Ryan Zachary Braun (born July 29, 1980) is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

. Listed at and as a player, he threw and batted right-handed.

Career

Although born in Canada, Braun grew up in California, and played college baseball at Wake Forest University (1999–2002) and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (2003). In 2000, Braun 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 Chatham A's 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 ...

, and returned to the league in 2002 to play for the Cotuit Kettleers. Braun began his professional career in 2003 for the

organization, playing for the

AZL Royals The Arizona Complex League Royals are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona. The team is compos ...

. In 2004, Braun played for the Class A-Advanced Wilmington Blue Rocks. In 2005, Braun split time between the Class A-Advanced High Desert Mavericks and the Double-A Wichita Wranglers. Braun spent most of the 2006 season in Wichita and for the Triple-A Omaha Royals. Braun made his MLB debut on September 2, 2006. His first major-league strikeout was

David Ortiz David Américo Ortiz Arias (born November 18, 1975), nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican-American former designated hitter (DH) and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played in the American League (AL) from 1997 to 2016, primarily wit ...

. He made nine appearances during the 2006 season, and had a 6.75 earned run average (ERA). In 2007, he had a 6.64 ERA. In March 2008, the Royals optioned him to Triple-A Omaha. He then underwent reconstructive elbow surgery, and missed the 2008 season. Braun signed a

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

contract with an invitation to

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 ...

with the Chicago White Sox on June 23, 2009. In 2009, he played for the Rookie-level

Bristol White Sox The Bristol Pirates were a Minor League Baseball team in Bristol, Virginia, United States. They were a Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League. The team played home games at DeVault Memorial Stadium. Opened in 1969, Devault Memorial Stadium ...

and Class A Kannapolis Intimidators. Braun was invited to spring training in 2010 but did not make the club; he played for the Triple-A Charlotte Knights the entire season before becoming a free agent on November 6, 2010. On December 13, 2010, Braun signed a minor-league deal with the Los Angeles Angels. He was invited to spring training for 2011 but did not make the team and was released before the start of the season. After his release from the Angels, Braun signed with the Lancaster Barnstormers 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 ...

. He pitched to a 6.00 ERA over three games for the team and became a free agent after the season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Braun, Ryan 1980 births Living people Sportspeople from Kitchener, Ontario Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian people of German descent Baseball people from Ontario Baseball players from California Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Canada Kansas City Royals players UNLV Rebels baseball players Wake Forest Demon Deacons baseball players Chatham Anglers players Cotuit Kettleers players Arizona League Royals players Wilmington Blue Rocks players Wichita Wranglers players High Desert Mavericks players Omaha Royals players Bristol White Sox players Kannapolis Intimidators players Charlotte Knights players Lancaster Barnstormers players