WEYMOUTH, Mass. (September 5, 2024) 一 New Britain Bees and University of Connecticut product Ben Casparius became the 22nd Futures League alumnus to make his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut when he pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers last Saturday night.
The fourth former Futures Leaguer to play in a MLB game this season, Casparius retired the Arizona Diamondbacks side in order on just 12 pitches to hold a 6-6 tie in the eighth inning of his first game. The Dodgers then scored twice in the top of the ninth, making the 25-year-old the first league alum to win his MLB debut in relief.
Casparius initially earned a call-up from the Triple-A Oklahoma City Baseball Club on August 18 and spent three days with the Dodgers, but was optioned back down before making a major league appearance. He has also returned to Oklahoma City since debuting with Los Angeles.
The native of Westport, Conn., shared Futures League Top Pro Prospect pitching honors with UConn teammate and now-San Francisco Giants farmhand Reggie Crawford in 2020, just one year before the Dodgers drafted him in the fifth round. He was selected one round earlier than another former Bee in Boston College product Emmet Sheehan, who made his MLB debut in June 2023.
Casparius enjoyed a dominant three-start stint with New Britain in 2020, totaling 18 strikeouts across his 12 innings of work. He allowed just two runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks during his Futures League time in the Hardware City.
Casparius, who spent his first two collegiate seasons as a two-way player at the University of North Carolina, transferred to UConn and focused on the mound for his junior campaign. Earning ABCA First Team All-Region and All-BIG EAST honors in 2021, he posted the second-most strikeouts in single-season program history with 127 and also led the conference with eight wins in 15 starts. UConn is the 10th overall and ninth Division 1 New England-based college program to produce one of the Futures League's MLB alumni.
Before his recall, Casparius went 6-4 with a 3.31 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 81.2 minor league innings this season. The right-hander’s promotion to Oklahoma City came in May following five starts with the Double-A Tulsa Drillers, where he was 2-1 with a 3.32 ERA over 21.2 frames. MLB Pipeline currently ranks him as the Dodgers’ No. 23 prospect.
The first Futures Leaguer to play in the majors this season was former Bristol Blue and Georgia Tech product Justyn-Henry Malloy, who got the call from the Detroit Tigers earlier this month. Malloy played in his first game on June 3 and hit his first home run two days later.
Prior to Casparius, the two most recent debutants were former Futures League Most Valuable Players and fellow New England natives. Former Worcester Bravehearts and Dartmouth College catcher Ben Rice, the 2020 MVP from Cohasset, Mass., completed his climb to the New York Yankees on June 18, totaling seven homers and 22 RBI over his first 40 games.
A Merrimack, N.H., native who played for the Nashua Silver Knights and Bryant University, Mickey Gasper became the first Futures Leaguer to make his MLB debut for the Boston Red Sox. The 2016 Futures League MVP hit over .400 across a 40-game stint at Triple-A before being selected on August 12.
Former Martha’s Vineyard Sharks and Wheaton College catcher Nick Raposo was recalled to the St. Louis Cardinals on June 22, but never appeared in a major league game. Raposo has since joined the Toronto Blue Jays organization.
For the latest news and information on the Futures League all year long, visit thefuturesleague.com and follow the league’s Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram pages.
Stay Connected