More than 1,000 players have suited up for the Lansing Lugnuts during their 30 seasons as a Minor League Baseball team.
And roughly 21% of those who have played for the Lugnuts have gone on to reach the ultimate goal of playing in the majors.
With the Lugnuts celebrating their 30th anniversary this season, here is a look at 30 notable players who have suited up for the franchise since it started calling downtown Lansing home in 1996.
This list features players who made their mark with achievements during their time with the Lugnuts and those who have had success in the majors. Players who appeared with the Lugnuts on rehab assignments from major league teams are not included. The players are listed in alphabetical order.
Jeremy Affeldt
Time with Lugnuts: 1998
Affeldt is the former Lugnut with the most World Series titles, winning three with the San Francisco Giants. The pitcher appeared in 774 games during his 14 seasons in the majors, compiling a 43-46 record with a 3.97 ERA and 720 strikeouts. He also recorded 28 saves.
Henderson Alvarez
Time with Lugnuts: 2009
Alvarez was the Opening Day starter for the Lugnuts as a teenager. He went on to play six seasons in the majors and threw a no-hitter for the Miami Marlins in 2013. Alvarez, who was a National League all-star in 2014, recorded a 27-35 record with a 3.82 ERA and 302 strikeouts in 95 career MLB games.
Carlos Beltran
Time with Lugnuts: 1996
Who is the greatest all-time Lugnut? This guy might have the best case. Beltran was part of the inaugural opening day lineup for the Lugnuts in 1996 but spent just 11 games with Lansing before being sidelined by an injury. He went on to an outstanding MLB career that started when he was the 1999 American League Rookie of the Year. He was a nine-time all-star, won three Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers and is the only former Lugnut to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Jon Berti
Time with Lugnuts: 2012
The Troy native has played eight seasons in the majors and led the bigs in stolen bases with 41 in 2022 while playing with the Miami Marlins.
Bo Bichette
Time with Lugnuts: 2017
Bichette spent just a half season in Lansing but made a sizable impact, finishing as the Midwest League’s Prospect of the Year and Most Valuable Player in 2017. The infielder is in his eighth season in the majors and surpassed 1,000 career hits this season. Bichette was a two-time all-star while with the Toronto Blue Jays and is in his debut season with the New York Mets.
Matthew Boyd
Time with Lugnuts: 2013
The left-handed pitcher is in his 12th season in the majors and has surpassed 1,000 career strikeouts while appearing in more than 200 games. Boyd spent eight seasons of his career with the Detroit Tigers and was a Major League all-star for the first time in 2025 representing the Chicago Cubs. He also was a member of Team USA in this year’s World Baseball Classic
Brian Dopirak
Time with Lugnuts: 2003-04
Dopirak never reached the majors but owns franchise season records in hits (166), home runs (39), RBIs (120) and extra base hits (77). He was the Midwest League’s MVP and Prospect of the Year in 2004.
Jeremy Giambi
Time with Lugnuts: 1997
The younger brother of Jason Giambi spent six seasons in the majors and hit .263 with 52 home runs and 209 RBIs.
Yan Gomes
Time with Lugnuts: 2010
Gomes is the first Brazilian born player to ever reach the majors. The catcher won a Silver Slugger Award while with Cleveland in 2014, was an all-star in 2018 and won a World Series title with the Washington Nationals in 2019. He hit .246 with 192 doubles, 137 home runs and had 517 RBIs during a 13-year major league career.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Time with Lugnuts: 2017
At just 27 years old and with several outstanding seasons already on his resume, Guerrero could one day rival Beltran as the most accomplished Lugnut ever. Guerrero spent half a season in Lansing before making his major league debut two years later with the Toronto Blue Jays. He is a six-time all-star in eight major league seasons and is the only former Lugnut to win the Home Run Derby and be an All-Star Game MVP. Guerrero, who also is a two-time Silver Slugger winner, has a Gold Glove and has been named an ALCS MVP, has more than 1,000 career hits and is closing in on 200 home runs.
Rich Hill
Time with Lugnuts: 2003
Hill played for 14 teams while pitching 21 seasons in the majors and has a 90-76 record with a 4.04 ERA and 1,432 strikeouts. He has the longest major league career of any former Lugnut player.
Danny Jansen
Time with Lugnuts: 2015
The catcher is in his ninth season in the majors and has driven in more than 250 runs during a career he primarily has spent with the Toronto Blue Jays. In 2024 he became the first major league player to play for both teams in the same game.
Alejandro Kirk
Time with Lugnuts: 2019
The catcher is in his seventh season in the majors with the Blue Jays and is a two-time MLB all-star and has won a Silver Slugger award. Kirk has more than 50 home runs and 250 RBIs during his time in the majors.
Otto Lopez
Time with Lugnuts: 2019
Lopez was the Midwest League batting champ after hitting .324 across 108 games with the Lugnuts in 2019. After playing a combined three games in the majors with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021 and 2022, Lopez has had success with the Miami Marlins. Lopez was named an all-star for the first time this season and entered the break leading the majors with 127 hits and a .334 batting average.
Jake Marisnick
Time with Lugnuts: 2010, 2011
The outfielder played primarily with the Houston Astros during his 11 seasons in the majors. Marisnick had 96 doubles, 65 home runs, 223 RBIs and scored 287 runs during his MLB career.
Carlos Marmol
Time with Lugnuts: 2002, 2004
Marmol’s first stint with the Lugnuts was as a catcher before he returned two years later as a pitcher. It was on the mound where the 2008 NL all-star made a mark in the majors. Marmol spent most of his nine MLB seasons with the Chicago Cubs, recording 117 saves and striking out 744.
Ryan McBroom
Time with Lugnuts: 2015
McBroom was one of three players to be named the Midwest League MVP when he won the award in 2015. He reached the majors with the Kansas City Royals and appeared in 66 games.
Casey McGehee
Time with Lugnuts: 2003
McGehee reached the majors five years after his time with the Lugnuts. He went on to spend eight years in the bigs and hit .258 with 67 home runs and 380 RBIs. He was one of the National League’s top run producers in 2010 and was named the Comeback Player of the Year in 2014.
Mason Miller
Time with Lugnuts: 2022
The pitcher had a short stint with the Lugnuts, making three starts in 2022 before being moved by the Athletics. He has since emerged as one of the top relief pitchers in baseball. The fourth-year major leaguer, who is currently with the San Diego Padres, had 75 career saves as of July 21 and is a two-time MLB all-star.
Corey Patterson
Time with Lugnuts: 1999
The No. 3 overall pick in the 1998 draft was the Midwest League Prospect of the Year in 1999. That season he became the first Lugnuts player to hit for the cycle. The outfielder wound up spending 12 seasons with seven different teams in the majors and hit .252 with 118 homers, 431 RBIs and 218 stolen bases.
Kevin Pillar
Time with Lugnuts: 2012
Pillar was the Midwest League MVP in 2012 and made his major league debut a year later with the Toronto Blue Jays. The outfielder spent 13 seasons in the majors and hit .255 with 114 home runs, 469 RBIs and 111 stolen bases.
Marc Rzepczynski
Time with Lugnuts: 2008
The left-handed pitcher made it to the majors a year after finding success on the mound with the Lugnuts. Rzepczynski played for seven teams during a 10-year career in the bigs during which he was primarily a reliever. He struck out 409 while appearing in 506 games.
Aaron Sanchez
Time with Lugnuts: 2011, 2012
Sanchez was part of a strong collection of arms for the Lugnuts in 2011 and struck out 97 in 90 1/3 innings. He became an all-star with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2016. He went 38-38 and struck out 541 while spending eight seasons in the majors.
Travis Snider
Time with Lugnuts: 2007
Snider was a Midwest League postseason all-star in 2007. The outfielder went on to reach the majors where he hit .244 with 54 home runs and 212 RBIs during an eight-year career.
Tyler Soderstrom
Time with Lugnuts: 2022
Soderstrom had a pair of walk-off home runs during his strong 2022 season for the Lugnuts, with one coming in front of a large Independence Day crowd. Since then, the first baseman and catcher turned outfielder has emerged as a key contributor for the Athletics. Soderstrom burst on the scene with a strong 2025 season with 34 doubles, one triple, 25 home runs and 93 RBIs.
Noah Syndergaard
Time with Lugnuts: 2011, 2012
The pitcher struck out 122 during a strong 2012 season with the Lugnuts and continued to thrive on the mound from there. He reached the majors in 2015 with the New York Mets and pitched in the World Series that season. He was then the Opening Day starter for the club in 2017 and 2018. Syndergaard. who was an all-star in 2016, had a 59-47 record with 928 strikeouts in eight seasons in the majors.
Rowdy Tellez
Time with Lugnuts: 2014, 2015
This is the ninth season in the majors for the first baseman, who has played with six different teams in that span. Tellez has 123 home runs and 372 RBIs so far in his career.
Ryan Theriot
Time with Lugnuts: 2002, 2003
Theriot spent eight seasons in the majors and won the World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011 and the San Francisco Giants in 2012. He had a career .281 batting average with 138 doubles and 257 stolen bases.
Jacob Wilson
Time with Lugnuts: 2023
Wilson had a brief stint with the Lugnuts shortly after being drafted. He made his debut in the majors with the Athletics a year later. Wilson was the American League Rookie of the Year runner-up in 2025 and was an all-star during his first full season in the majors.
Carlos Zambrano
Time with Lugnuts: 1999
Zambrano won 13 games on the mound during his season with the Lugnuts. He went on to become a three-time all-star during a 12-year MLB career he spent primarily with the Chicago Cubs. Zambrano led the NL in wins in 2006 and was a three-time Silver Slugger winner at pitcher.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lugnuts at 30: Meet 30 notable former players from 3 decades of baseball
Reporting by Brian Calloway, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brian Calloway, Lansing State Journal | USA TODAY Network
