Major Leaguers Who Were Born in NCW

In many people's minds, there's nothing quite as American as baseball, expect apple pie perhaps!

And speaking of baseball and apples, those two things also go together in a most interesting way right here in North Central Washington.

Now our part of the state hasn't produced nearly as many major league baseball players as the big cities on the Westside, but NCW does have a handful it proudly lays claim to.

And so today, I present you with the eight major league baseball players who were born in North Central Washington.

Now keep in mind, a few of the ballpark boys from our list played their high school and college horsehide out of the area...but they were born right here our own backyard!

T.R. BRYDEN
Thomas Ray Bryden was born in Moses Lake on January 17, 1959.

He was a right-handed pitcher who attended Enumclaw High School and went on to play for Gonzaga University.

Bryden's major league career included 16 appearances for the California Angels in 1986, during which he posted a record of 2-1 with a 6.55 ERA and 25 strikeouts.

RYAN DOUMIT
Ryan Matthew Doumit was born in Moses Lake on April 3, 1981.

Doumit was a catcher who attended Moses Lake High School and was selected 59th overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second round of the 1999 MLB Amateur Draft.

He made his debut in the majors with the Bucs in 2005 and went on to play ten big league seasons, including seven with Pittsburgh, two with the Minnesota Twins, and one with the Atlanta Braves.

He had 3,093 career at bats and posted a .264 batting average with 104 home runs and 413 RBIs.

DAVE HEAVERLO

David Wallace Heaverlo was born on August 25, 1950 in Ellensburg.

He was a right-handed pitcher who attended Moses Lake High School and went on to play for Central Washington University.

Heaverlo was selected 23rd overall by the San Francisco Giants in the first round of the MLB Amateur Draft in 1973.

Nicknamed "Kojak", he made his big league debut with the Giants in 1975 and went on to play seven seasons in the majors, including stints with the Oakland Athletics and the Seattle Mariners.

Heaverlo's MLB career record is 26-26 with a 3.41 ERA and 24 saves with 288 strikeouts in 356 games.

STEVE KLINE

Steven Jack Kline was born on October 6th, 1947 in Wenatchee.

He was a right-handed pitcher who attended Chelan High School and played for Washington State University.

Kline was drafted 130th overall by the New York Yankees in the sixth round of the MLB Amateur Draft in 1966.

He made his major league debut with the Yankees in 1970 and went on to play eight seasons in the majors, including stints with the Cleveland Indians and the Atlanta Braves.

Kline appeared in 129 games during his MLB career, posting a record of 43-45 with a 3.26 ERA, 240 strikeouts, and one save.

He passed away on June 4, 2018 in Chelan at the age of 70 and is buried in the Chelan Fraternal Cemetery.

ANDY LARKIN

Andrew Dane Larkin was born on June 27, 1974 in Chelan.

He was a right-handed pitcher who attended South High School in Medford, Oregon.

Larkin was selected 712th overall by the Florida Marlins in the 25th round of the 1992 MLB Amateur Draft.

He made his major league debut in 1996 and went on to play four seasons in the bigs with the Marlins, Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds.

Larkin's career record is 3-11 with an 8.86 ERA, 69 strikeouts, and one save in 39 games.

DON McCORMACK
Donald Ross McCormack was born on September 18, 1955 in Omak.

He was a catcher who attended Omak High School and was drafted 75th overall by the Philadelphia Phillies in the fourth round of the 1974 MLB Amateur Draft.

McCormack made his major league debut in 1980 and had only five appearances in his career, all with the Phillies. His lifetime batting average was .400, with two hits in five career at bats.

CASEY PARSONS

Casey Robert Parsons was born on April 14, 1954 in Wenatchee.

He was an outfielder who attended University High School in Spokane and played for Gonzaga University.

Parsons was signed by the Seattle Mariners as an undrafted free agent and made his major league debut with the M's in 1981.

He played four seasons in the bigs, including stints with the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians.

Parsons has a lifetime big league batting average of .189 with two home runs and ten RBIs in 53 career at bats.

JERROD RIGGAN

Jerrod Ashley Riggan was born on May 16, 1974 in Brewster.

Riggan was a right-handed pitcher who attended Brewster High School and played for San Diego State University.

He was selected 235th overall by the Cleveland Indians in the eighth round of the MLB Amateur Draft in 1996.

Riggan made his big league debut in 2000 and went on to play four seasons, including two with the New York Mets.

He appeared in 67 games in his major league career, posting a record of 5-4 with a 5.19 ERA and 66 strikeouts.

Riggan also played professional baseball in Japan.

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