Brandon Workman

Brandon Carlin Workman (born August 13, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Amateur career

Workman attended Bowie High School in Bowie, Texas, and the University of Texas at Austin, where he played college baseball for the Texas Longhorns.^[1] At Bowie High, Workman was a four-year letter winner, playing shortstop and pitcher. As a senior and captain of the team, Workman went 10-2 with a 0.81 ERA and 171 strikeouts in 76 innings. As a hitter, he batted .481, and earned first-team All-State twice, first-team Louisville Slugger High School All-American, and Rawlings All-Region honors. During his freshman season at Texas, Workman went 5-2 and was named to the Honor Roll. During his sophomore season, Workman went 3-5 and held a 4.72 ERA in Big 12 conference play. Workman would then have an excellent junior season, before entering the MLB draft. Workman also played for the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and was a Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star, posting a 3.44 ERA as a freshman.^[2]

Professional career

Workman was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the third round of the 2007 draft, but instead opted to attend college. The Red Sox drafted Workman in the second round, with the 57th pick of the 2010 draft, and signed him for a signing bonus of $800,000.^[3]

In 2012, Workman posted a 5–1 win–loss record for the Portland Sea Dogs of the Class AA Eastern League. He was named the Red Sox's 2012 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, after leading the Carolina League in fewest baserunners per nine innings while ranking second in walks plus hits per inning pitched and fourth in earned run average. He was promoted to the Pawtucket Red Sox of the Class AAA International League in 2013. He was promoted to Boston in July after a season-ending foot injury to Andrew Miller. In his major league debut against the Seattle Mariners, Workman pitched two innings, gave up three runs, and struck out four.

Workman remained in the Red Sox' bullpen for the remainder of the 2013 season, posting a 6–3 record over 20 regular season appearances and not allowing an earned run over 7 postseason appearances. He pitched a perfect 8th inning in the decisive Game 6 of the 2013 World Series, setting up Boston closer Koji Uehara. Workman also recorded his first professional at-bat in Game 3 of the World Series, striking out on 3 consecutive pitches.

On June 3, 2014, Workman was fined and suspended for six games after throwing a high pitch behind Evan Longoria. This incident followed after Tampa Bay Rays pitcher David Price had thrown at two Boston Red Sox batters in a May 30 game.^[4] After losing an appeal, Workman began serving his suspension on June 18.^[5]

In April 2015, Workman was placed on the disabled list with elbow soreness. He underwent a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injection and was ordered not to throw for several weeks. When that was unsuccessful, he underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2015. ^[6] Workman spent 2015 and 2016 on the disabled list.

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)