Brady Aiken

Brady James Aiken (born August 16, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Cleveland Indians organization.

Brady Aiken
Cleveland Indians
Pitcher
Born: (1996-08-16) August 16, 1996
San Diego, California
Bats: Left Throws: Left

Aiken was drafted by Major League Baseball's Houston Astros with the first overall pick of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign with the team. He enrolled at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida as a postgraduate student. The Indians then selected him 17th overall in the 2015 MLB draft.

Amateur career

Aiken attended Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego, California. Aiken pitched for the 18U United States national baseball team in 2013 and helped lead the team to gold in the 2013 18U Baseball World Cup.[1] He started the gold medal game and pitched seven innings with 10 strikeouts and giving up only one run.[2] In February 2014, he was awarded the USA Baseball International Performance of the Year Award for his play.[3]

Aiken was considered one of the top prospects heading into the 2014 Major League Baseball draft.[4][5][6] In March 2014, he was ranked by Keith Law as the top prospect for the draft.[7] The Houston Astros selected Aiken with the first overall selection.[8] After issues arose with his health, elbow inflammation in his throwing arm, and disputes over an adjusted signing bonus, Aiken was unsigned when the July 18 deadline elapsed.[9] Soon after the draft, it appeared the two sides had agreed to a $6.5 million bonus. But after Aiken's physical, the Astros reduced their offer to $5 million. He was the first number one overall draft pick not to sign since Tim Belcher in 1983. On August 27, it was reported that the Astros could still sign Aiken, as the other 29 MLB teams agreed to allow the use of a clause in the draft which negates the deadline. It was also reported that, if he were to sign, Aiken would insist on a sign-and-trade deal.[10]

In February 2015, Aiken enrolled at IMG Academy's postgraduate baseball program, making him eligible for the 2015 Major League Baseball draft and also joining him with Jacob Nix, who was also drafted by and opted not to sign with the Astros in 2014.[11] Aiken was removed in the first inning of his first start for IMG, citing elbow discomfort. On March 26, Aiken announced that he underwent Tommy John surgery after being told he had torn the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow.[12]

Professional career

The Cleveland Indians selected Aiken with the 17th overall selection of the 2015 draft.[13] Aiken signed with the Indians agreeing to a signing bonus of $2,513,280.[14] Aiken made his professional debut with the Arizona League Indians in June 2016,[15] and he was later promoted to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. Aiken ended 2016 with a combined 2–5 record and a 5.83 ERA between both clubs.[16] He spent the 2017 season with the Lake County Captains of the Class A Midwest League,[17] where he posted a 5–13 record with a 4.77 ERA in 27 games.[18] He did not pitch in 2018 and pitched in two games during the 2019 season. Aiken took some time away from the game of baseball afterwards, and the Indians were unsure of his status going forward for the 2020 season.[19]

See also

References
  1. "Dons lefty goes on a world tour". Hs.utpreps.com. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  2. "Brady Aiken Leads U.S. To 18U World Championship". Baseballamerica.com. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  3. 11 a.m. (February 13, 2014). "Dons' Aiken to receive award". Utsandiego.com. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  4. "Aiken impresses pro scouts". Utsandiego.com. March 19, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  5. "Lefty Aiken makes impression". Utsandiego.com. March 24, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  6. Law, Keith. "Brady Aiken enters the No. 1 conversation". Insider.espn.go.com. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  7. "Future 50: Aiken No. 1". Insider.espn.go.com. March 21, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  8. "Astros go with prep lefty Aiken at No. 1 in Draft". Houston Astros. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  9. Adams, Steve (July 18, 2014). "Astros Fail To Sign Aiken, Nix, Marshall". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  10. Perry, Dayn (August 27, 2014). "Reports: The Astros may still be able to sign top pick Brady Aiken". cbssports.com. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  11. John Manuel (February 26, 2015). "Brady Aiken Joins Jacob Nix At IMG Academy". Baseball America. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  12. "Brady Aiken undergoes Tommy John". espn.go.com. March 26, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  13. SI Wire. "MLB draft: Cleveland Indians select Brady Aiken 17th overall". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  14. "Former Astros No. 1 draft pick Brady Aiken signs with Indians". Ultimate Astros. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  15. Maffei, John (August 30, 2016). "Cathedral lefties making mark in minors". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  16. Glasier, David (April 1, 2017). "Cleveland Indians' 2015 top pick Brady Aiken to start 2017 season with Lake County Captains". The News Herald. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  17. "Cleveland Indians prospect Brady Aiken to start home opener". The News Herald. April 5, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  18. Pluto, Terry (March 22, 2018). "Talking Cleveland Indians prospects, phenoms and surprises". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  19. Hoynes, Paul (December 9, 2019). "Cleveland Indians No. 1 pick Brady Aiken may have reached the end of the road". Cleveland.com. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
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