Brandon Lee Dickson (born November 3, 1984) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

who is a free agent. He previously played in

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), ...

for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

, and in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB) for the

Orix Buffaloes The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team formed as a result of the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment by the merger of the Orix BlueWave of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Osaka, Osaka Prefectur ...

Career

St. Louis Cardinals

Dickson was signed as an undrafted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the

in 2006, after attending

Tusculum College Tusculum University is a private Presbyterian university with its main campus in Tusculum, Tennessee. It is Tennessee's first university and the 28th-oldest operating college in the United States. In addition to its main campus, the institution ...

. In 2006, playing for the New Market Rebels in the

Valley Baseball League The Valley Baseball League is an NCAA and MLB-sanctioned collegiate summer baseball league in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. The league was started in 1923 and sanctioned by the NCAA in 1961. It has been a wooden bat league since 199 ...

, Dickson had a league-leading and franchise record 13 saves, and led the league in wins, going 5-0 in 26 relief appearances. He made his professional debut with the

Johnson City Cardinals The Johnson City Cardinals were a Minor League Baseball team based in Johnson City, Tennessee. The team was affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals organization from 1975 through 2020 and played in the Rookie-level Appalachian League. The team won ...

. In 2007, with Single-A Quad Cities, Dickson‘s statline included an 11–7

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

, with one save, and a 3.50

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA), in 31 games pitched (23 as a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

), covering 144

innings An innings is one of the divisions of a cricket match during which one team takes its turn to bat. Innings also means the period in which an individual player bats (acts as either striker or nonstriker). Innings, in cricket, and rounders, is bot ...

. He split the 2008 season between the High-A

Palm Beach Cardinals The Palm Beach Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roge ...

and the Double-A

Springfield Cardinals The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They compete as a member of the Texas League's North Division. The Cardinals began play in 2005. The team is owned by the 11-time Major League Baseball ...

, posting a 10-10 record and 4.17 ERA in 29 appearances. In 2009, with Springfield, Dickson was 8–10, with a 3.78 ERA, 28 games (20 starts), in innings. In 2010, Dickson pitched for the Triple-A

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbir ...

, and went 11–8 with a 3.23 ERA, in 28 games (27 starts), covering 167 innings. In 2011, Dickson was invited to his first major league spring training, but did not make the big league club; he was assigned to Triple-A Memphis to begin the season. Dickson’s contract was purchased by the Cardinals from Memphis on June 30, 2011, to fill the roster spot created by

Ryan Franklin Ryan Ray Franklin (born March 5, 1973), is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and St. Louis Cardinals. Franklin currently w ...

's release the previous day, and he was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. Dickson made his major league debut on July 2, against the

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) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

, pitching a perfect innings in relief. In his rookie season, Dickson posted a 0–0 record, with a 3.24 ERA, in four games (one game started). He spent the majority of the 2012 season in Memphis, but appeared in 4 major league game for the Cardinals, logging a 7.11 ERA with 6 strikeouts in 6.1 innings of work. Dickson was released by the Cardinals organization on November 19, 2012.

Orix Buffaloes

On December 27, 2012, Dickson signed with the

(NPB). For the 2013 season, Dickson pitched to an 8-8 record and 2.77 ERA in 23 appearances. The next year, Dickson logged a 9-10 record and 3.33 ERA in 26 games for Orix. In 2015, Dickson pitched in 20 games for the Buffaloes, posting a 9-9 record and 2.48 ERA with 88 strikeouts in 130.2 innings pitched. On September 27, 2015, Dickson signed a one-year extension to remain with the Buffaloes. For the 2016 season, Dickson recorded a 9-11 record and 4.36 ERA with 139 strikeouts in 171.1 innings of work. In 2017, he pitched to a 8-9 record and 3.24 ERA in 25 games. On September 5, 2017, Dickson signed a one-year extension to remain with the Buffaloes. For the 2018 season, Dickson registered a 4-6 record and 3.55 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 99.0 innings pitched. In 2019, Dickson pitched to a 2-1 record with a 3.03 ERA and 18 saves in 37 appearances out of the bullpen. With the conclusion of the 2019 season — Dickson’s seventh year with the NPB Buffaloes — he had an overall record of 49-55, with 18 saves, and a 3.26 ERA. In innings pitched, Dickson recorded 661 strikeouts. On December 20, 2019, Dickson signed a one-year extension to remain with the Buffaloes. In 2020 with Orix, Dickson logged a 0-4 record and 3.28 ERA with 16 saves in 39 appearances. For the 2021 season, Dickson was unlikely to make it to Japan, as the Japanese government was not issuing new visas and his family could not accompany him. On May 20, 2021, the Buffaloes released Dickson.

St. Louis Cardinals (second stint)

On June 14, 2021, Dickson signed a minor league contract with the

organization and was assigned to the Triple-A

. Dickson made 11 appearances for Memphis, going 1-0 with a 9.58 ERA and five strikeouts. On September 1, 2021, Dickson's contract was selected by the Cardinals. On September 6, Dickson was designated for assignment after posting a 13.50 ERA across 2 appearances. Dickson was outrighted to Triple-A Memphis two days later. On September 18, the Cardinals released Dickson.

International career

On October 10, 2019, Dickson was selected to play with the

United States national baseball team The United States national baseball team represents the United States in international-level baseball competitions. The team is currently ranked 5th in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Team USA won the Olympic baseball to ...

at the 2019 WBSC Premier12. He tied for the tournament lead in the tournament with

Japan national baseball team The is the national team representing Japan in international baseball competitions. It won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009, as well as WBSC Premier12 in 2019. The team is currently ranked 1st in the world by the World Baseball Sof ...

’s

Yasuaki Yamasaki is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Career Yamasaki was drafted with the first pick by the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in 2014 Nippon Professional Baseball draft. He has ...

, with three saves, and was named the best reliever in the tournament. In May 2021, Dickson was named to the roster of the national team for qualifying for

baseball at the 2020 Summer Olympics Baseball was featured at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo, for the first time since the 2008 Summer Olympics. Six national teams competed in the tournament: Israel, Japan (host), Mexico, South Korea, the United States, and the Dominican Republ ...

. After the team qualified, he was named to the Olympics roster on July 2. The team went on to win silver, falling to Japan in the gold-medal game.

Awards and honors

* 2007

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

(A) Mid-Season All-Star * 2010

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 ...

(AAA) Mid-Season All-Star

References

External links

MiLB.com player profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickson, Brandon 1984 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Japan Baseball players from Montgomery, Alabama Johnson City Cardinals players Major League Baseball pitchers Memphis Redbirds players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Orix Buffaloes players Palm Beach Cardinals players Swing of the Quad Cities players Springfield Cardinals players St. Louis Cardinals players Tusculum Pioneers baseball players United States national baseball team players 2019 WBSC Premier12 players Baseball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic baseball players of the United States Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for the United States in baseball