Augustus James Varland (born November 6, 1996) 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 ...

for the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

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). He has previously played in MLB for 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 ...

Career

Varland graduated from North High School in North St. Paul, Minnesota 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 pl ...

Concordia University, St. Paul Concordia University, St. Paul is a private university in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was founded in 1893 and enrolls nearly 5,600 students. It is a member of the Concordia University System, which is operated by the second-largest Lutheran churc ...

. In 31 games at college, he was 16–7 with a 3.04 ERA. He also played in summer leagues for the

Utica Blue Sox The Utica Blue Sox was the name of two minor league baseball teams based in Utica, New York. In the 2010s, the ''Utica Blue Sox'' is the name of a collegiate summer baseball team of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) based in N ...

of the

Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League The Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) is a 16-team collegiate summer baseball league founded in 2010. As of 2022, all teams are within New York (state). All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to pa ...

and

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

of the

Northwoods League The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. The league is amateur, and players are not paid, so as to maintain their college el ...

Oakland Athletics

The

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

selected Varland in the 14th round of the

2018 MLB draft The 2018 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 4, 2018. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was determined based on the reverse order of the 2017 MLB season final standings. In a ...

. He split his first professional season between the rookie-level

Arizona League Athletics The Arizona Complex League Athletics are a Minor League Baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, which plays as a Rookie-level team in the Arizona Complex League and has served as a farm team for the Oakland Athletics organization since 1988. Th ...

, Low-A

Vermont Lake Monsters The Vermont Lake Monsters are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Burlington, Vermont. From 1994 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL). They play their home games at Centennial Field, on ...

, and Single-A

Beloit Snappers The Beloit Sky Carp are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Beloit, Wisconsin, and play their home games at ABC Supply Stadium. They previously played at Harry C ...

. He made five appearances (four starts) with the High-A

Stockton Ports The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Stockton, California, and are named for the city's seaport. The team plays its home games at Ba ...

in 2019, posting a 2–1 record and 2.39 ERA with 27 strikeouts in innings pitched. Varland did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of 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 identif ...

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Athletics traded Varland and

Sheldon Neuse Sheldon Lynn Neuse ( ; born December 10, 1994) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oaklan ...

to the

in exchange for

Adam Kolarek Adam John Kolarek (born January 14, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He previously played for the Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics. He played college baseball for ...

and

Cody Thomas Cody Ryan Thomas (born October 8, 1994) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Oakland Athletics organization. He was a multi-sport athlete in college, playing both college baseball and college football at the University of Oklahom ...

on February 12, 2021. Varland spent the year with the Double-A

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

, pitching to a 1–4 record and 5.71 ERA with 22 strikeouts in innings of work. On May 6, 2022, Varland was the starting pitcher in a game against the

Wichita Wind Surge The Wichita Wind Surge are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Wichita, Kansas, and began play in 2021 at Riverfront Stadium. The Wind Surge were supposed to b ...

, for whom his brother

Louie Louie may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Louie'' (American TV series), by comedian Louis C.K. * ''Louie'' (French TV series), animated series about a young rabbit who draws pictures which come to life * "Louie" (song), by Blood Raw * ''L ...

was the starting pitcher. He spent the entire 2022 season with Tulsa, struggling to a 4–4 record and 6.11 ERA with 85 strikeouts in innings pitched.

Milwaukee Brewers

On December 7, 2022, the

selected Varland in the Rule 5 Draft and he made the Brewers'

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

roster out of spring training. Varland made his MLB debut on Opening Day (March 30), pitching in relief against the

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 ...

. He struck out the first batter he faced, Miles Mastrobuoni. Through seven appearances for Milwaukee, Varland held a 2.25 ERA with five strikeouts in nine innings pitched. In a May 15 appearances against 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 hav ...

, he allowed nine earned runs on six hits and three walks with one strikeout. He was designated for assignment by the Brewers the following day.

Los Angeles Dodgers (second stint)

On May 22, 2023, Varland cleared waivers and was returned to the Dodgers organization. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Bal ...

, where he made 30 appearances and logged a 2.16 ERA with 39 strikeouts in innings pitched. On August 15, the Dodgers selected Varland's contract, adding him to the major league roster. On August 23, Varland recorded his first career victory in the major leagues, beating the

Cleveland Guardians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central division. Since , they have ...

. He pitched in eight games for Los Angeles, allowing four earned runs in innings. On September 10, Varland was placed on the injured list with right knee inflammation. He was transferred to the 60–day injured list two days later, ending his season. Varland began the 2024 on the major league roster for the Dodgers season opening series in

Seoul, South Korea Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

and pitched to one batter before he was optioned back to Oklahoma City to start the minor league season.

Personal life

Varland's younger brother,

, is also a professional baseball player.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Varland, Gus 1996 births Living people Arizona League Athletics players Baseball players from Minnesota Beloit Snappers players Concordia Golden Bears baseball players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers players Nashville Sounds players Oklahoma City Baseball Club players Oklahoma City Dodgers players People from Maplewood, Minnesota Sportspeople from Ramsey County, Minnesota Stockton Ports players Tulsa Drillers players Utica Blue Sox players Vermont Lake Monsters players Willmar Stingers players Wisconsin Timber Rattlers players