Brooks Lee Raley (born June 29, 1988) 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, ...

for 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 ...

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

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

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

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 ...

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

, and in the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

for the

Lotte Giants The Lotte Giants () are a South Korean professional baseball, professional baseball team based in Busan. They are a member of the KBO League. The Lotte Giants are owned by Lotte Corporation. From 1982 through 1985, they played at Gudeok Baseball ...

. Raley 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, ...

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 ...

. The Cubs selected Raley in the sixth round of the

2009 MLB draft The 2009 Major League Baseball draft was held June 9 to June 11 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. The drafting order is as follows: First-round selections Key Supplemental first-round selections From Baseball Americ ...

, and he made his MLB debut with them in 2012.

Career

Amateur career

Raley attended Uvalde High School in

Uvalde, Texas Uvalde ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Uvalde County, Texas, United States. The population was 15,217 at the 2020 census, down from 15,751 in 2010. It is the principal city in the Uvalde, Texas Micropolitan Statistical Area. Uvalde is ...

, and

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 ...

, where he played

for the

Chicago Cubs

The

selected Raley in the sixth round of the

2009 Major League Baseball draft The 2009 Major League Baseball draft was held June 9 to June 11 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. The drafting order is as follows: First-round selections Key Supplemental first-round selections From Baseball Americ ...

. The Cubs promoted Raley to the major leagues for the first time on August 7, 2012. He had three stints with the Cubs in 2013, while spending the majority of the season with the

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. T ...

of the Triple–A

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

Minnesota Twins

On February 12, 2014, Raley was claimed off waivers by the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

. In 8 games for the Triple–A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

, Raley compiled a 3.68 ERA with 19 strikeouts across innings pitched.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Raley was claimed off waivers by the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

on May 8, 2014. On June 6, he was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to the Triple–A

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team that plays in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. Based in South Jordan, Utah, the team plays its home games at The Ballpark at Am ...

. In 6 games (5 starts) for the Bees, Raley struggled to an 0–3 record and 10.57 ERA with 15 strikeouts across 23 innings pitched. He was released by the Angels organization on December 15.

Lotte Giants

On December 14, 2014, Raley signed a contract with the

, a team in the

based in

Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

. Raley remained with the Giants in 2016, and signed a one-year, $850,000 contract for the 2017 season on January 8, 2017. In five seasons with Lotte from 2015 through 2019, Raley produced a 48–53 record with a 4.13 ERA and 755 strikeouts over innings.

Cincinnati Reds

On January 9, 2020, Raley signed a minor league deal with the

that included an invitation to spring training. He made the Reds'

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. Raley pitched in four innings in four games for Cincinnati, marking his first MLB action since 2013 before being

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 ...

on August 6.

Houston Astros

On August 9, 2020, Raley was traded to the

in exchange for a player to be named later, minor league pitcher Fredy Medina. In 2020 with Houston, Raley was 0–1 with one save and a 3.94 ERA in 16 innings in which he struck out 21 batters, over 17 relief appearances. On November 1, the Astros picked up Raley's $2 million option for the 2021 season. In 2021, Raley was 2–3 with two saves and a 4.78 ERA. In 58 games he pitched 49.0 innings and struck out 65 batters. On November 3, 2021, Raley was declared a free agent.

Tampa Bay Rays

On November 30, 2021, Raley signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the

. On June 4, 2022, Raley, along with four other Rays teammates, opted out of wearing a Rays team logo and cap in support of

LGBTQ+ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group i ...

Pride, during the team's annual Pride Night celebration at

Tropicana Field Tropicana Field (nicknamed "The Trop") is a domed multipurpose stadium located in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. "The Trop" was the home of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season, 1998 to ...

. In 60 appearances for the Rays, he compiled a 2.68 ERA with 61 strikeouts and 6 saves across innings pitched.

New York Mets

On December 7, 2022, the Rays traded Raley to the

in exchange for Keyshawn Askew. In 2023, Raley made 66 appearances out of the bullpen for New York, compiling a 2.80 ERA with 61 strikeouts and 3 saves across innings pitched. Raley made eight scoreless appearances for the Mets in 2024 before going down with an elbow injury. On May 21, 2024, it was announced that Raley would undergo

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

. After the season, he became a free agent. On April 25, 2025, the Mets re-signed Raley to a one-year contract including a team option for 2026. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 30, as he continued to recover from surgery.

Personal life

Raley's parents are Terry and DeeAnna Raley. His father joined the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

organization after being selected in the

1981 Major League Baseball draft The 1981 Major League Baseball draft took place in June 1981. The draft saw the Seattle Mariners select Mike Moore (baseball), Mike Moore first overall. First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1981 Major League Ba ...

, and played for the

Medicine Hat Blue Jays The Medicine Hat Blue Jays were a Rookie League affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, playing in the Pioneer League and located in the city of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. They played a total of 25 seasons; 1978 through 2002. Their home field was ...

and the

Kinston Blue Jays The Kinston Indians were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League (CL) located in Kinston, North Carolina, from 1978 to 2011. They played their home games at Grainger Stadium, which opened in 1949. The team began play in 1978 as the Kin ...

before ending his professional baseball career in 1982. Two of Raley's brothers have also played minor league baseball. Elder brother Russell was drafted by 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 ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

. After his playing career ended in 2007, Russell became a coach. His younger brother Cory was chosen by the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, and played his final season of minor league baseball in 2016. Raley met Rachel Shipley at Texas A&M, where she played for the women's soccer team, and they later married. The couple have four children, three daughters and a son.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raley, Brooks 1988 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in South Korea Arizona League Cubs players Baseball players from San Antonio Binghamton Rumble Ponies players Boise Hawks players Chicago Cubs players Cincinnati Reds players Daytona Cubs players Houston Astros players Iowa Cubs players KBO League pitchers Lotte Giants players Major League Baseball pitchers New York Mets players People from Uvalde, Texas Rochester Red Wings players Salt Lake Bees players Tampa Bay Rays players Tennessee Smokies players Texas A&M Aggies baseball players