Phoenix Clark Sanders (born June 5, 1995) 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 college baseball for

Daytona State College Daytona State College (DSC) is a public college in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. It is part of the Florida College System. History Established by the Florida Legislature in 1957 as Daytona Beach Junior College, the college initially o ...

and the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States, and other campuses in St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg and Sarasota, ...

. 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

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 ...

Early life and amateur career

Sanders was born in

Augsburg Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. His parents are Kevin and Lorea, his two brothers are Dallas and Hudson, and his sister is Brooklyn. He grew up in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

. He attended

Buchholz High School F. W. Buchholz High School (commonly referred to as Buchholz (pronounced ) or BHS) is a high school in Gainesville, Florida, United States. Buchholz is one of seven high schools in Alachua County. Opened in January 1971, it is the largest public ...

when his family moved to

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gainesv ...

in 2009. He was a member of the varsity baseball team in his final two years and won seven games with a 0.55 ERA as a senior. Sanders began his

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, ...

career at

after not receiving any

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

scholarship offers out of high school. As a freshman, he made 12 starts in which he was 4-6 with a 3.17 ERA. 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 ...

for the

Willmar Stingers The Willmar Stingers are a baseball team that plays in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The Stingers played their inaugural season in 2010. The team plays its home games at Baker Field at Bill Taunton Stadium. On June ...

of the

Northwoods League The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league. All players in the league must have National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. The league is amateur, and players are not ...

after his freshman season and had a 1–0 record over three starts with a 1.89 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 13 innings. He was named to the Northwood’s League 200 Top Prospect list by College Baseball Daily. As a sophomore, Sanders made 16 appearances with 14 starts and three complete games, and went 6–6 with a 2.50 ERA and 71 strikeouts. After the season, he transferred to the

for his remaining collegiate eligibility. As a junior in 2016, he was 5-5 with a 4.15 ERA and 95 strikeouts (5th in the conference) in 95.1 innings. As a senior, Sanders was 6–2 with a 2.78 ERA and 109 strikeouts (2nd in the conference) in 97 innings over 16 starts, with 4.36 strikeouts per walk (2nd). He was named 2017 All-American Athletic Conference Second Team.

Professional career

Tampa Bay Rays

Sanders was selected in the 10th round of the

2017 Major League Baseball draft The 2017 Major League Baseball draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on June 12, while the remai ...

by the

. After signing with the team for a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $7,500, he was assigned to 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 ...

Princeton Rays The Princeton Rays were a Minor League Baseball team in Princeton, West Virginia, operating as an Advanced Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League. The team was affiliated with several Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises, primarily the Ta ...

, with whom he was 2-3 with a 4.42 ERA in 38.2 innings in which he struck out 40 batters. Sanders began the 2018 season with 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 ...

Bowling Green Hot Rods The Bowling Green Hot Rods are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and play their home games at Bowling Green Ballpark, which ...

, where he was 5-3 with three saves and had a 3.02 ERA and struck out 71 batters in innings (12.6 strikeouts per 9 innings) over 28 relief appearances, before being promoted to the

Charlotte Stone Crabs The Charlotte Stone Crabs were a Minor League Baseball team located in Port Charlotte, Florida, from 2009 to 2020. They competed in the Florida State League (FSL) as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball (MLB) ...

of the

High-A High-A, officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing, is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A and D ...

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

with whom he was 1-1 with a 3.29 ERA in 13.2 innings. He was assigned to the Double-A

Montgomery Biscuits The Montgomery Biscuits are a Minor League Baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and play in the Southern League. The team was founded in Orlando, Florida, in 1973 as the Orlando Twins ...

at the start of the 2019 season, for whom he was a Southern League Mid-Season All Star, after pitching in 37 games and posting a 3–3 record with 15 saves (2nd in the league) and a 1.81 ERA, with 57 strikeouts in 49.2 innings (10.3 strikeouts per 9 innings). He was then promoted to the Triple-A

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

, with whom he was 1-0 with a 2.38 ERA in 11.1 innings. He was invited to Rays' spring training as a non-roster invitee in 2020 but was eventually reassigned to the minor leagues. Sanders did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He returned to Durham for the 2021 season. He had a 5–2 record with two saves and a 3.38 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 64 innings pitched (11.3 strikeouts per 9 innings) over 50 relief appearances (2nd in the league), 1.5 walks per 9 innings pitched (5th), an 0.906 WHIP (6th), and 7.27 strikeouts/walk (4th). Sanders was promoted to the Rays major league roster on April 14, 2022. He made his MLB debut the same day, giving up one earned run and striking out two batters in three innings pitched in a 3–6 loss 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 ...

. He 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 ...

on August 22. For the season, he was 0-0 with a 3.07 ERA in 14.2 innings.

Baltimore Orioles

On August 24, 2022, Sanders was claimed off waivers by 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 ...

. On September 3, Sanders was designated for assignment and was sent outright to the Triple-A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

. Sanders began the 2023 season with Triple-A Norfolk, making 9 relief appearances and registering a 2.00 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 9 innings pitched. On May 19, 2023, Sanders was released by the Orioles organization.

San Francisco Giants

On May 24, 2023, Sanders signed a minor league contract with the

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

organization. In 13 games for the Triple–A

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland ...

, he struggled to an 8.16 ERA with 12 strikeouts in innings pitched. On July 14, Sanders was released by the Giants.

Gastonia Baseball Club

On April 18, 2024, Sanders signed with the Gastonia Baseball Club of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

. In 24 games for Gastonia, he compiled a 1.73 ERA with 33 strikeouts and 12 saves across 26 innings pitched. On July 16, Sanders was released by Gastonia.

References

External links

South Florida Bulls bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanders, Phoenix 1995 births Living people Baseball players from Gainesville, Florida Bowling Green Hot Rods players Buchholz High School alumni Charlotte Stone Crabs players Daytona State Falcons baseball players Durham Bulls players Gastonia Ghost Peppers players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Germany Montgomery Biscuits players Norfolk Tides players Peoria Javelinas players Princeton Rays players Sacramento River Cats players South Florida Bulls baseball players Sportspeople from Augsburg Tampa Bay Rays players Willmar Stingers players