Brooks Lee Raley (born June 29, 1988) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("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 attempts to e ...

for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major leagu ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

(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 part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

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

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

and

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

, and in the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are ...

for the

Lotte Giants The Lotte Giants ( ko, 롯데 자이언츠) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Busan. They are a member of the KBO League. The Lotte Giants are owned by Lotte Corporation, which also owns the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Pr ...

. Raley played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

for the

Texas A&M Aggies Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname " Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also referred to as "A&M" or "Texas Agg ...

. The Cubs selected Raley in the sixth round of the 2009 MLB draft and he made his MLB debut with them in 2012.

Career

Chicago Cubs

Raley attended

Uvalde High School Uvalde High School is a public high school for grades 9–12 in Uvalde, Texas, in the United States. It has a current enrollment of about 1,250 students. The school is part of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District. History The first ...

Uvalde, Texas Uvalde is a city and the county seat of Uvalde County, Texas, United States. The population was 15,217 at the 2020 census. Uvalde is located in the Texas Hill Country, west of downtown San Antonio and east of the Mexico–United States bord ...

, and

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

, where he played

for the

. The

selected Raley in the sixth round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft. 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 affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The Cubs play their ho ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL ...

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 level, which is one grade below Major League Bas ...

2014 season

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) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area ...

. He was then

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 play ...

by the Twins and claimed off waivers by the

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

on May 8.

Lotte Giants

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

, a team in the

based in

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea ...

. 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 roster. Raley pitched in four innings in four games for Cincinnati, marking his first MLB action since 2013 before being designated for assignment 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 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

, 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 4 other Rays teammates, opted out of wearing a Rays team logo and cap in support of LGBTQ+ Pride, during the team's annual Pride Night celebration at

Tropicana Field Tropicana Field (commonly known as the Trop) is a multi-purpose domed stadium located in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. The stadium has been the home of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB) since the team's inaugural seas ...

New York Mets

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

for Keyshawn Askew.

Personal life

Raley's parents are Terry and DeeAnna Raley. His father joined the Toronto Blue Jays organization after being selected in the

1981 Major League Baseball draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1981 Major League Baseball draft. Compensation Picks Other notable players * Darrin Jackson, 2nd round, 28th overall by the Chicago Cubs * Mike Gallego, 2nd round, 3 ...

, 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 wa ...

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 K ...

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 New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...

in 2006. After his playing career ended in 2007, Russell became a coach. 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) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, 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 Baseball players from San Antonio Major League Baseball pitchers KBO League pitchers Chicago Cubs players Lotte Giants players Cincinnati Reds players Houston Astros players Tampa Bay Rays players Texas A&M Aggies baseball players Arizona League Cubs players Boise Hawks players Daytona Cubs players Tennessee Smokies players Iowa Cubs players Rochester Red Wings players Salt Lake Bees players People from Uvalde, Texas