Brandon Tyler Cumpton (born November 16, 1988) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He was selected by 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 (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

in the 9th round of the

2010 Major League Baseball draft The 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held on June 7–9, 2010 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. First-round selections The draft order was determined based on the 2009 MLB standings, with the worst team pic ...

and made his MLB debut for them in 2013. He attended the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

(Georgia Tech), where he pitched for the Yellow Jackets. Cumpton also played for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Amateur career

Cumpton attended Greenbrier High School in Evans, Georgia, and the

(Georgia Tech), where he played college baseball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets baseball team. In 2008 and 2009, 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 ...

with the Cotuit Kettleers of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

The

selected Cumpton in the ninth round of the

2010 Major League Baseball Draft The 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held on June 7–9, 2010 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. First-round selections The draft order was determined based on the 2009 MLB standings, with the worst team pic ...

. Cumpton's first call up to the major leagues came on June 15, 2013. He replaced the injured

A. J. Burnett Allan James Burnett (born January 3, 1977), is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Philadelphia ...

. In his major league debut that day, Cumpton pitched five innings (facing three batters in the sixth), allowing three earned runs and seven hits in a no decision against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite a strong

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

, Cumpton started the 2014 season pitching for the

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

. On April 23, Cumpton was called up to replace the injured

Wandy Rodríguez Wandy Fulton Rodríguez (born January 18, 1979) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros from 2005 to 2012, the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2012 to 2014 and the Texas Ran ...

in the Pirates rotation. Cumpton made his first start of the 2014 season on April 24, giving up two earned runs on four hits in seven innings, earning the loss after receiving only one run of support in a 2–1 loss to the

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 ...

. Cumpton recorded his first career hit on May 26, 2014, during an away game against the New York Mets. On May 31, Cumpton faced the team he made his Major League debut against, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Cumpton, ultimately, had his worst start to date, allowing ten earned runs in 3 2/3

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

. His next two starts resulted in wins on June 6 and June 11 against the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

and

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 located ...

, respectively. Cumpton suffered a torn UCL during 2015 spring training, which necessitated

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), 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 bo ...

. He officially underwent the procedure on March 10, 2015 and was unable to participate for the entire 2015 season. The surgery was performed by

Dr. James Andrews James Andrews (born May 2, 1942) is an American orthopedic surgeon. He is a surgeon for knee, elbow, and shoulder injuries and is a specialist in repairing damaged ligaments. Practicing in Gulf Breeze, Florida, Andrews has become one of the best ...

. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

Texas Rangers

On January 5, 2018, Cumpton signed a minor league contract that included an invite to spring training with the Texas Rangers. He was released on March 20, 2018.

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs

On April 18, 2018, Cumpton signed with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the

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

Toronto Blue Jays

On July 4, 2018, Cumpton signed a minor league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays and was assigned to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. Cumpton was called up to the majors on July 31. He was designated for assignment on August 13, and then assigned back to Buffalo on August 16. Cumpton declared free agency on October 5, 2018.

Return to Southern Maryland

On April 18, 2019, Cumpton signed with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the

Pericos de Puebla

On July 24, 2019, Cumpton's contract was purchased by the Pericos de Puebla of the Mexican League. He was released on October 3, 2019.

Diablos Rojos del México

On January 16, 2020, Cumpton signed with the Diablos Rojos del México of the Mexican League.

Winnipeg Goldeyes

On July 23, 2020, Cumpton signed with the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball.

Second stint with Diablos Rojos del Mexico

On September 11, 2020, Cumpton was returned to the Diablos. He began the 2021 season with the team, but struggled to a 8.55 ERA in 5 appearances.

Guerreros de Oaxaca

On June 14, 2021, Cumpton was traded to the Guerreros de Oaxaca of the Mexican League in exchange for P Héctor Hernández. He was released on November 23, 2021. This was Cumpton’s final stint in professional baseball.https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandoncumpton

References

External links

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cumpton, Brandon 1988 births Living people Altoona Curve players American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state) Bradenton Marauders players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cotuit Kettleers players Diablos Rojos del México players Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets baseball players Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball pitchers Mexican League baseball pitchers People from Evans, Georgia Pericos de Puebla players Pittsburgh Pirates players Scottsdale Scorpions players Southern Maryland Blue Crabs players State College Spikes players Toronto Blue Jays players Toros del Este players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic West Virginia Power players Winnipeg Goldeyes players Yaquis de Obregón players