PRINCETON, N.J. – Four Ivies have been named to Major League Baseball (MLB) Opening Day rosters ahead of the 2021 season that begins on Thursday. 
 
The League also continues a significant presence of alums in MLB front offices, including Commissioner Rob Manfred who earned his undergraduate degree from Cornell before receiving his law degree from Harvard. According to a June 2020 ESPN report, 43% of top baseball operations employees in Major League Baseball hail from the Ivy League.
 
Headlining this year’s group is Dartmouth alum Kyle Hendricks, who was named the Chicago Cubs Opening Day starting pitcher for the second consecutive year last week. Hendricks pitched in 12 games in last year’s COVID-abbreviated season, compiling a 2.88 ERA and 64 strikeouts. The 2016 World Series champion brings a 69-48 career record into his eighth MLB season. 
 
Another Big Green product, Cole Sulser, finds his name on the Orioles’ Opening Day squad. Last season, the righthanded reliever threw 22 innings, striking out 19 batters and earning five saves.  
 
Harvard alum Brent Suter will begin his sixth MLB season with the Milwaukee Brewers. In 2020, Suter split time between the Brewers’ rotation and bullpen, accumulating 31.2 innings in 16 appearances. 
 
Princeton product David Hale earned a nod onto the Philadelphia Phillies’ roster to begin his 10th season in the big leagues. Last season, he pitched 8.2 innings, striking out nine and finishing with a 1.04 ERA with the Phillies. 
 
The Ivy League has had four-or-more players make MLB appearances throughout the year in every season since 2000, including seven-or-more players in each of the past 13 years. Prior to the abbreviated five-round 2020 MLB Draft, the Ivy League had produced five-or-more selections in eight of the past nine drafts and 122 MLB Draft picks since 2000, including multiple selections in 19-of-20 years. Four Ivies inked undrafted free agent contracts following the 2020 MLB Draft.
 
Ivies on 2021 Opening Day Rosters
Kyle Hendricks, Chicago Cubs (Dartmouth)
Cole Sulser, Baltimore Orioles (Dartmouth)
Brent Suter, Milwaukee Brewers (Harvard)
David Hale, Philadelphia Phillies (Princeton)