NEWS

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - Former Ocean State Waves star Mike Gerber ’13 made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Detroit Tigers over the weekend. He pinch ran for long-time Tiger and future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera in the ninth inning of Detroit’s game against Kansas City and has been called back as of Monday for a second stint in the pros.

Gerber runs the New England Collegiate Baseball League’s (NECBL) all-time tally to 145 alumni to reach the Big Leagues, and is among 21 alumni to have reached the Majors at some point in 2018.

Gerber made the inaugural season in Ocean State’s franchise history a memorable one, finishing the summer of 2013 with a .340 average, seven homers, 30 RBIs and a .956 OPS that also included a .565 slugging percentage. He was justifiably named an NECBL All-Star and was an All-NECBL First Team selection. He still holds franchise records in batting average, home runs, RBIs (30), hits (50) and doubles (10).

After being drafted in the 15th round by the Tigers in the 2014 MLB Draft, Gerber would rise up the MiLB ranks, being named a 2014 New York-Penn League All-Star and a 2015 Midwest League All-Star.

Gerber, 25, is considered Detroit's No. 11 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. He has a career .288 batting average with 54 home runs and 254 RBIs. Gerber was a four-year starter in center field for Creighton from 2011-14. He made the All-Big East first team in 2014.

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The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a wooden bat college summer league that fields teams in all six New England states. Partially funded by Major League Baseball, the NECBL started play in 1994 and is enjoying its 25th-year anniversary season this summer. The New England League has sent nearly 150 alumni to the Major Leagues and has had an alum drafted in the first round of the MLB Draft in 10 straight seasons. For continuing coverage of the NECBL, visit NECBL.com and follow the league on Twitter, Instagram and on Facebook