Pictured above you will see Nick Swisher of Ohio State, Joe Blanton of Kentucky, Tom Gorzelanny of Kansas, and Trystan Magnuson of Lousville. At this point the reader is allowed to wonder if it might be a bit difficult to track down a major leaguer who went to Louisville.
The reader will also note that these Four players represent the Four schools who will soon cross swords on Saturday in the Final Four. This is by design.
That's because we're going to look at the Final Four institutions through the prism of major-league baseball. That is, if we allow OSU, UK, KU, and Louisville to settle things on the major-league diamond rather than the synthetic rubberized playing surface, then who comes out on top? Let us explore (with a behind-the-back, fast-break assist from Baseball-Reference) ...
Ohio State
Total major leaguers: 54
Notable current major leaguers: Cory Luebke, Swisher
Best hitter ever: Frank Howard (1958-73)
Best pitcher ever: Dave Burba
Cumulative hitting stats by former Buckeyes: .257/.331/.408; 1,035 HR
Cumulative pitching stats by former Buckeyes: 7,941 IP; 4.27 ERA; 4,289 K
Not bad. It's also notable when a nifty hitter like Swisher isn't your best-ever output.
Kentucky
Total major leaguers: 25
Notable current major leaguers: Blanton, Scott Downs
Best hitter ever: Jim Leyritz (1990-2000)
Best pitcher ever: Brandon Webb (2003-09)
Cumulative hitting stats by former Wildcats: .235/.292/.335; 189 HR
Cumulative pitching stats by former Wildcats: 5,678 IP; 4.09 ERA; 3,901 K
And now let us remember what Brandon Webb could've been ... Not a bad crop for the Cats, particularly on the pitching front.
Kansas
Total major leaguers: 21
Notable current major leaguers: Gorzelanny
Best hitter ever: Bob Allison (1958-70)
Best pitcher ever: Steve Renko (1969-83)
Cumulative hitting stats by former Jayhawks: .233/.322/.384; 280 HR
Cumulative pitching stats by former Jayhawks: 5,136.2 IP; 4.21 ERA; 3,032 K
Allison, a fairly underrated player in his day, tallied 256 of the (former) Jayhawks' 280 homers. Some solid top-end talent, but depth is lacking.
Louisville
Total major leaguers: 4
Notable current major leaguers: Sean Green
Best hitter ever: Fred Koster (1931)
Best pitcher ever: Green (2006-11)
Cumulative hitting stats by former Cardinals: .216/.278/.253; 0 HR
Cumulative pitching stats by former Cardinals: 389.2 IP; 4.85 ERA; 277 K
Um, no. Their best hitter played one season, and their best pitcher is a middle reliever with a worse-than-league-average ERA.
Overall, give it to Ohio State on the strength of total major leaguers and offensive superiority. Place your basketball bets accordingly.
