Akeem Maurice Bostick (born May 4, 1995) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

who is a free agent. He was chosen by the Texas Rangers in the second round of the

2013 MLB draft The 2013 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in reverse order of t ...

, and made his

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) debut with the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

in 2021.

Career

Amateur career

Bostick attended

West Florence High School West Florence High School is a public secondary school serving grades 9 through 12 in Florence, South Carolina, United States. The school is located on the city's west side, near the intersection of Interstates 20 and 95. History West Florence ...

Florence, South Carolina Florence is a city in and the county seat of Florence County, South Carolina, United States. It lies at the intersection of Interstates 20 and 95 and is the eastern terminus of the former. It is the primary city within the Florence metropol ...

. Bostick played for the school's

team, and was their

ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...

. In his senior year, Bostick had a 9–0

win–loss record Win–loss may refer to: * Win–loss analytics, analysis of the reasons why a visitor to a website was or wasn't persuaded to engage in a desired action * Win–loss record, also winning percentage * Win–loss record (pitching), the number of ...

and a 0.68

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) with 84

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s in 51

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

. Bostick pitched for Florence Post 1 in

American Legion Baseball American Legion Baseball is a variety of amateur baseball played by 13-to-19-year-olds in fifty states in the U.S. and Canada. More than 3,500 teams participate each year. The American Legion Department of South Dakota established the program in 1 ...

, helping them to win the state championship in 2012.

Texas Rangers

Bostick committed to attend

Georgia Southern University Georgia Southern University (informally known as Southern or Georgia Southern) is a public university, public research university in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The largest campus is in Statesboro, Georgia, Statesboro, with ...

, where he would play baseball and

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

. The Texas Rangers selected Bostick in the second round, 62nd overall, of the

. He signed with the Rangers rather than attend college, reportedly receiving a $520,620

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

. The Rangers assigned him to the

Arizona Rangers The Arizona Rangers are a non-commissioned civilian auxiliary that supports law enforcement in the state of Arizona. In 2002, the modern-day Arizona Rangers were officially recognized by the State of Arizona when the Legislature passed Arizona ...

of the

Rookie-level Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...

Arizona League The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it fo ...

and he spent the whole season there, posting a 4–1 record and 2.83 ERA in 14 games. In 2014, Bostick pitched for the

Hickory Crawdads The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans St ...

of the

Single-A Single-A, formerly known as Class A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A, Double-A (baseball), Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams cl ...

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

where he posted a 5–6 record and 5.17 ERA in 21 games (twenty games started).

Houston Astros

On January 21, 2015, the Rangers traded Bostick to the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

for Carlos Corporán. He spent the 2015 season with both the Single-A

Quad Cities River Bandits The Quad Cities River Bandits are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Their home games are played at Modern Woodmen Park (formerly John O'Donnell Stadium) in Davenport, Iowa, on ...

and the High-A

Lancaster JetHawks The Lancaster JetHawks were a baseball team located in Lancaster, California. They were named for the city's association with the aerospace industry and played their home games at The Hangar. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League B ...

, posting a combined 9–5 record and 4.15 ERA in 21 total games between the two teams. The following year, Bostick played with the Low-A

Tri-City ValleyCats The Tri-City ValleyCats are a professional baseball team based in Albany, New York. The ValleyCats compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the North Division in the Atlantic Conference. The team was established in 2002, along with the ...

and Lancaster, where he went 6–4 with a 4.74 ERA in 16 total games. In 2017, he pitched for the High-A

Buies Creek Astros The Fayetteville Woodpeckers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and play their home games at Segra Stadium. From 2017 to 201 ...

and the Double-A

Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned b ...

, pitching to a combined 8–7 record and 4.06 ERA in 22 games (16 starts) between both teams. In 2018, he played for Corpus Christi and the Triple-A

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in ...

, going 2–5 with a 3.67 ERA in 22 games (16 starts). In 2019, Bostick pitched for the Triple-A

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home ...

, recording a 4–5 record and 7.28 ERA in 21 games before he was released on August 9, 2019.

Kansas City T-Bones

On August 16, 2019, Bostick signed with the

Kansas City T-Bones The Kansas City Monarchs are a professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Kansas. Formerly known as the Kansas City T-Bones, they are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball; which, in 2020, became designated as a Majo ...

of the

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

. In 4 games for Kansas City, Bostick posted a 2–1 record and 3.12 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 17.1 innings of work. On June 16, 2020, Bostick became a free agent after the T-Bones decided not to participate in the 2020 season.

Sugar Land Skeeters

In July 2020, Bostick signed on to play for the

Sugar Land Skeeters The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club. They are located in Sugar Land, Texas, part of the G ...

of the

Constellation Energy League The Constellation Energy League was an independent baseball league that operated in Texas during 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions limiting travel, and as a way to create opportunities for Minor League Baseball, minor league players. History ...

(a makeshift four-team independent league created as a result of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

) for the 2020 season. In 8 games with the Skeeters, Bostick registered an 0.90 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 10.0 innings pitched.

St. Louis Cardinals

On September 1, 2020, Bostick signed a minor league contract with the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

organization. Bostick did not play in a game for the organization in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

. On March 30, 2021, Bostick was released by St. Louis.

New York Mets

On May 18, 2021, Bostick signed a minor league contract with the

organization. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Syracuse Mets The Syracuse Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Syracuse, New York, and play their home games at NBT Bank Stadium, which ope ...

and pitched to an 0–4 record and 6.21 ERA in 10 games with the team. On July 28, the Mets selected Bostick's contract to the 40-man roster and promoted him to the major leagues for the first time. He made his major league debut on July 29, 2021, pitching a scoreless ninth inning against the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

, retiring three of the batters he faced, walking one. On July 30, Bostick was designated for assignment by the Mets. The next day, he was outrighted back to Triple-A Syracuse.

Kansas City Monarchs

On January 24, 2022, Bostick signed with the

Kansas City Monarchs The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri, and owned by J. L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 193 ...

of the American Association.

Wild Health Genomes

On June 17, 2022, Bostick signed with the

Wild Health Genomes The Wild Health Genomes were an United States, American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 2022, they were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an MLB Partner League. The Genomes were owned ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

. Bostick made 19 appearances for the Genomes down the stretch, posting a 1–2 record and 4.97 ERA with 22 strikeouts and 2 saves in 25.1 innings pitched. He became a free agent after the season.

Sioux Falls Canaries

On May 2, 2023, Bostick signed with the

Sioux Falls Canaries The Sioux Falls Canaries are a professional baseball team based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. The Canaries are members of the North Division of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major ...

of the

American Association of Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor ...

. In 15 starts for the team, he logged a 4.65 ERA with 50 strikeouts across innings pitched. In addition, Bostick was named an All–Star for the Canaries during the season. After the 2023 season, he became a free agent.

Personal life

His cousin,

Brandon Bostick Brandon Jamal Bostick (born May 3, 1989) is a former American football tight end. He played college football at Newberry. Bostick was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He was also member of the Minnesota Vikings ...

, played in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bostick, Akeem 1995 births Living people Sportspeople from Florence, South Carolina Baseball players from Florence County, South Carolina African-American baseball players Major League Baseball pitchers New York Mets players Arizona League Rangers players Hickory Crawdads players Tri-City ValleyCats players Quad Cities River Bandits players Lancaster JetHawks players Buies Creek Astros players Corpus Christi Hooks players Cañeros de Los Mochis players Fresno Grizzlies players Caribes de Anzoátegui players Round Rock Express players Kansas City T-Bones players Sugar Land Skeeters players Syracuse Mets players Binghamton Rumble Ponies players Kansas City Monarchs (American Association) players Kentucky Wild Health Genomes players Sioux Falls Canaries players 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela