FORMER HITOM BRADEN BRISTO REACHES MAJORS WITH RAYS

Former HiToms pitcher impresses with three innings of shutout baseball to earn the save in debut

High Point-Thomasville, NC – Baseball is unique when it comes to its multi-tiered farm system and the ability presented for players to develop and sharpen their skills within the Major League organizations in hopes to one day reach the top of the sport. And while the process itself can be quite humbling, for some that stick with it despite the lows, it can be just as rewarding. 

For former Coastal Plain League pitcher Braden Bristo, his hard work to hone his game throughout his career, but especially in the Minors, paid off Thursday as he made his Major League debut with the Tampa Bay Rays. The 6-0, 180-pound righty pitched three hitless innings, recording four strikeouts to close the doors on Boston and pick up the save. It was Tampa Bay’s 13th straight win to start the 2023 season, matching the 1982 Atlanta Braves and 1987 Milwaukee Brewers for the longest winning streak to start a season in MLB’s Modern Era. 

In three seasons (2014-16) at LA Tech, he appeared in 52 games while making 26 starts on the mound for the Bulldogs. The Monroe native who prepped at Ouachita Christian struck out 115 batters in 143.0 innings pitched while earning 10 wins on the bump.

In his lone season for the HiToms in 2015, he finished with a 0-3  record and a 6.00 ERA across five appearances – four of them starts. In his two year CPL career, he struck out 53 batters in 60 1/3 innings during those two summers. As a junior, his experience started to peak through as he increased his strikeout total by 77 percent from 35 as a sophomore (in 51 2/3 innings) to 62 as a junior (in 55 1/3 innings). In 2016, Bristo helped the Bulldogs earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Regional, going 5-6 with 62 strikeouts, the third most on the team.

Bristo was taken by the New York Yankees in the 23rd round of the 2016 MLB Draft and spent his first three years hovering throughout the ranks of A-ball. He then started 2019 with Double-A Trenton, where he went 1-1 with a 3.75 ERA and struck out 27 in 24 innings of work. He was sent back down to High-A Tampa midway through the year, where he appeared to really start to come of age. In 24 games out of the pen, he struck out 57 and walked only 11 in 41 2/3 innings on his way to a 1.94 ERA and 3-1 record. 

The 2021 season saw Bristo play for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he continued improving. He finished 5-3 with a 4.86 ERA and struck out 61 while walking 30 in 50 complete innings. Bristo extended his stint in Triple-A in 2022, making 41 appearances out of the bullpen and ending at 3-3 with a 4.56 ERA. He logged 53 1/3 innings, surrendering 34 runs – 27 earned – on 52 hits, walked 31 and punched out 64. Electing for free agency this past offseason, he signed a minor league deal with Tampa, a move that would later pay off with being called up to join the Big League club after starting the year 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA and a 7-to-1 K/BB ratio with Triple-A Durham. 

With his debut, the CPL has now had three alumni reach the Bigs in 2023; with Bristo officially being the 167th alum overall in league history. He is also the 19th former HiTom to reach the Majors.