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Benjamin Keith Casparius (born February 11, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB).
| Ben Casparius | |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers – No. 78 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: February 11, 1999 Westport, Connecticut, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 31, 2024, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| MLB statistics (through 2024 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 2–0 |
| Earned run average | 2.16 |
| Strikeouts | 12 |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Amateur career
Casparius attended Staples High School in Westport, Connecticut, where he set the state's all-time hits record and led them to a state title in 2017 while being awarded as the Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year.[1] He played college baseball at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for two years, where he was a two-way player. As a freshman he had a 1.69 ERA in 10 pitching appearances while collecting 18 hits and 15 RBI and helping them to a berth in the College World Series.[2] The following season, he struggled a bit at the plate so the Tar Heels asked him to concentrate on pitching where he had a 4.41 ERA in 12 outings.[3] After the season, he played collegiate summer baseball in both the Cape Cod League with the Falmouth Commodores,[4] and in the New England Collegiate Baseball League.[5]
He transferred to the University of Connecticut Huskies in 2020, but was denied a waiver and had to sit out his junior season, which wound up being cancelled anyway by the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] He played instead in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League for the New Britain Bees[5] and hoped to be selected in the 2020 MLB draft but because of its shortened length he was not chosen and opted to play for the Huskies in 2021.[1][6] In 15 starts he was 8–5 with a 4.03 ERA.[5]
Los Angeles Dodgers
Casparius was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth round of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft,[7] and signed for a $247,500 bonus on July 26.[8]
Casparius spent his first professional season with the Arizona Complex League Dodgers and Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, pitching in five games and allowing two earned runs in six innings.[5] He pitched 2022 with Rancho Cucamonga and the Great Lakes Loons, pitching 89+2⁄3 innings in 27 games (16 starts) for a 6.42 ERA.[5] The following season, with Great Lakes and the Tulsa Drillers he made 26 appearances (21 starts) and was 6–7 with a 5.27 ERA.[5][9] After the 2023 season, Casparius pitched in the Arizona Fall League for the Glendale Desert Dogs.[10] He started 2024 with Tulsa, making five starts with a 3.32 ERA[5] before being promoted to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Baseball Club.[11] In 16 games (14 starts) at AAA, he was 4–3 with a 3.36 ERA.[5]
Casparius was promoted to the major leagues for the first time on August 18, 2024,[12] but was optioned back to Oklahoma City on August 21, without appearing in a major league game.[13] Casparius was promoted to the major leagues for a second time on August 31[14] and made his debut that day in relief against the Arizona Diamondbacks, working a scoreless inning of relief to pick up his first career win.[15] His first strikeout was of Nolan Jones of the Colorado Rockies on September 22.[16] He pitched a total of 8+1⁄3 innings in three games, with two wins, nine hits and two runs allowed with 12 strikeouts.[17]
After initially being left off the postseason roster, Casparius was added to the roster midway through the Division Series when Michael Grove suffered an injury,[18] though he did not pitch in the series.[17] He did pitch 4+1⁄3 scoreless innings in the National League Championship Series, picking up the win in the clinching sixth game.[19] In the 2024 World Series against the New York Yankees, Casparius started the fourth game, allowing one run on one hit and three walks in two innings.[20] It was his only appearance in the series, which the Dodgers won in five games.[21]
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