitched there as well --  and as a freshman starting pitcher his ERA of 2.80 is currently the lowest on the team.

Filling out the familial ranks is South Florida left-handed pitcher Davis Bilardello. Davis's father Dann was a former national league catcher for eight seasons.

Baseball, more than any other sport, seems to get passed down in the genes, like eye color or height. When this crop of sons walks into the field of corn stalks that is post-college life, another generation of ball players' sons will take their spots. Next year Bill Buckner's son Bobby will attend Texas, while Mike Scioscia's son, Matt, a catcher/ first baseman, will play at Notre Dame. The following year Barry Bonds' son, Nikolai, will be eligible for college.

And on and on, the cycle continues.