Brandon Martin Williamson (born April 2, 1998) 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

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 ...

for the Cincinnati Reds of

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).

Amateur career

Williamson attended Martin County West High School in

Sherburn, Minnesota Sherburn is a city in Martin County, Minnesota, Martin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,137 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the 2018 population as 1,093. Interstate 90 in Min ...

, and 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 p ...

North Iowa Area Community College North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) is a public community college in Mason City, Iowa. History NIACC began as Mason City Junior College in 1918, becoming the first public two-year college in Iowa. The college was located in the high school ...

and

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciple ...

(TCU). He was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 36th round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft out of North Iowa but did not sign and transferred to TCU.

Professional career

Seattle Mariners

The

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

selected Williamson in the second round of the

2019 Major League Baseball draft The 2019 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 3 to 5, 2019. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was set based on the reverse order of the 2018 MLB season standings. In additi ...

and he signed. Williamson made his professional debut with the

Everett AquaSox The Everett AquaSox are a Minor League Baseball team in Everett, Washington. The team is a member of the Northwest League and is affiliated with the Seattle Mariners. The AquaSox play their home games at Funko Field, which has a seating capacity ...

, posting a 2.35 ERA over innings. Due to the cancellation of the 2020 Minor League Baseball season caused by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, he did not pitch for a team, but was a member of the Mariners' 60-man player pool. Williamson returned to Everett to start 2021 and was promoted to the

Arkansas Travelers The Arkansas Travelers, also known informally as The Travs, are a Minor League Baseball team based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Travelers are affiliated with the Seattle Mariners as members of the Texas League. History The team succeeded ...

during the season. Over 19 starts between the two teams, he went 4–6 with a 3.39 ERA and 153 strikeouts over innings.

Cincinnati Reds

On March 14, 2022, the Mariners traded Williamson,

Justin Dunn Justin Warren Dunn (born September 22, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Seattle Mariners. Dunn played college baseball at Boston ...

Jake Fraley Jake Arnold Fraley (born May 25, 1995) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Seattle Mariners. Amateur career Fraley attended Caravel Academy in Bear ...

, and a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

( Connor Phillips) to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for

Jesse Winker Jesse Winker (born August 17, 1993) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners. He was an All-Star in 202 ...

and

Eugenio Suárez Eugenio Alejandro Suárez (born July 18, 1991) is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds. Suárez was an All-Star in 2 ...

. Williamson began the 2022 season with the Double-A

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

before receiving a promotion to the Triple-A Louisville Bats later in the season. In 27 starts between the two, he worked to a 6–7 record and 4.11 ERA with 123 strikeouts in 122.2 innings pitched. On November 15, 2022, the Reds added Williamson to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. After making a push for a spot in the Reds’ rotation during spring training, Williamson was optioned to Triple-A Louisville to begin the 2023 season. In 8 starts, he struggled to a 2–4 record and 6.62 ERA with 27 strikeouts. On May 15, 2023, the Reds announced that Williamson would make his debut the next day as the starting pitcher against the Colorado Rockies. In 23 starts during his rookie campaign, he logged a 5–5 record and 4.46 ERA with 98 strikeouts across 117 innings pitched. Williamson began the 2024 season on the injured list with a left shoulder strain. On May 8, 2024, he was transferred to the 60–day injured list.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williamson, Brandon 1998 births Living people Arkansas Travelers players Baseball players from Minnesota Chattanooga Lookouts players Cincinnati Reds players Dayton Dragons players Everett AquaSox players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball pitchers People from Fairmont, Minnesota TCU Horned Frogs baseball players