Braxton Ashcraft

Braxton Ashcraft
Ashcraft with Indianapolis in 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates – No. 67
Pitcher
Born: (1999-10-05) October 5, 1999
Waco, Texas, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
MLB debut
May 26, 2025, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
MLB statistics
(through July 4, 2025)
Win–loss record2–0
Earned run average2.29
Strikeouts16
Stats at Baseball Reference 
Teams

Braxton Ashcraft (born October 5, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Career

Ashcraft attended Robinson High School in Robinson, Texas. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.[1] He signed and made his professional debut that summer with the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Pirates.

Ashcraft pitched in 2019 for the West Virginia Black Bears. He had surgery on his left shoulder, which had been causing his non-throwing arm to become numb when he pitched. He did not play in 2020 due to the Minor League Baseball season being cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also had surgery to fix a torn meniscus.[2][3] He returned in 2021 to play for the Greensboro Grasshoppers before undergoing Tommy John surgery in August, which caused him to miss the 2022 season.[4] Ashcraft returned from the injury in 2023 to play for the Bradenton Marauders, Greensboro, and the Altoona Curve.[5]

On November 14, 2023, the Pirates added Ashcraft to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[2] He was optioned to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians to begin the 2024 season.[6] In 16 games (14 starts) split between Altoona and Indianapolis, Ashcraft compiled a 3–2 record and 2.84 earned run average (ERA) with 77 strikeouts across 73 innings of work.

The Pirates optioned Ashcraft to Triple-A Indianapolis to begin the 2025 season.[7] In 10 games for Indianapolis, he compiled a 3–3 record and 5.03 ERA with 56 strikeouts across 48+1⁄3 innings pitched. On May 26, 2025, Ashcraft was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. That day, Ashcraft debuted in the major leagues, pitching the final three innings in a loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ashcraft struck out the first batter he faced, Tim Tawa, for his first major league strikeout.[8][9][10]

Personal life

Ashcraft's parents are Karen and Tony and he has three siblings. His father coached him in youth baseball from ages 9 to 13. He is engaged, as of 2025, to Cassidy Green, who also grew up in Robinson.[11]

Ashcraft also ran track and played football and basketball in high school.[11] He caught seven touchdown passes in a high school football game in 2017, one shy of a state record.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Robinson's Ashcraft, MCC's Breaux selected in MLB draft". Waco Tribune-Herald. June 4, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Crouse, Jake (November 19, 2023). "Ashcraft's rocky road to Bucs' 40-man roster". MLB.com. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  3. ^ Biertempfel, Rob (October 22, 2020). "Pirates prospect Braxton Ashcraft grows his way into the team's future plans". The Athletic. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  4. ^ Gorman, Kevin (August 4, 2021). "Pirates pitching prospect Braxton Ashcraft, RHP Chase De Jong undergo surgeries". TribLIVE.com.
  5. ^ Destin, Andrew (August 8, 2023). "Pirates Pipeline: RHP Braxton Ashcraft finding form post-Tommy John and flashing fantastic fastball". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  6. ^ "Pirates' Braxton Ashcraft: Sent to minor-league camp". CBS Sports. March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  7. ^ Gorman, Kevin (March 11, 2025). "Pirates make 2nd round of spring training cuts". TribLIVE.com. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  8. ^ "Pirates right-hander Braxton Ashcraft pitches 3 scoreless innings in his major league debut". AP News. May 26, 2025. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  9. ^ "Pirates Promote Braxton Ashcraft". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  10. ^ "Braxton Ashcraft 2025 Pitching Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  11. ^ a b Hays, Julie (June 4, 2025). "'Surreal': Robinson High grad Braxton Ashcraft reflects on MLB debut". KWTX. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
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