FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Former Nova Southeastern University baseball players are excelling at the games highest level. Read up on each player below:
 
J.D. Martinez – Detroit Tigers
 
Martinez continued the breakout success that he carried over from his 2014 season, excelling both at the plate and in the field. Martinez finished the season with career highs in nearly every offensive category, totaling 33 doubles and team highs in games played (158), home runs (38) and runs batted in (102), with a .282 average/.344 on-base/.535 slugging. On November 12, the Detroit chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America named him 2015 Tiger of the Year, earning 19 of 22 first-place votes. Later that same night, Martinez was rewarded for his impressive hitting with his first career Silver Slugger. On November 19, he appeared on an MVP ballot for the first time in his career, receiving eight total votes, with one as high as sixth place, to put him 15th in the overall voting. He is one of just nine players to have at least 30 doubles and 20 homers in each of the last two seasons, and one of just six to slug at least .530 in the same span. Martinez and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are the only two outfielders to total at least 60 home runs and 60 doubles between 2014 and 2015. He also displayed prowess with the glove, ranking second among all outfielders in both outfield assists and fielding percentage and being named as a Gold Glove finalist among American League right-fielders.
 
Mike Fiers – Houston Astros
 
Following the trade deadline drama that sent him to Houston from the Milwaukee Brewers, Fiers not only excelled in a starting role with his new team, but also made history when he threw a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Minute Maid Park on August 21. He followed that up by making the post-season for the first time in his career, though the Astros lost their ALDS match-up to the future World Series champion Kansas City Royals in five games. Fiers finished the month of August with a 2-0 record, holding a 0.67 ERA in his first four starts as an Astro. He made nine starts total, tossing quality starts in six of them, with a 2.67 ERA and .184 opponent batting average in 57.1 innings pitched, and 53 strikeouts to 18 walks.
 
Miles Mikolas – Yomiuri Giants
 
Mikolas established himself as one of the top starters in Japan, compiling a 13-3 record and 145 innings pitched with a 1.92 ERA in 21 starts in the Japan Central League. He was tied for fourth in the league in wins, third in ERA, and his 0.90 WHIP led the league. Mikolas delivered quality starts in each of last 13 starts, with an 11-0 record, 1.35 ERA and an average of 7.2 innings per start. He also won six starts in a row between July 11 and August 18, putting up a 0.82 ERA, and highlighted by consecutive complete games, before he was sidelined for three weeks due to injury. Despite that, he returned to win three of four starts to end the regular season. Mikolas threw seven innings in the first game of Yomiuri's First Stage playoff series to help them defeat the Hanshin Tigers, before falling to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in the Final Stage. Capitalizing on his successful season, Mikolas agreed to re-sign with Yomiuri on a two-year deal worth $5 million.
 
Carlos Asuaje – San Diego Padres Organization
 
After being named an Eastern League All-Star in July, Asuaje continued his success. He finished as the team's leader in nearly every offensive statistical category, and also ranked very highly relative to the league. Asuaje was tied for fifth in games played (131), tied for second in triples (7), fifth in runs batted in (61), fourth in walks (56), and tied for fifth in sacrifice hits (10). After the season, he was sent to the Arizona Fall League, where he hit .329, eighth-best in the league, in 18 games. On November 13, he was part of a blockbuster trade that sent him to the San Diego Padres, along with three other top Red Sox prospects, in return for relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel being sent to Boston. Padres GM A.J. Preller told reporters later that night that Asuaje, who became their 19th-best prospect, according to MLBPipeline.com, upon his arrival, will be competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster in spring training. Asuaje ended the AFL regular season with an 11-game hitting, during which time he had a .378 average and .511 slugging percentage. On Novermber 17, he hit his first home run of the fall season against some of his future Padres teammates. Asuaje and the Scottsdale Scorpions, winner of the East Division, will play the Surprise Saguaros for the AFL Championship on November 21.
 
Ryan Castellanos – Detroit Tigers Organization
 
Castellanos finished his first professional season with a 2-2 record and 3.06 ERA in 50 innings of work across three levels. In the New York-Pennsylvania League, he walked just five of the 164 batters he faced in his 38 innings; that rate of 1.2 walks per nine innings was fifth in the league. The best of his eight starts was a five-shutout-inning performance against the Auburn Doubledays on August 9.
 
Alexander Fernandez – Miami Marlins Organization
 
Fernandez finished his first professional season with a .271 average, .359 on-base percentage, and .398 slugging in 208 at bats and 51 games across three levels. He hit nine doubles and four home runs, driving in 16 runs, and was 7-for-8 stealing bases. Defensively, he served as a valuable utility player, with 19 games played at second base, 22 at third base, six at designated hitter, and seven in the outfield.
 
Justin Garcia – Houston Astros Organization
 
Garcia finished his first professional season with 10 doubles, one home run and 14 RBI in 46 games. His Greeneville Astros won the Appalachian League title with 2-1 series victories over the Kingsport Mets and Princeton Rays.
 
Zac Westcott – Lincoln Saltdogs (Independent)
 
Westcott excelled in his first season in the American Association, appearing in 22 games out of the bullpen. He had a 5-2 record, 3.32 ERA, .222 opponent batting average, 1.12 WHIP, and 36 strikeouts to just 13 walks. Westcott averaged two innings per appearance, pitching at least that many 14 times, and as many as four innings in back-to-back games in August. In 13 games, he struck out at least two batters, and didn't issue a walk in 13 games, as well.
 
Roche Woodard – Roswell Invaders (Independent)
 
Woodard had a .373 average/.429 on-base/.530 slugging with 12 stolen bases in 20 regular season Pecos League games to help Roswell to a 38-27 record. In the first round of the Pecos League playoffs, Woodard and his team defeated the Alpine Cowboys, and in the championship, the Santa Fe Fuego. In the first game of the championship, Woodard was 3-for-5, scoring four times and hitting two of his team's seven home runs. In total, Roswell hit 15 homers and scored 34 runs to win their third title in five years.
 
Roberto Baroniel – Normal Cornbelters (Independent)
 
Baroniel was 2-3 in nine starts in the Frontier League, throwing 45.2 innings in total, with a 4.73 ERA. He struck out 36 batters on the season and had a .256 opponent average, while allowing one hit per inning or less in five of his starts.