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The Daily Tar Heel

Several former UNC baseball players have made an impact with their teams before the All-Star break of the 2015 baseball season.


Kyle Seager 

2007-09 

Team: Seattle Mariners 

After being drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the third round of the 2009 MLB draft, Seager spent over two seasons in the Mariners farm system.

The third baseman finally made his MLB debut on July 7, 2011, and in 53 games that season batted .258 with three home runs and 13 RBI. Seager would build off of his rookie campaign to put together a stellar second year in the majors. In his first complete season with Seattle, Seager played in 155 games and hit .259 with 20 home runs and 86 RBI.

The Kannapolis native had his best year as a pro in 2014, when he batted .268 with 96 RBI. He was named an All-Star and finished 20th in the American League MVP voting.

So far in 2015, Seager has hit .269 with 12 home runs and 19 doubles in 88 games. 


Dustin Ackley 

2007-09 

Team: Seattle Mariners

Like Seager, Ackley played at UNC from 2007-09 and was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 2009 MLB draft, where Ackley went No. 2 overall.

Ackley played in 90 games during his rookie season in 2011 and put together a performance that landed him sixth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. He batted .273 with seven triples and 36 RBI.

On May 27, 2013, Ackley was sent down to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers, where the Mariners hoped he would revitalize his play from the batters’ box. He would end up playing only 113 games for the Mariners on the season and hit .253 with four home runs and 31 RBI.

So far in 2015, Ackley has a batting average of .221 and has six home runs and 18 RBI in 77 games. 

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Adam Warren 

2006-09 

Team: New York Yankees

Warren was drafted in the fourth round of the 2009 MLB draft by the New York Yankees and has spent his entire career with the organization.

At UNC, Warren was predominantly a starter and compiled a 32-4 record over four seasons with the Tar Heels.

Warren spent his first three seasons in the minors. On June 29, 2012, he made his major league debut with the Yankees, where he gave up eight hits and six earned runs. Warren was sent back to Triple-A the very next day.

Warren eventually found his stride in 2014 as a member of the Yankees bullpen. In 69 appearances, he compiled a 2.97 ERA and 76 strikeouts.

Warren made the transition back to a starting pitcher in 2015 and has a 5-5 record with a 3.65 ERA through the first half of the season. 


Matt Harvey 

2008-10 

Team: New York Mets

After being drafted No. 7 overall in 2010, Harvey spent one-and-a-half seasons in the Mets’ farm system before making his first major league start on July 26, 2012. In his debut, Harvey went 5.1 innings while giving up only three hits and striking out 11.

Harvey’s best statistical season of his young career came in 2013, where he posted a 9-5 record and a 2.27 ERA in 26 starts before his season was cut short due to a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament.

Harvey opted for season ending surgery and missed the rest of the 2013 season and the entire 2014 season because of it.

Thus far in 2015, Harvey has accumulated a 8-6 record with a 3.07 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 111.1 innings pitched. 


Mike Morin 

2010-12 

Team: Los Angeles Angels

Morin enjoyed a successful career as the Tar Heels primary closer from 2010-12, where he posted 32 saves in three seasons. He also set the ACC single-season record for saves at the time with 19 in 2012.

Morin was selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the 13th round of the 2012 MLB draft. He would spend the entire 2013 season in the Angels’ minor league system but was called up early on in the 2014 season.

Morin would go on to appear in 60 games for Los Angeles in 2014, posting a 4-4 record with a 2.90 ERA in 59.0 innings of work.

So far in 2015, Morin has appeared in just 24 games and has earned a 7.79 ERA while battling a strained left oblique. On July 1, he was activated after going on the 15-day disabled list May 24. 


Andrew Miller 

2004-06 

Team: New York Yankees

Unlike several former Tar Heels, Miller has not gone through his major-league career with just one team.

Miller left UNC as the pro- gram leader in strikeouts with 325 and was selected as the No. 6 pick in the 2006 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers.

Miller finished the 2006 season with a 6.10 ERA in eight appearances.

Over the next eight seasons, Miller was traded three times, eventually landing with the Baltimore Orioles for the latter half of the 2014 season. In his time with the Orioles, Miller made 23 appearances and posted a 1.35 ERA.

Before the 2015 season, Miller signed with the Yankees and thus far is having the best season of his career. He is a perfect 18 for 18 in save situations and has a 1.53 ERA midway through the season. 

sports@dailytarheel.com