Braden Jack Shewmake (born November 19, 1997) 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 ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

for the

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

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). He has previously played in MLB for 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 ...

and

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. The Braves selected Shewmake with the 21st overall pick in the

2019 MLB draft The 2019 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 3 to 5, 2019. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was set based on the reverse order of the 2018 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks ...

, and he made his MLB debut with them in 2023.

Amateur career

Shewmake attended and graduated from

Wylie East High School Wylie East High School (commonly Wylie East or WEHS) is a public high school located in Wylie, Texas (USA). It is classified as a 6A school by the UIL and is one of the two high schools in the Wylie Independent School District located in south ...

in Wylie,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, where he played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

, and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

. As a senior, he hit .295 with 28 RBIs and was named to the Texas 5A All-State Baseball Team. Undrafted out of high school in the

2016 Major League Baseball draft The 2016 Major League Baseball draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks were distributed for players who ...

, he enrolled at

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Texas A&M Aggies The Texas A&M Aggies are the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "wikt:aggie#Etymology 2, Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also simply referr ...

. In 2017, as a freshman, Shewmake batted .328 with 11 home runs and 69 RBIs in 64 starts. He was named the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

(SEC) Freshman of the Year along with being named

Collegiate Baseball ''Collegiate Baseball Newspaper'' (also known as ''Collegiate Baseball Magazine'' and ''Collegiate Baseball'') was an American publication based in Arizona that considered itself the "voice of amateur baseball" and was published for over 40 yea ...

's Freshman of the Year. Furthermore, he was named an All-American by multiple media outlets including Collegiate Baseball and

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

. Shewmake spent that summer playing for the

USA Baseball The United States Baseball Federation, doing business as USA Baseball, is a 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that acts as the national Sports governing body, governing body for baseball in the United States. USA Baseball ...

Collegiate National Team. As a sophomore in 2018, Shewmake started all 61 games in which he hit .327 with five home runs, 45 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases. He was named to the All-SEC First Team for the second straight year. That summer, he returned to play for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. In 2019, his junior season, he batted primarily in the leadoff spot. He played in 63 games and batted .313 with six home runs, 47 RBIs, and nine stolen bases.

Professional career

Atlanta Braves

Shewmake was considered one of the top prospects for the

2019 Major League Baseball draft The 2019 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 3 to 5, 2019. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was set based on the reverse order of the 2018 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks ...

. He was selected by the

with the 21st overall pick. He signed for $3.13 million, and was assigned to the

Rome Braves The Rome Emperors are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They are located in Rome, Georgia, and play their home games at AdventHealth Stadium. From 2003 to 2023, the team wa ...

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 ...

. After slashing .318/.389/.473 with three home runs, 39 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases over 51 games with Rome, he was promoted to the

Mississippi Braves The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they were referred to locally, were a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson, from 2005 to 2024. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and competed in ...

of the Double-A Southern League in August, and finished the season there. Over 14 games with Mississippi, Shewmake hit .217. Shewmake did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by 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 2021 season, he returned to Mississippi (now members of the Double-A South), slashing .228/.271/.401 with 12 home runs and forty RBIs over 83 games. Shewmake was assigned to the

Gwinnett Stripers The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia ...

of the Triple-A

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

to begin the 2022 season. In early August, he was placed on the injured list with a left leg injury after being carted off of the field following a collision with left fielder Travis Demeritte, and he missed the remainder of the season. Over 76 games prior to the injury, he slashed .259/.316/.399 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs. On November 15, 2022, the Braves selected Shewmake's contract and added him to the

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

to protect him from the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. Shewmake battled with

Orlando Arcia Orlando Jesús Arcia (born August 4, 1994) is a Venezuelan professional baseball shortstop for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves. The Brewers signed A ...

and

Vaughn Grissom Vaughn Anthony Grissom (born January 5, 2001) is an American professional baseball second baseman and shortstop for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Atlanta Braves. He made his MLB debut i ...

for the starting shortstop job during spring training in 2023. On March 20, Shewmake and Grissom were optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett in favor of Arcia. On May 5, 2023, Shewmake was promoted to the major leagues for the first time, and made his debut later that day against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

. In a game against the

St. Paul Saints The St. Paul Saints are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and have played their home games at CHS Field since 2015. They previ ...

on June 28, 2023, Shewmake

hit for the cycle Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization ...

, the first in Gwinnett history.

Chicago White Sox

On November 16, 2023, the Braves traded Shewmake to the

, along with Michael Soroka,

Nicky Lopez Nicholas Lopez (born March 13, 1995) is an American professional baseball shortstop and second baseman in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB draft, and made his MLB ...

Jared Shuster Jared Craig Shuster (born August 3, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball at Wake Forest University. The Atlanta Braves selected him in the first ro ...

and Riley Gowens for

Aaron Bummer Aaron James Bummer (born September 21, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago White Sox. Amateur career Bummer attended Sunrise M ...

. He played in 29 games for the White Sox in 2024, batting .125/.134/.203 with one home run, four RBI, and five stolen bases. On January 1, 2025, Shewmake was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

by Chicago following the acquisition of

Tyler Gilbert Tyler Gregory Gilbert (born December 22, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies. Gilbert ...

New York Yankees

On January 8, 2025, Shewmake was claimed off waivers by the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

. He was designated for assignment by the Royals on January 31. On February 5, Shewmake was claimed off waivers by the

. He was optioned to the Triple-A

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders, are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pen ...

to begin the season.

Scouting report

In college, Shewmake was known for his ability to hit to all fields. Sometime after starting his professional career, he focused on pulling the baseball, returning to his collegiate hitting philosophy before the 2023 regular season began. His speed and defensive abilities have also drawn attention.

Personal life

Shewmake's father Shane coaches baseball at the

University of Texas at Dallas The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD or UT Dallas) is a public research university in Richardson, Texas, United States. It is the northernmost institution of the University of Texas System. It was initially founded in 1961 as a private res ...

. Shewmake is married to Emily, and their son was born in June 2022. Republished by
The Leader-Telegram
'

References

External links

Texas A&M Aggies bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shewmake, Braden 1997 births Living people Atlanta Braves players Baseball players from Collin County, Texas Baseball players from Rockwall County, Texas Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Gwinnett Stripers players Major League Baseball shortstops Mississippi Braves players People from Wylie, Texas Rome Braves players Savannah Bananas players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Texas A&M Aggies baseball players United States national baseball team players