Brandon Michael Bielak (born April 2, 1996) 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 has previously played in

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) for 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 ...

and

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

. Bielak played

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, ...

at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

. He was selected by the Astros in the 11th round of the 2017 MLB draft, and made his MLB debut in 2020.

Amateur career

Raised in

Sayreville, New Jersey Sayreville is a borough in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Sayreville is within the heart of the Raritan Valley region, located on the south banks of the Raritan River, and also located on the Raritan Bay. As of the 2020 Uni ...

, Bielak attended and played baseball at St. Joseph High School in

Metuchen, New Jersey Metuchen ( ) is a suburban Borough (New Jersey), borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough is a commuter town of New York City, located in the heart of the Raritan River, Raritan Valle ...

. In 2014, as a senior, he pitched to an 8–1 record with a 0.58 ERA, striking out 87 batters in 60.2 innings pitched. Undrafted out of high school in the

2014 MLB draft The 2014 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June 6, and the last 30 round ...

, he enrolled at the

where he played

for the Fighting Irish. In 2015, as a freshman, he was 6–3 with a 3.55 ERA in 17 games (14 starts), in 2016, as a sophomore, he compiled a 3–2 record and a 2.10 ERA in 15 games (four starts). Following his sophomore season, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Orleans Firebirds The Orleans Firebirds, formerly the Orleans Cardinals, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Orleans, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Firebirds play ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

, and was named a league all-star. In 2017, as a junior, he was 2–6 with a 5.55 ERA in 15 games (14 starts). After his junior year, he was selected by the

in the 11th round of the 2017 MLB draft.

Professional career

Houston Astros

Bielak signed with Houston and made his professional debut with the

Gulf Coast League Astros The Florida Complex League Astros are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Houston Astros, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Astros. The team plays it ...

. After two scoreless appearances, he was promoted to the

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 ...

where he finished the season with a 1–1 record and a 0.92 ERA in eight games (four starts). In 2018, Bielak began the season with the

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 was named a

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

All-Star; he was promoted to the

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 ...

in June. In 25 games (17 starts) between the two clubs, he went 7–8 with a 2.23 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. In 2019, Bielak returned to Corpus Christi to begin the season and was promoted to the

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 ...

in May. Over 23 games (twenty starts), Bielak went 11–4 with a 4.22 ERA, striking out 119 over innings. On July 27,

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, Bielak's contract was selected to the 40-man roster. He made his MLB debut that day against the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

and was the winning pitcher in an 8–5 contest. Bielak finished the 2020 season with Houston with a 6.75 ERA over 32 innings. In

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, Bielak went 3–4 while appearing in 28 games (two starts). He pitched fifty innings and struck out 46 batters while walking 21; he had a WHIP of 1.380 and an ERA of 4.50. Bielak made five appearances for Houston in

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, spending the majority of the season with the Triple-A Sugar Land Space Cowboys. In innings pitched, he recorded a 3.65 ERA with 12 strikeouts. Bielak was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land to begin the 2023 season. The Astros recalled him to the major league roster on April 30, 2023. On May 19, Bielak earned his first win of the season with a career-high nine strikeouts versus the

. He established a number career highs at the major league level in 2023, including in games won with a 5–6 record, games stated (13) and innings pitched (80). He posted a 3.83 ERA, 5.19 FIP, 86 hits, 36 walks, and 12 home runs allowed, 1.525

walks plus hits per inning pitched In baseball statistics, walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) is a Sabermetrics, sabermetric measurement of the number of Baserunning#Becoming a runner, baserunners a pitcher has allowed per Innings pitched, inning pitched. WHIP is calculate ...

(WHIP), and 7.0 strikeouts per nine innings pitched (K/9, 62 total). Bielak made 10 appearances for Houston in

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, compiling a 5.71 ERA with 9 strikeouts across innings pitched. On May 11, 2024, Bielak 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 the Astros.

Oakland Athletics

On May 16, 2024, Bielak was traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations. In three games for Oakland, he recorded a 3.18 ERA with three strikeouts across innings pitched. Bielak was designated for assignment by the Athletics following the promotion of Jack O'Loughlin on May 25. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple–A

Las Vegas Aviators The Las Vegas Aviators, formerly known as the Las Vegas 51s and Las Vegas Stars, are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Athletics. They are located in Summerlin South, Nevada, a comm ...

on May 29. On September 8, the Athletics selected Bielak's contract, adding him to their active roster. After three more appearances, he was designated for assignment by Oakland on September 22. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A Las Vegas a second time on September 25. Bielak elected free agency on October 15.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On February 25, 2025, Bielak signed a minor league contract with the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

. In two starts for the Triple-A

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, w ...

, he posted a 1-0 record and 2.79 ERA with five strikeouts across innings pitched. Bielak was released by the Diamondbacks organization on May 10. On May 12, it was announced that Bielak had undergone season-ending shoulder surgery prior to his release.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bielak, Brandon 1996 births Living people Baseball players from Middlesex County, New Jersey Buies Creek Astros players Corpus Christi Hooks players Gulf Coast Astros players Houston Astros players Las Vegas Aviators players Major League Baseball pitchers Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball players Oakland Athletics players Orleans Firebirds players Sportspeople from Edison, New Jersey People from Sayreville, New Jersey Reno Aces players Round Rock Express players St. Joseph High School (Metuchen, New Jersey) alumni Sugar Land Skeeters players Sugar Land Space Cowboys players Tri-City ValleyCats players