Baltimore Orioles outfielder Dylan Carlson celebrates a home run as his team makes it’s first appearance at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento against the Athletics on Friday, June 6. Carlson, a graduate of Elk Grove High School, plays for the Chicago Cubs to start 2026.
HECTOR AMEZCUA
hamezcua@sacbee.com
It is difficult enough to reach any level of professional baseball, never mind making an Opening Day roster in Major League Baseball.
Getting drafted in the early rounds — or at all — does not ensure a ticket to the big leagues, just an opportunity to pursue that path. MLB spring training rosters include up to 70 players, and then that list gets trimmed to 26 active players to start a season.
It’s also a thrill for former regional players or coaches/managers to make it to the bigs. The Cleveland Guardians hired Seattle Mariners assistant general manager Andy McKay as their field coordinator, meaning a lot of games spent in the dugout. McKay played at Del Campo High School in Fair Oaks and at Sacramento City College, where he later coached the junior college powerhouse to championship success.
Here’s a peek at nine Sacramento-area products who were on Opening Day rosters as most teams started the regular season Thursday, with the rest slated to play their first game Friday.
Dylan Carlson, Chicago Cubs
School: Elk Grove High School
Year drafted: 2016, first round (St. Louis Cardinals)
Position: Outfielder
Update: The son of a great coach and teacher of the game in Jeff Carlson, whom he played for in high school, Carlson made his MLB debut in 2020 and has swatted 43 home runs and driven in 195.
He was also steady on defense for the Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles before signing with the Cubs in January.
Mauricio Dubon, Atlanta Braves
School: Capital Christian High School (now Destiny Christian Academy)
Year drafted: 2013, 26th round (Boston Red Sox)
Position: Utility
Update: He is the first player in MLB history who was born in Honduras, and, for fun, is also the first from Honduras to win a World Series, doing so with the Houston Astros in 2022.
Dubon is a multiple Gold Glove winner and remarkably versatile, becoming the first player in Astros history in 2024 to start a game at seven different positions, doing so at all four infield spots and three in the outfield. He went to the Braves via trade this past offseason.
Infielder Mauricio Dubon, then of the Sacramento River Cats, talks with coach Damon Minor at Raley Field on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019 in West Sacramento. Paul Kitagaki Jr. Sacramento Bee file Derek Hill, Chicago White Sox
School: Elk Grove High School
Year drafted: 2014, first round (Detroit Tigers)
Position: Outfielder
Update: A former teammate of Dylan Carlson for the Thundering Herd, Hill in late 2025 joined the Chiacgo White Sox after two artial season with the Miami Marlins.
The 30-year-old outfielder made the White Sox’s Opening Day roster after posting a .289 batting average with a home run during spring training.
Elk Grove High School’s Derek Hill singles in the eighth inning in the high school baseball game between Davis and Elk Grove in Davis on May 6, 2014. Jose Luis Villegas Sacramento Bee file
Carlson and Hill are part of a generation of Elk Grove High players who made their way to the big leagues, including Nick Madrigal and Rowdy Tellez, who started the 2026 season in the minor-league systems of the Los Angeles Angels and Atlanta Braves, respectively.
Tellez played for Team Mexico in this month’s World Baseball Classic, in which he batted .280 with a home run.
Rhys Hoskins, Cleveland Guardians
Schools: Jesuit High School, Sacramento State
Year drafted: 2014, fifth round (Philadelphia Phillies)
Position: First base/designated hitter
Update: After playing for the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers and producing 186 home runs to go with the experience of 20 career postseason games, Hoskins signed a minor league deal with Cleveland to provide power from the right side of the plate.
Roskins, who turned 33 this month, made the Guardians’ Opening Day 26-man roster after batting .282 with three homers in spring training.
Rhys Hoskins, watches a batter from behind the batting cage in practice at Sacramento State, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014. Lezlie Sterling Sacramento Bee file Nathan Lukes, Toronto Blue Jays
Schools: Center High School, Sacramento State
Year drafted: 2015, seventh round (Cleveland Guardians)
Position: Outfielder
Update: A prep star and a multiple-time all-conference player in college, Lukes made his MLB debut in 2023 and battled injuries in 2024.
He batted .255 last season with 12 home runs and hit .274 with 17 hits and eight RBIs in the playoffs, help the Blue Jays capture the American League pennant. Toronto lost the World Series in seven games to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Nathan Lukes of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a single in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the 2025 World Series at Rogers Centre on Oct. 31, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. Emilee Chinn Getty Images Nick Mears, Kansas City Royals
Schools: Rocklin High School, Sacramento City College
Year drafted: Undrafted, signed in 2018 by Pittsburgh Pirates
Position: Pitcher
Update: After a productive 2025 campaign in which he went 5-3 in 63 appearances out of the bullpen and appeared in three playoff games for the Milwaukee Brewers, who traded Mears this past offseason to the Royals.
This is Mears’ fourth MLB season and fourth team, after stints with the Pirates, Colorado Rockies and Brewers.
Nick Mears of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches during the second inning against the Chicago Cubs in Game 2 of the National League Division Series at American Family Field on Oct. 6, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. John Fisher Getty Images James Outman, Minnesota Twins
School: Sacramento State
Year drafted: 2018, seventh round (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Position: Outfielder
Update: A 28-year-old Bay Area native and San Francisco Giants fan, Outman made his MLB debut for the Giants’ rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in 2022.
He played 151 MLB games for the Dodgers in 2023 before spending most of 2024 and 2025 in the Dodgers’ minor-league system. The reigning World Series champs sent Outman to the Twins at last season’s trade deadline in exchange for pitcher Brock Stewart, and he made the Twins’ Opening Day roster after belting four homers to go with a .261 batting average in spring training.
James Outman of the Minnesota Twins celebrates in his dugout after a home run hit in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Sept. 10, 2025 in Anaheim. Joe Scarnici Getty Images Daniel Susac, San Francisco Giants
Schools: Jesuit High School, Arizona
Year drafted: 2022, first round (Oakland Athletics)
Position: Catcher
Update: Susac impressed in Triple-A Las Vegas in 2025 with a .275 average and 18 home runs, and he won the spring competition for the Giants’ backup catcher job.
Older brother Andrew Susac, also a catcher and Jesuit High School alum, was on the Giants’ 2014 team that won the World Series.
Daniel Susac of the Athletics signs autographs for fans before a spring training game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Las Vegas Ballpark on March 9, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ethan Miller Getty Images Logan Webb
Team: San Francisco Giants
School: Rocklin High School
Year drafted: 2014, 4th round by Giants
Position: Pitcher
Update: The Giants’ ace started his fifth consecutive Opening Day on Wednesday after leading the big leagues with 34 starts and 207 innings, and atop the National League strikeout leaderboard with 224, in 2025.
San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb looks into the crowd during a baseball game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on Friday, July 4, 2025. HECTOR AMEZCUA hamezcua@sacbee.com
Webb also in the weeks leading up to the MLB season pitched for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, including a scoreless 4 2/3-inning start in a USA win over Canada.
Did we miss anyone? Email jdavidson@sacbee.com
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Joe Davidson has covered sports for The Sacramento Bee since 1989: preps, colleges, Kings and features. He was in early 2024 named the National Sports Media Association Sports Writer of the Year for California and he was in the fall of 2024 inducted into the California High School Football Hall of Fame. He is a 14-time award winner from the California Prep Sports Writer Association. In 2021, he was honored with the CIF Distinguished Service award. He is a member of the California Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Davidson participated in football and track in Oregon.