With the Major League Baseball season just around the corner, here is a look at some of the former NC State players scattered throughout the professional baseball landscape:

Trea Turner, Shortstop/Outfielder, Washington Nationals

Turner shined for the Nationals last season, starting 69 games for the National League East champions and finishing in second place in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. He hit for an impressive .342 batting average, with 13 home runs and 40 RBIs.

Turner joined the Nationals permanently in early July last year, picking up NL Rookie of the Month honors in both August and September. He played mostly in center field last season, but is expected to take over the starting shortstop role he held at State with the departure of Danny Espinosa.

The expectations are through the roof for Turner as he heads into his first full MLB season. While his numbers from last year will be almost impossible to replicate through an entire season, Turner has yet to meet his full potential and is widely regarded as one of the most exciting young players in professional baseball.

Carlos Rodon, Pitcher, Chicago White Sox

Rodon is entering his third full season with the White Sox and is slated to be the team’s number two man in the starting rotation. Rodon finished last season with a 9-10 record and an ERA of 4.04. While this was slightly down from his 9-6 rookie season that saw a 3.75 ERA, his walks and hits per inning pitched (WHIP) improved from 1.44 to 1.39, good for the eighth-best number in the American League.

Rodon has been a big part of the White Sox rebuilding efforts over the last few years and will be relied on even more this upcoming season. Chicago traded its All-Star ace Chris Sale to Boston, bumping Rodon up in the starting rotation. However, Rodon is likely to start the season on the DL as he has made just one spring training appearance due to tightness in his throwing arm.

Jake Buchanan, Pitcher, Chicago Cubs

Buchanan has been out of college since 2010, but hasn’t had an extended stay on a major league roster. Last year he pitched in two games for the World Series champion Cubs, picking up the win in a late September start. He threw five scoreless frames in the game.

Buchanan played a very small role in the Cubs’ historic season, a role that won’t change this year. His only chance of playing at the MLB level will be as a short-term solution to an injured starting pitcher. He will spend his time with the Iowa Cubs, Chicago’s AAA affiliate.

Andrew Knizner, Catcher, St. Louis Cardinals

Knizner was drafted in the seventh round of last year’s MLB Draft and was assigned to the Jackson City Cardinals, St. Louis’ rookie ball affiliate. Knizner posted a .319 batting average in Jackson City, as well as an impressive .423 on-base percentage.

He won’t be on the MLB roster for the Cards to start the season, but could find his way to the top level by the end of the year. He was a non-roster invite to the Cardinal’s big-league spring training camp.

Preston Palmeiro, First Baseman, Baltimore Orioles

Like Knizner, Palmeiro was also drafted in the seventh round in last year’s draft. Palmeiro was drafted by the Orioles, the same team that his father, Rafael Palmeiro, put together a memorable MLB career.

Palmeiro spent last season with the single-A Aberdeen IronBirds, where he had a .258 batting average and 18 RBIs. Palmeiro almost certainly won’t play with the Orioles at any point this season as he works his way up through the organization, although he was invited to the big-league spring training camp.

Will Gilbert, Pitcher, Oakland Athletics

Gilbert was an eighth-round pick for the A’s in the 2016 draft and spent the year with the single-A Vermont Lake Monsters. He pitched out of the bullpen with Vermont, appearing in 15 games and posting a 2.81 ERA and a 2-2 record. He will spend this year in the minors well while he develops his game, and likely won’t be making his MLB debut anytime soon. 

Ryan Williamson, Pitcher, Washington Nationals

Williamson was the final member of the Pack taken in last year’s draft, as the Nationals selected him in the 15th round. However, Tommy John surgery sidelined Williamson for the entire season. He should make his minor-league debut this season.