Logan VanWey becomes first Range Rider to pitch in an MLB game
Range Riders starting pitcher Logan Vanwey delivers a pitch in the first inning against Billings at Flathead Field on Thursday, July 14. (Jeremy Weber/Daily Inter Lake)
Former Glacier Range Rider pitcher Logan VanWey has made his MLB debut Friday, appearing for the Houston Astros in their game against Kas Angeles Angels.
VanWey’s appearance — he threw two scoreless innings in Houston’s 14-3 win, with one strikeout — marks the first time a former Range Rider has appeared at baseball’s highest level. He is one of just two Pioneer League players, since the restructuring of the league in 2020, to get called up to the majors.
On May 23, 2022, both VanWey and the Range Riders made their debut in the Pioneer League. VanWey fired the first pitch in franchise history, a fastball for a strike, and he ended up going three innings with zero runs against. The Range Riders beat the Rocky Mountain Vibe 15-1 to start 1-0 in franchise history.
VanWey made nine appearances, all starts, summing up to 39.1 innings on the mound, 41 strikeouts and a 2-2 record that season. His 6.64 ERA was ballooned by one bad start.
On a July 18 bus ride to Idaho Falls, VanWey got the call from the Astros that changed his life.
After finishing 2022 in the Florida Complex League, VanWey had stops in Asheville, N.C. and Corpus Christi, Texas before spending 2024 with the Sugar Land (Texas) Space Cowboys.
He went 9-1 in 60 relief apperances, with four saves and a 3.47 ERA. He fanned 98 in 72 2-3 innings and helped the Cowboys win the Pacific Coast League championship.
VanWey spent spring training with the Astros and finished with a 1.32 ERA in 13-plus innings.
The Range Riders have led the league in affiliated signings since their inaugural season in 2022, and VanWey’s breakthrough to the Major League level solidifies that a path to the Show runs through the Flathead Valley.