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Three San Clemente High School baseball alumni are in or have their eyes on Major League Baseball with the opening of the 2023 season last week.
Right-handed relief pitcher Andre Pallante (Class of 2016) enters his second big-league season on the Opening Day roster once again, and he’s been effective out of the bullpen for the St. Louis Cardinals in the early days. Pallante has allowed one run on three hits in 3 1/3 innings pitched over three appearances for a 2.70 ERA with one walk and one strikeout.
Last season for St. Louis, Pallante, who was drafted in 2019 out of UC Irvine, threw 108 innings over 47 appearances, including 10 starts, with a 6-5 record, 3.17 ERA and 73 strikeouts.
The 24-year-old also had an exciting spring on the roster for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. Pallante threw four innings over three appearances, allowing two runs and three hits with six walks and two strikeouts. Italy went 2-2 in pool play in Taiwan to advance to the quarterfinals, where Italy fell to eventual champion Japan in the Tokyo Dome.
Also in the major league ranks is left-handed pitcher Kolby Allard (Class of 2015), who has come full circle in his six-year major-league career back to the Atlanta Braves. Allard was drafted by the Braves in the first round in 2015 and made his MLB debut with Atlanta in 2018. The 25-year-old was traded to the Texas Rangers in 2019, where he played portions of four seasons, including a career-high 32 appearances and 17 starts in 2021.
Last season, Allard made just 10 appearances with the Rangers, as he bounced between the big leagues and the AAA Round Rock Express. In November, Allard was traded back to Atlanta for right-handed pitcher Jake Odorizzi and cash.
Allard was solid early in spring training for the Braves, pitching five innings over two starts and allowing just one run and three hits. However, Allard’s spring was cut short by a Grade 2 oblique strain, and he opened the 2023 regular season on the 60-day injured list.
Outside of the major leagues, right-handed starting pitcher Michael McGreevy (Class of 2018) enters his third season in the St. Louis Cardinals organization, looking to once again be teammates with Pallante. McGreevy was invited to spring training with the Cardinals in Florida, but the 22-year-old didn’t see any game action.
McGreevy was selected 18th overall by the Cardinals in 2021 out of UC Santa Barbara, where he had transitioned away from shortstop and into a full-time pitcher with stellar results. McGreevy then made seven minor league starts in 2021 at the rookie and A-ball levels.
In 2022, McGreevy made eight starts with the High-A Peoria Chiefs before moving up to AA, where he made 20 starts for the Springfield Cardinals. McGreevy posted a 6-4 record in AA with a 4.64 ERA over 99 innings pitched with 76 strikeouts.
McGreevy is currently listed as the No. 8 prospect in the Cardinals system and their No. 5 pitching prospect. McGreevy showcased more velocity on his fastball in spring training (up to 96 mph) along with a tighter slider.
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