CPBL Foreign Players Updates Volume #343
Fubon Guardians News: Ben Braymer
On August 12, CPBL columnist Wang Yi-Hsuan revealed on his social media that an unnamed CPBL team was close to finalising a deal with Ben Braymer.
At that time, a quick check of public records indicated that both the Fubon Guardians and TSG Hawks had filed new hiring applications with Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor on August 8. Since the TSG Hawks had already mentioned in the news that they were still waiting for Yoshida Kazumasa’s work permit, by process of elimination, the unknown team had to be the Fubon Guardians.
據了解，今年效力大西洋獨立聯盟、墨西哥聯盟的投手 #BenBraymer ，已與中華職棒某球團接近達成協議。#CPBL
— Yihsuan Wang 王翊亘 (@YihsuanWang_) August 12, 2024
Fast forward to August 16, and the Fubon Guardians announced the signing of Ben Braymer from the Mexican League. According to the team, the 30-year-old American left-hander has already arrived in Taiwan and is set to start pitching in the CPBL minor league.
“Ben Braymer has been on our radar for quite some time now. Originally, we were planning to sign him right after the Mexican League regular season, but since Braymer’s LMB team, Toros de Tijuana, made it to the playoffs, it ultimately delayed the signing,” said the Guardians’ manager to UDN.
MLB System (2016-2023)
Ben Braymer began his professional career in 2016 with the Washington Nationals’ system and made his MLB debut in 2020, posting a 1.23 ERA and 1.63 WHIP over 7.1 innings. However, after his short stint in the big leagues, he spent the next few seasons in Triple-A and was eventually released by the Nationals in 2022.
After leaving affiliated baseball, Braymer signed with the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League in 2023. Due to his stellar performance, his contract was purchased by the Colorado Rockies organisation in May, and he was assigned to Triple-A for the remainder of the 2023 season. He made 15 starts that year and compiled a dissapointing 9.75 ERA and 2.06 WHIP over 60 innings. As expected, the Rockies released him at the end of the season.
Solid 2024 Season in Atlantic League and LMB
In 2024, Ben Braymer returned to the Atlantic League and eventually earned himself a contract in the Mexican League with the Toros de Tijuana. He started three games for the Toros, posting a strong 1.06 ERA and 0.94 WHIP across 17 innings. Leading up to his signing with the Guardians, Braymer also appeared in the first round of the LMB playoffs, where he gave up one run on three hits over five innings.
With the signing of Ben Braymer, as of today, the Fubon Guardians currently have Enderson Franco, Nivaldo Rodríguez, Jack Labosky, and Aaron Leasher as their foreign players for the 2024 CPBL season.
Further Readings
Foreign players come and go. Therefore, we have compiled a tracker to monitor all foreign player signings for the 2024 CPBL season.