Buddy Baumann (baseball)
George Charles Baumann IV is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the San Diego Padres and the New York Mets, and in the Chinese Professional Baseball League for the Wei Chuan Dragons.
Playing career
Amateur
Prior to playing professionally, he attended Logan-Rogersville High School and then Missouri State University. In 2008, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and was named a league all-star. In 2009, Baumann was named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year, a finalist for the National Pitcher of the Year Award and a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award.Kansas City Royals
He was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 7th round of the 2009 MLB draft and was signed by scout Scott Melvin.He allowed three runs in five innings for the Burlington Royals that summer, throwing three wild pitches. In 2010, he was 4–2 with four saves and a 2.24 ERA in 31 games for the Wilmington Blue Rocks. He struck out 113 batters in 100 1/3 innings. In 2011, he was 4–3, with 2 saves and a 4.29 ERA in 25 games for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals and 0–1 with 3 runs in 4.2 IP for the AZL Royals.
He went 3–2 with two saves and a 4.12 ERA for Northwest Arkansas in 2012, walking 33 in 59 IP. In 2013, Baumann was 3–0 with a save and a 2.55 ERA in 32 games split between the Naturals and Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers. He struck out 72 batters in 53 innings.
Baumann elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2015.
San Diego Padres
On December 21, 2015, he signed a one-year major league contract with the San Diego Padres.On July 15, 2016, Baumann was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut on July 16, throwing one pitch to Brandon Crawford of the San Francisco Giants and recording an out. He was demoted on the following day. He became only the twelfth player to throw only one pitch in his MLB debut.
Baumann was a solid reliever ending the 2016 season with a 3.74 ERA in 9.2 innings pitched, allowing a.200 batting average against batters.
On April 13, 2018, Baumann was suspended for one game for his involvement in a brawl with the Colorado Rockies two days prior. He was designated for assignment on April 24.
New York Mets
On April 27, 2018, Baumann was claimed off waivers by the New York Mets. The Mets added Baumann to their active roster on May 11 after placing Hansel Robles on the disabled list.On June 5, Baumann was designated for assignment. He elected free agency following the season on November 2.