A week after Casey Mize was called up by the Detroit Tigers, another former Auburn pitcher has received his call to the show. Ben Braymer has been called up from the Washington Nationals’ alternate training site, and following his debut, will be the 53rd former Auburn player to play in the MLB.
Braymer only spent one year on the Plains, going 4-4 with a 3.56 ERA in the 2016 season. He appeared in 21 games for the Tigers, starting four of them and striking out 47 batters over his 48 innings pitched.
Originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he was drafted in the 18th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Nationals and has been in the organization ever since.
Braymer played his first season of pro ball in the Gulf Coast League for the Nationals, before spending the next two seasons in Single-A.
The 6-foot-2 inch southpaw found success in 2018 at the Single-A level, where he pitched to a 9-3 overall record and a 2.28 ERA. His 2.28 ERA was the lowest in Washington’s minor league system and he was named the Nationals’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2018. He also received an invite to the Arizona Fall League and made the league’s Fall Star Game.
Following his breakout season, Braymer advanced quickly through the ranks of Double-A and Triple-A ball last year before being added to the Nationals’ 40-Man roster. He received an invite to spring training earlier this year and is listed as the defending world champs' No. 24 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline and Baseball America.
Once Braymer makes his debut, it will be the first time since 2008 that multiple Auburn alum will make their big league debut in the same season.
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