More than two months into the 2025 MLB season, a number of patterns from previous years appear to be holding strong: Aaron Judge is still the best hitter on the planet; the Los Angeles Dodgers are still really good; the Colorado Rockies are still really, really bad; and, of course, the USC baseball program is still heavily represented in MLB teams across the country.

Back in April, the Daily Trojan previewed three former Trojans who were set to begin the 2025 season in the major leagues. Since then, several more have found their way onto rosters, including a debut that marked USC’s record-tying 120th MLB player. With the season approaching its halfway point, here’s a look at how these six alums have fared so far.

Lars Nootbaar — Outfielder, St. Louis Cardinals

After struggling to stay on the field in each of the past three seasons, Lars Nootbaar has been a fixture of the Cardinals’ lineup in 2025, appearing in 69 of their first 72 games as the team’s go-to leadoff hitter. He currently leads all Cardinals batters in games played and plate appearances, emphasizing his value in maintaining the team’s stability.

Nootbaar started the season hot, picking up 18 RBIs with a .400 on-base percentage by the end of April. Since then, however, he has cooled off significantly, posting a mere .197 batting average and .573 OPS over his last 39 games. Despite this dip in production, Nootbaar still has some great underlying metrics, including exit velocity and walk rates that rank near the top of MLB; if he can start converting these numbers into actual results, he can return to his status as a critical player for a St. Louis team with faint playoff hopes.

Tyler Gilbert — Relief Pitcher, Chicago White Sox

As expected, Tyler Gilbert has been a reliable reliever for the White Sox this season, recording a 4.20 ERA with 17 strikeouts across 15 innings. Chicago manager Will Venable has used Gilbert in a variety of situations — opening games, finishing games or anywhere in between — making him one of the team’s most versatile pitchers.

Gilbert missed nearly a month of time due to a knee injury suffered in mid-May, only having returned to action Friday against the Texas Rangers; he showed few signs of rust, posting two scoreless innings in relief. The southpaw will likely continue to be an important bullpen piece for the White Sox, whose main priority in 2025 appears to be not finishing with the league’s worst record for the second year in a row.

Rhylan Thomas — Outfielder, Seattle Mariners

On May 2, Rhylan Thomas made his major league debut with Seattle, recording a double and two RBIs in a 13-1 blowout win over the Rangers. In doing so, Thomas became the 120th former Trojan to play in an MLB game, tying Texas for the most of any school in NCAA history. Though he was sent back to the minor leagues just a few days later, the Mariners’ instability in right field means Thomas might be back in the majors soon — hopefully for more than just a few games.

Blake Sabol — Catcher, Boston Red Sox

After two years with the San Francisco Giants, Blake Sabol was traded to the Red Sox during the offseason and figures to vie for a spot as the team’s backup catcher behind Carlos Narváez. Sabol has had limited experience in the majors this season; in an eight-game stint in April, he was 2-for-16 with an RBI before being sent back down to the Triple-A team. However, with few options at the backstop position after Narváez, it seems likely that Boston will give Sabol another opportunity to prove himself before too much longer.

Brooks Kriske — Relief Pitcher, Chicago Cubs

Reliever Brooks Kriske has done well for Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate this season, posting a 4.13 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 24 innings; this opened the door for a brief stint in the majors in May, where he pitched two scoreless innings in a single relief appearance. With the Cubs currently holding one of the best records in the league, Kriske has a good chance of being called back up at some point to help Chicago lock down its first playoff appearance in five years.

Robert Stock — Relief Pitcher, Boston Red Sox

A former second-round draft pick, Robert Stock has had a career of ups and downs, bouncing between 10 different organizations in 16 years since playing his last game at USC. Stock has made two relief appearances for Boston this season, marking his first time back in the majors since pitching for the Cubs and New York Mets in 2021.