Oregon baseball’s overall performance has tailed off over the past few seasons, but it’s consistently done one thing at an elite level since the program’s reinstatement in 2009: Recruit.
Year in and year out the Ducks compete with traditional powerhouses like UCLA and Cal State Fullerton for the best recruits on the west coast and manage to file away loaded recruiting classes come signing day.
Last season, some of those former top recruits began to make an impact at the major league level. This year, those players have a chance to turn into everyday big-leaguers, and several other former Ducks could continue to rise through the minors.
Here are a few former Oregon players — as well as one former Duck signee who went straight to the pros — who could contribute at the big league level very soon.
Ryon Healy — Oakland Athletics
Healy burst onto the scene last summer as a midseason call-up for the Athletics and smashed a go-ahead home run in his first hit at the major league level. He hit a walk-off homer the next night and spent some time hitting in the No. 3 spot despite starting the year in Double-A Midland. A third-round pick in the 2013 draft, Healy earned American League rookie of the month honors for the month of September, when he hit seven homers, drove in 19 runs and slashed .355/.389/636. This year, it is likely that he will hit in the three-hole every day for the Athletics while splitting time between third base and designated hitter.
Tyler Anderson — Colorado Rockies 
Arguably the greatest Oregon pitcher ever, Anderson was a two-time Pac-10 All Conference selection and a second team All-American in 2011. After holding down the No. 1 spot in Oregon’s rotation for three seasons, Anderson was selected 20th overall by the Colorado Rockies in 2011. Anderson’s performance during his professional career has never been an issue — he has never posted an ERA worse than 2.81 in the minors. He likely would have made Colorado’s starting rotation in 2015, but an injury wiped out his entire season. He was called up to the majors early last summer and went 5-6 with a 3.54 ERA while striking out 99 batters and walking just 28. He will be counted on as one of Colorado’s top starters this season and has a chance to be one of the league’s breakout players.
Jake Reed — Minnesota Twins 
Reed was one of the best in a long line of successful Oregon closers before being drafted in the fifth round by the Twins in 2014. He terrorized hitters in rookie ball during his first professional season and followed with a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League, where he surrendered just one run in 10 outings. While splitting time between Double-A and Triple-A last summer, Reed struck out 72 batters in 70.2 innings while walking just 24. According to MLB.com, Reed is Minnesota’s No. 13 prospect. With the Twins lacking a multitude of bullpen options, he could be in the majors sooner rather than later.
Carson Kelly — St. Louis Cardinals
Kelly never played a game in an Oregon uniform, but the former Duck commit was one of the more coveted prospects to ever come out of the state of Oregon. The Cardinals took him in the second round of the 2012 draft, and he made his pro debut when he was just 17 years old. Many figured he would turn into a power-hitting third baseman. In 2014, though, he made the switch to catcher and rapidly became one of the better catching prospects in baseball. He won the 2015 Rawlings Minor League Gold Glove Award in just his second season behind the plate and posted the highest batting average of any catcher in the Arizona Fall League. Now the No. 51 prospect in baseball according to ESPN, there is a strong chance he will hold the Cardinals’ backup catcher spot this season before taking over full-time when current starter Yadier Molina retires.
Follow Jarrid Denney on Twitter @jarrid_denney