The Plains to The Show: 4 Auburn alums recall '24 MLB debuts

AUBURN, Ala. – The pipeline from the Plains to Major League Baseball worked overtime in 2024, with four Auburn alums making their big league debuts this year.

RYAN BLISS

From the time he arrived at Auburn in the summer of 2018, Ryan Bliss dreamed of and worked toward a major league future.

The work – and the dream – collided in June when Bliss recorded his first hit for the Seattle Mariners.

“It’s something I wish everybody could feel,” said Bliss, who starred for the Tigers from 2019-21. “To know that all the hard work has paid off, saying this is where I want to be and I’m actually there and able to do it, it’s the best blessing.”

After leading the Triple-A Pacific Coast League with 50 stolen bases last season, Bliss’ second straight year with at least 50 steals, Bliss is training in Peoria, Arizona, for a second consecutive offseason, hoping to thrive in ’25 by earning a starting position with the Mariners.

“I want to be consistent,” said Bliss, who has six extra-base hits among his 14 MLB hits. “That’s what I’m working on right now. I’ve made it up there, now I want to stick. That’s what makes the difference up there, the guys up there are more consistent. I’m trying to be like that and help the team out the best way I can.”

The former All-American returned to the Plains in November to attend Auburn football’s four-overtime win over Texas A&M, noting the ongoing construction at Plainsman Park.

“I was telling (Auburn coach) Butch (Thompson), what I envision Auburn to be and what I visualized it looking like, it’s coming to life,” Bliss said. “You see all these other SEC cathedrals and Auburn is about to be one of those. It’s definitely a place that deserves it.”

In his first week on campus in 2018, Bliss called Auburn a “powerhouse program,” saying he chose to play on the Plains so he could further develop and then “have that professional baseball career at a more mature level.”

Six years later, his big league dream came true.

“I still wear that Auburn held high on me,” Bliss said. “I tell everybody that, to this day, it was the best decision for me to go to Auburn. The coaching staff: Butch, Karl, Gabe – everybody who was there helping me out, it shows that Auburn is the right place to go.

“They not only teach you the game of baseball, they teach you how to be a man. I give everything to that university and the people there. War Eagle – I still say that every day to everybody. I’m proud to be an Auburn Tiger.”

Getting the call: (May 26, 2024): “I remember it like it was yesterday. We had just finished a day game in Tacoma and I think we were heading to Sacramento and the skip, John Russell, called me in and said you’re not going to be catching a flight with us to Sacramento, you’re going to stay here and meet the team in Seattle. I remember hearing those words. It was something you dream of as a kid.”

MLB debut: (May 27, 2024): “I got called up on Sunday. The team was coming back from a road trip. We played on Monday night. I had no time to think about it. Running onto that field the first time as a big leaguer, it’s everything you dream of. Getting that call, seeing the locker room and the clubhouse, being on a big league field. The first play comes to you, it’s a popup from Jose Altuve, and it’s like, okay, I’m finally here.”

Major League moment: (June 7, 2024, first MLB home run vs. Royals) “It was awesome. It was in Kansas City. Running the bases at your leisure is always great, but hitting that first one, it’s like a monkey off your back. Seeing my teammates, that was the biggest thing, seeing how excited everyone was for me that I got my first homer. It was almost like, you’re here, let’s get to work now. It was a great time.”

BAILEY HORN

When Auburn advanced to the College World Series in 2019 for the first time in 22 years, Bailey Horn helped make it happen, pitching 6.0 scoreless innings in the Atlanta Regional final vs. Georgia Tech.

“I busted my butt going through college and at Auburn, soaking in everything they were trying to teach me to get to that point," Horn said. "I couldn’t have done it without Auburn University and all of my coaches, especially Butch.”

Pitching for Auburn from 2019-20, the left-hander turned in a 7-2 record with a 4.70 ERA in 21 appearances and eight starts for the Tigers, striking out 55 batters in 51.2 innings. 

“Going to Auburn really helped me out,” Horn said. “All the development under Butch, Coach Nonemaker and (former Auburn pitching coach) Steve Smith had a huge impact on my career and how I landed in pro ball.”

In June, Horn became Auburn’s 60^th major leaguer when Boston called him up from Triple-A. He earned his first big-league win against the Yankees on July 26. Horn’s final 12 appearances were either scoreless or one-run outings.

Claimed by the Detroit Tigers off waivers from the Red Sox in late November, Horn hopes to team up with former Auburn ace pitcher Casy Mize, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, the season before Horn arrived on the Plains.

“Same goal, looking forward to meeting those guys. Really looking forward to getting to play with Casey, hopefully that gets to happen. He was a great role model. I didn’t get to play with him at Auburn but the legacy he left there at Auburn made a huge impact.

“That’ll be cool to hopefully play with Casey, get to know that group of guys and try to win a championship. Keep getting better, keep learning, keep grinding as best I can and try to do my best to help out.”

Getting the call: (June 28, 2024): “An unreal moment to finally hear that call and get a chance to play in the big leagues, a childhood dream of mine. It was after a night game, we were on the road and my Triple-A manager Chad Tracy called and told me the news and I flew out early the next morning.”

MLB debut: (June 29, 2024): “We played a home series against the San Diego Padres. I got in on Friday and threw that Sunday. You grow up, that’s your dream to play in the big leagues and then it actually happens so there’s a ton of emotions. My heart rate was definitely going. I probably blacked out a little bit a few times. I was trying to soak it in as much as I could and take everything in. It was a big deal for me, being from a smaller town.” 

Major League moment: (June 29, 2024): “My first punchout was against another Texas kid (San Diego’s Bryce Johnson). I ended up figuring out who he was because he was my first strikeout. I did strike out Luis Arraez in my debut. He didn’t strike out a lot, probably under 20 times, so I remember that one.”

DANIEL ROBERT

From the verge of retirement in 2023 to the major leagues in 2024, Daniel Robert’s baseball journey epitomizes perseverance.

“My story was kind of different. I didn’t sign for any money. Stuck it over for seven years. I was 29 years old, never made a dime playing, kind of scared about life,” Robert recalled of his two-week retirement in the spring of 2023. “The second that happened, I sprinted down to Auburn. I think Butch Thompson is the best person in college athletics. The second I retired, the first call I made was to him.”

Thompson’s pep talk helped convince Robert that life after baseball would be filled with opportunities. Armed with a new perspective, he returned to the pitcher’s mound with a vengeance.

“It freed me up to go back to play baseball,” said Robert, who earned his MLB promotion to the Texas Rangers in July after a dominant first half pitching for Triple-A Round Rock. “It had felt like a tightrope for a long time.”

A member of Butch Thompson’s inaugural Auburn team in 2016, Robert played four seasons for the Tigers from 2014-17, primarily has a position player with 33 doubles and 11 home runs.

The Hoover, Alabama, native also showed pitching promise, striking out 15 batters in 15.2 innings over three seasons.

“I never would’ve pitched if it wasn’t for Butch,” Robert said. “It makes me step back and realize how many people truly helped me. It felt like a product of those people.”

Robert enters 2025 as a major league veteran, having pitched in four games for the Rangers with six strikeouts in 5.2 innings.

 “I’m getting ready for spring training now and will try to earn a job in camp,” he said. “It’s fun to be a part of.”

Getting the call: (July 8, 2024): “I got a call at midnight on the West Coast to catch a 5 a.m. flight to Anaheim. I’m all sped up, kind of scared. My parents are booking flights at 1 a.m.”

MLB debut: (July 10, 2024): “I threw the second day. The first day was a blur. The first time pitching was amazing. It kind of brought me back to Auburn. There’s a big difference between college where you’re trying to win every game, then you go play five or six years in the minor leagues where it’s much more about player development. Getting a taste of team winning baseball again was so fun.”

Major League moment: (Sept. 27, 2024, the winning pitcher in his season finale): “It was cool. It was hard to grasp in the moment. It was nice to have that going into the offseason, my last taste in my mouth from last year. I’m so lucky to have that happen. Hopefully I get another one or two along my career.

RICHARD FITTS

Right-handed pitcher Richard Fitts became Auburn’s 62^nd major leaguer, the 11^th former Tiger to make their MLB debut since 2020, the second most in the Southeastern Conference in this decade.

“It’s awesome,” Fitts said. “That’s something that Coach (Butch) Thompson has done a great job of, one, getting tremendous guys, just as people, to come play for him, but also really good athletes.”

With so many former Auburn players wearing big league uniforms, the Tiger alumni frequently find themselves in opposing MLB dugouts.

“I had the opportunity to play against the Twins and Edouard Julien was in the other dugout so that was really cool to have that connection,” said Fitts, who pitched for Auburn from 2019-21. “I’ve kept up with (former College World Series teammate Ryan) Bliss and a couple other guys and it’s awesome to see the success they’re having.”

Fitts enjoyed success of his own, earning his promotion to the Boston Red Sox in September after a strong season in the minor leagues.

“It’s a dream come true,” Fitts said. “It felt really good, but I also felt like I had to get back to work at the same time.”

Get back to work he did, Fitts became only the second pitcher in MLB history to deliver 5.0 or more innings without allowing an earned run in each of his first three starts. 

Getting the call: (Sept. 7, 2024): “We were in Rochester, New York, getting ready for a game and they called me into the office and said it’s a possibility that you’re pitching tomorrow in Boston and to get up there. It was a little bit of a panic trying to get the whole family together and letting them know that it’s a possibility that I’m going to pitch. My wife did a great job of coordinating everybody together. Later that night, I found out I was actually pitching. That’s when it hit. A cool moment for sure.”

MLB debut: (Sept. 8, 2024): “It was awesome. Very surreal to be standing on a big league mound, let alone Fenway Park. Being able to look around and see fans who are cheering for you to have success and love the Red Sox. It’s really cool to be part of an organization like that. To have the dream come true of looking around and seeing all those fans there, and being able to say that I’m one of a few thousand people who have ever pitched in the big leagues.

It was really cool to share that moment. After the game I got to be on the field with them and take some pictures and enjoy the moment that everybody’s been building up to. It takes a small village to get to where I’ve gotten and I was happy to be able to share everything with them.”

Major League moment: (Second MLB pitcher, and first Red Sox, to allow zero earned runs while pitching at least 5.0 innings in first three career starts): “It was cool to have my name on a record of some sort or any kind of list because it’s a historic organization. Any time I can put my mark on it, it’s pretty special.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer