Brandon Eugene Maurer (born July 3, 1990) is an American former 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, ...

. He 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

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 ...

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

and

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 ...

. From

Costa Mesa, California Costa Mesa (; Spanish language, Spanish for "coastal tableland") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including ...

, Maurer pitched in Little League Baseball and high school at Orange Lutheran High School. The Mariners selected Maurer in the 23rd round of the 2008 MLB Draft. After being overshadowed by other prospects, Maurer had a strong

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

showing with the Mariners in 2013, and made the team's

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster in the

starting rotation This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, along with their definitions, including illustrative examples for many entries. 0–9 0 :"Oh and ..." See count. 1 ...

. The Mariners traded Maurer to the Padres after the 2014 season, and he became a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...

. The Padres traded Maurer to the Royals in 2017. Maurer signed a minor league free agent deal with the Pirates during prior to the 2019 season.

Amateur career

Maurer competed in Little League Baseball in

as a

. On July 30, 2002, at the age of 12, Maurer pitched a perfect game in the Little League all-star game. Maurer attended Orange Lutheran High School in

Orange, California Orange is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. It is approximately north of the county seat, Santa Ana, California, Santa Ana. Orange is unusual in this region because many of the homes in its Old Town District ...

. Maurer played for the school's baseball team, which competes in the Trinity League, within the Southern Section of the

California Interscholastic Federation The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is the governing body for high school sports in the U.S. state of California. CIF membership includes both public and private high schools. Unlike most other state organizations, it does not have s ...

. In 2007, his junior year, Maurer was used as a

and had a 0.54

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) and four saves. As a senior in 2008, he earned second-team All-Trinity League honors and helped Orange Lutheran finish second in the league. Though he was overshadowed by teammates

Gerrit Cole Gerrit Alan Cole (born September 8, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros. Cole played for the bas ...

and Aaron Gates, he earned notice from

teams. He accepted a scholarship from the

California State University, Long Beach California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), also known in athletics as Long Beach State University (LBSU), is a public teaching-focused institution in Long Beach, California, United States. The 322-acre campus is the second largest in the ...

, 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 Long Beach State Dirtbags baseball team.

Professional career

Seattle Mariners

The

drafted Maurer in the 23rd round, with the 702nd overall selection, of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft. Rather than attend Long Beach State, Maurer signed with the Mariners. Upon joining the

Arizona League Mariners The Arizona Complex League Mariners are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona. The team is comp ...

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 ...

, he was able to throw as fast as , with the team expecting that he would increase his velocity by approximately by adding . By 2011, Maurer could throw as hard as . In 2009, Maurer pitched for the Pulaski Mariners of the Rookie-level

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a Collegiate summer baseball, collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wooden ...

. Maurer pitched for the

Clinton LumberKings The Clinton LumberKings are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Clinton, Iowa, and play their home games at NelsonCorp Field. From 1956 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's Midwest Leag ...

of the Single–A

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

in 2010, and the Adelaide Bite of the

Australian Baseball League The Australian Baseball League (ABL) is a professional baseball league in Australia. The league is governed by the Australian Baseball Federation (ABF). It uses the same name as a now-defunct competition held during the 1990s, and though it s ...

(ABL) in the winter of 2010–11, reaching the ABL championship series. Maurer started the 2011 season with the LumberKings, and was promoted to the

High Desert Mavericks The High Desert Mavericks were an American Minor League Baseball team in Adelanto, California, that played their home games at Heritage Field at Stater Bros. Stadium. They played in the Class A-Advanced California League. The franchise had eight d ...

of the High–A

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leagu ...

in May. Following his second start with High Desert, he was named the California League Pitcher of the Week for the week ending June 1. Heading into the 2012 season,

scouts Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...

viewed Maurer as a "sleeper" prospect. Maurer pitched for the

Jackson Generals The Jackson Generals were a professional baseball team located in Jackson, Tennessee. From 1998 to 2020, they were a part of Minor League Baseball's Southern League (SL) as the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs (1998–2006), Seattle Mari ...

of the Double–A Southern League in 2012. Though overshadowed by teammates

Danny Hultzen Daniel Alexander Hultzen (born November 28, 1989) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs in 2019. Hultzen attended the University of Virginia, where he starred for the Vi ...

and Taijuan Walker, Maurer was named the league's Most Outstanding Pitcher after going 9–2 with a 3.20

with 117

strikeouts 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 ...

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 ...

. On November 20, 2012, Maurer was added to the Mariners'

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 be protected 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 ...

. In

in 2013, Maurer competed with Erasmo Ramírez,

Jeremy Bonderman Jeremy Allen Bonderman (born October 28, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Bonderman played in Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners from 2003 to 2010 and in 2013. High school Bonderman atten ...

, and

Blake Beavan Blake William Beavan (born January 17, 1989) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. A first-round draft pick in the 2007 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers, Beavan was traded to the Seattle Mariners in 2010 in a package of prospects fo ...

for one of the final two spots in the Mariners' five-man

, behind

Félix Hernández Félix Abraham Hernández García (born April 8, 1986), nicknamed "King Félix", is a Venezuelan-American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners from 2005 through 2019. Hernánd ...

, Hisashi Iwakuma, and Joe Saunders. Allowing only two runs in 20 innings with 22 strikeouts and six walks in the

Cactus League Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring ...

, Maurer made the Mariners' 25-man roster as a starting pitcher, skipping the Triple–A level. Maurer became the first member of the Mariners' 2008 draft class to reach the major leagues and the first starting pitcher to skip Triple–A and debut for the Mariners since John Cummings and

Mike Hampton Michael William Hampton, Jr. (born September 9, 1972) is an American former professional baseball player. Hampton played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a pitcher from 1993 through 2010. He pitched for the Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, New ...

in 1993. He reached MLB before more heralded prospects, such as Walker, Hultzen, and James Paxton. In his major league debut, on April 4, he allowed six runs in six innings to the

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 ...

, including on

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s by

Yoenis Céspedes Yoenis Céspedes Milanés (born October 18, 1985), nicknamed "La Potencia" (The Power), is a Cuban-born former professional baseball outfielder. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut on March 28, 2012, for the Oakland Athletics, and has ...

and

Josh Reddick William Joshua Reddick (born February 19, 1987) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. The Boston Red Sox selected Reddick in the 17th round of the 2006 MLB draft, and he made his major league debut in 2009. He also played in Ma ...

, in a loss. After a second poor performance, Maurer earned his first win in his third start, on April 14.

San Diego Padres

On December 30, 2014, the Mariners traded Maurer to the

in exchange for Seth Smith. In the first half of the 2015 season, Maurer pitched to a 2.11 ERA. His performance diminished in the second half as he suffered from shoulder inflammation. Maurer's 2015 season ended with a 7-4 record and an even 3 ERA in 53 games. Maurer entered spring training in 2016 as a candidate for the starting rotation. The Padres opted to keep Maurer in the bullpen for the 2016 season. The Padres named Maurer their new closer after the team traded away closer

Fernando Rodney Fernando Rodney (born March 18, 1977) is a Dominican– American professional baseball pitcher for the Hamilton Cardinals of the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL). He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers ...

to the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

on June 30, 2016. He took on the role for the rest of the season, saving 13 games. For the 2017 season, Maurer entered as the incumbent closer for the Padres. He saved 20 games for the Padres despite having an ERA of 5.72 although his fielding independent pitching (FIP) had him with a 3.23 ERA. In his three seasons with the Padres, Maurer had an 8-13 record with 33 saves.

Kansas City Royals

On July 24, 2017, the Padres traded Maurer, Ryan Buchter, and

Trevor Cahill Trevor John Cahill (born March 1, 1988) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Kansas City Roy ...

to the

for Matt Strahm, Travis Wood, and

Esteury Ruiz Esteury Ruiz Reyes (born February 15, 1999) is a Dominican professional baseball center fielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022 with the San Diego Padres and also played for the Milwaukee ...

. He was outrighted to the Triple–A

Omaha Storm Chasers The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, Nebraska, Omah ...

on May 3, 2018. In 37 games in 2018, Maurer registered an ERA of 7.76 in innings. He became a free agent on November 2.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On January 30, 2019, Maurer signed a minor league contract with the

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

organization. In 8 games split between the Low–A

West Virginia Black Bears The West Virginia Black Bears are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Granville, West Virginia, and play their home games at Kendrick Family Ballpark, which is across the Monongahela River from Morga ...

and Triple–A

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

, he compiled a 3–0 record and 2.89 ERA with 13 strikeouts across innings pitched. Maurer elected free agency following the season on November 4.

Personal life

Maurer is tall. He is from Costa Mesa, California, and has been described as a " laid back California surfer type".

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maurer, Brandon 1990 births Living people Sportspeople from Costa Mesa, California Baseball players from Orange County, California Major League Baseball pitchers Seattle Mariners players San Diego Padres players Kansas City Royals players Arizona League Mariners players Pulaski Mariners players Adelaide Bite players Clinton LumberKings players High Desert Mavericks players Jackson Generals (Southern League) players Tacoma Rainiers players Peoria Javelinas players Omaha Storm Chasers players West Virginia Black Bears players Indianapolis Indians players American expatriate baseball players in Australia