The World Series has wound down, with the Milwaukee Brewers taking their first championship in franchise history (only needing 55 more seasons than the Milwaukee Milkmen did to win a league title, but who’s counting?).
As far as the American Association is concerned, it was already notable for Tampa Bay pitcher Cam Booser becoming the sixth former AA player to appear in the World Series.
Also notable, this World Series is unique in that no matter what, a former American Association alum was guaranteed a ring, as amazingly, both bullpen catchers played in the AA—and both for the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks.
Charlie Valerio (Fargo, Moorhead 2014, ’16-19, Joplin 2015, Sioux Falls 2021) warms up hurlers for the Tampa Bay Rays, while Christian Correa (Kansas City 2017, ’19, Milwaukee 2020-21, Fargo-Moorhead 2022), a former Miles Wolff Cup hero himself, does the same for the Milwaukee Brewers.
However, they are just two alums in MLB roles, highlighted by 17 former AA players who played in the majors, including five players who made their MLB debut this season. That’s the group we’re going to look at today.
Anthony Bender, Miami Marlins
A reliable member of the Marlins bullpen for five seasons (missing much of 2022 and all of 2023 with Tommy John Surgery), Bender saw his season come to an end at the end of June with a nagging leg injury, but he was still effective when he was out there.
In 35 games, the 31-year-old righty was 1-1 with a 2.62 ERA, nailing down two saves and posting a strong 41-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio in just 34.1 innings. Bender has a 2.97 ERA over 227 career outings and in a world filled with bullpen volatility, he has never posted an ERA higher than 4.08 in his MLB career.
Briefly a member of the 2019 Sioux City Explorers, Bender wobbled to a 5.48 ERA in 22 outings for the 2020 Milwaukee Milkmen, who took home the Miles Wolff Cup. Nonetheless, he was signed by the Marlins that winter, made his MLB debut barely a month into the 2021 season and has stayed in the big leagues ever since.
Brennan Bernardino, Colorado Rockies
How often is your most valuable pitcher a reliever? The 104-loss Rockies leader in WAR was 34-year-old reliever Bernardino, who enjoyed the best season of his career, going 4-3 with a 2.81 ERA in 74 games (all career bests), working 64.0 innings out of the ‘pen.
A late bloomer, the southpaw didn’t make his MLB debut until after his 30th birthday in 2022, but he’s made up for lost time, posting a 3.28 ERA in 243 career outing, while also pitching for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic last spring.
Bernardino pitched for the Winnipeg Goldeyes late in the 2018 season, going 2-3 with a 3.18 ERA in 34.0 innings spanning six outings (five starts), which earned him another shot at affiliated ball in 2019.
Cam Booser, Tampa Bay Rays
Another success story from the Rays pitching factory, Booser joined Tampa Bay in 2026, his third team in as many MLB seasons. He started the year in Triple-A, but was called up at the beginning of June and enjoyed a breakthrough campaign: a 1.98 ERA over 42 outings and an absurd 45-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 41.0 innings. He also made nine appearances in the postseason.
A true longshot story, Booser didn’t reach the majors until two weeks before his 32nd birthday in 2024, pitching for Boston that year and the Chicago White Sox in 2025. He’s gone 5-7 with a 3.45 ERA and 123 strikeouts in 114.2 innings over 124 big-league outings.
His comeback story began as a 29-year-old with the 2021 Chicago Dogs, where he resurfaced after nearly four years out of baseball and logged a 1.93 ERA with 39 strikeouts in just 23.1 innings over 21 outings. He returned to affiliated baseball in mid-2022 after starting that season in the Atlantic League.
John Brebbia, Colorado Rockies
The 36-year-old pitched in his ninth MLB campaign, though not for very long, spending 11 days on the Rockies active roster and making three appearance (allowing five runs in 4.1 innings) before being designated for assignment, sent to Triple-A, and released a month later. A busy traveler, he actually began the season on a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins and ended it on a minors deal with his hometown Boston Red Sox.
Originally debuting with St. Louis in 2017, Brebbia has pitched for six MLB teams, posting a 4.12 ERA in 379 career games while striking out 416 batters in 382.2 innings. However, after churning through four MLB clubs since the start of 2024, his MLB career may be on his last legs.
Brebbia played two full years in the AA, posting a 3.31 ERA in 34 games with Sioux Falls in 2014. That was followed by one of the greatest reliever seasons in league history in 2015 in Laredo: a 7-2 record and 0.98 ERA in 51 outings, 19 saves, and 79 strikeouts in 64.1 innings. He then threw 13.1 scoreless innings with five saves in Laredo’s surprising surge to a title, including the final 2.2 innings in the title clincher. The Cardinals came calling that winter and he was in the majors less than two years later.
John Brebbia (#30) closed out an AA title for Laredo in 2015 and has pitched in the majors since 2017 (Photos: Jim Lee/Sioux City Journal and Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
J.C. Escarra, New York Yankees
Escarra began the season as the backup catcher for the Bronx Bombers, but spent most of the season in Triple-A, making his last MLB appearance on June 20. He slashed .188/.239/.271 with five doubles, a triple, and seven RBI over 32 game this season.
He made the Yankees Opening Day roster in 2025, making his MLB debut at 29 on March 29 of that season. Escarra is slashing .195/.268/.302 with 10 doubles, a triple, two homer, and 18 RBI over 72 MLB games.
His career was reinvigorated by moving from first base to catcher during the 2022 season with the Kansas City Monarchs, where he also slashed .291/.396/.530 with 12 homers and 35 RBI in 70 games. After more strong results in the Atlantic League and Mexico in 2023, he signed with the Yankees before the 2024 campaign.
Jose Espada, Baltimore Orioles
If you blinked, you missed it. Espada threw one scoreless inning on April 30 for the Orioles, but spent the rest of the season in Triple-A, though he pitched well there, with a 2.77 ERA in 41 outings in relief. He also appeared in two games for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.
Oddly enough, that encapsulates Espada’ three MLB seasons: one game in 2023 (for San Diego), one in ’25, and one in ’26. The results have been strong, though: 5.0 scoreless innings with six strikeouts over those three outings, plus a stint in Japan in 2024.
Espada began the 2022 season with the Milwaukee Milkmen, going 2-1 with a 3.61 ERA in eight starts, striking out 55 in 42.1 innings and earning an opportunity with San Diego, with whom he debuted a little over a year later.
Tyler Ferguson, Sacramento Athletics/Chicago Cubs
In his third MLB season, Ferguson started with the A’s, made one appearance (allowing four runs in 1.1 innings), was went to Triple-A, then traded to the Cubs in early May, then made 17 appearances on the North Side, posting a 3.63 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 17.1 innings.
Debuting as a 30-year-old in Oakland in 2024, Ferguson was a steady member of the A’s bullpen in his first two MLB seasons and overall is 8-5 with a 4.36 ERA in 122 outings, with 137 strikeouts in 128.0 career innings.
After pitching in the Can-Am League in 2019, Ferguson began 2021 with the Chicago Dogs, posting a 3.14 ERA in 14.1 innings over nine outings before being picked up by the Atlanta Braves.
Julian Garcia, Cincinnati Reds
Less than half a season at Triple-A earned Garcia his first MLB call-up, debuting at 31 years old on June 23. He stayed in the majors the rest of the season, going 2-3 with a 3.13 ERA in 33 games, striking out 41 batters in 46.0 innings and allowing just 5.7 H/9.
His debut came just over nine months after his final start in the American Association, for the Kansas City Monarchs. Playing for the Monarchs in 2024-25, Garcia went 14-3 with a 3.00 ERA and a whopping 278 strikeouts over 203.1 innings. His magnum opus was 163 strikeouts in 2025, second-most in league history.
He likely would’ve broken the season strikeout record last season had the Reds not picked him up in late August, just days before what would’ve been his final start of the regular season.
Peyton Gray, Texas Rangers
At the age of 31, Gray made his MLB debut with the Rangers on April 23 and stayed up for the rest of the year, going 6-0 with a 3.86 ERA in 49 games out of the bullpen, striking out 60 batters over 56.0 innings.
Before Christian Correa was warming up Brewers pitchers, he caught a lot of ninth innings from Gray as members of the 2020 Milwaukee Milkmen, where Gray threw a staggering 32.0 innings if shutout baseball, striking out 56 batters and allowing just 10 hits, being named AA Reliever of the Year as the Milkmen took the Miles Wolff Cup (ironically he allowed two runs in the Finals).
After an up-and-down 2021 in the Kansas City Royals organization, Gray found himself back in Milwaukee for 2022-23 (posting ERAs in the low 1.00s both seasons) and was out of baseball in 2024 before the Rangers finally picked up in 2025, then pitching well in the upper minors before getting the call after three weeks in Triple-A this spring.
Peyton Gray was 2020 American Association Reliever of the Year and a league champion for the Milwaukee Milkmen before making his MLB debut this summer with the Texas Rangers (Photos: Milwaukee Milkmen and Tony Gutierrez/Getty Images)
Josh Hendrickson, Houston Astros
A few day after his 29th birthday, Hendrickson was a surprising final-week call-up by the Houston Astros, making his MLB debut on September 23, pitching twice out of the bullpen in the middle of a division race and even making one postseason appearance. He allowed one run in 2.2 innings with three strikeouts in his two regular-season outings.
After pitching in the World Baseball Classic for Australia last spring, the native Aussie was unsigned until April 18 before the Astros came calling and immediately sent him to Triple-A, where he toiled all summer before his late call-up.
Hendrickson teamed up with Julian Garcia for the Kansas City Monarchs in 2025, returning from Tommy John Surgery that wiped out his 2024 campaign to go 10-5 with a 3.61 ERA, striking out 116 batters over 104.2 innings.
Kevin Herget, New York Mets
Injuries kept Herget on the shelf until July, but he was able to rehab sufficiently to reach the majors for a scoreless inning on August 1, which was only big-league action this season.
That’s emblematic of Herget’s MLB career, which began in 2022, but in those five years he’s made just 32 appearances, split across five different teams. Nonetheless, he’s put up decent results, logging a 4.13 ERA over 56.2 innngs.
His AA tenure wasn’t much longer than his MLB time this year: as a 30-year-old, Herget began the 2021 season in Fargo-Moorhead. After striking out 10 batters over 7.0 innings of three-hit ball in his lone appearance as a RedHawk, Cleveland came calling. He made his MLB debut the next season.
Jared Koenig, Milwaukee Brewers
Koenig will become the seventh player to earn a World Series ring after a stint in the American Association, but unfortunately he wasn’t around at the end. He struggled to find his form after an early elbow injury landed him on the IL and was optioned to Triple-A at the All-Star break. All told, Koenig posted a 9.00 ERA in 7.0 innings over nine outings.
It was an unfortunately regression after excellent 2024-25 seasons in Milwaukee (2.67 ERA over 128.0 innings). Koenig originally debuted as a 28-year-old with Oakland in 2022 before finding his footing with the Brewers two years later. All told, he’s 16-8 with a 3.61 ERA with 160 strikeouts in 174.1 innings over 146 outings.
After starting the 2017 campaign in the Pecos League, Koenig was a member of the travelling Salina Stockade, going 1-4 with a 7.06 ERA in five starts while struggling with his command. He honed his control over subsequent standout stints in the Pacific Association and Frontier League in 2018-19, earning a contract with the A’s in 2020.
Chris Martin, Texas Rangers
As the third-oldest player in the American League, the 40-year-old Martin unfortunately hit a wall after pitching very well over the last several seasons, posting a 9.00 ERA in 16 outings, hitting the Injured List twice, and being released in August.
Nonetheless, since debuting as a 27-year-old in 2014 with the Colorado Rockies, Martin has enjoyed a very good 11-year MLB career. A 2016-17 stint in Japan really kick-started his career, which included a World Series ring with Atlanta in 2021. All told, he’s posted a 3.53 ERA in 434 career outings, striking out 409 batters and walking just 55 over 403.0 career innings.
After years of shoulder trouble ended his college career, Martin emerged as a 24-year-old rookie with the 2010 Grand Prairie AirHogs after four years out of the game. Sharing a pitching staff with future MLB hurler James Paxton, Martin, went 4-0 with a 1.96 ERA in 13 outings, striking out 36 batters over 36.2 innings before the Boston Red Sox signed him in March of 2011.
Rudy Martin, Toronto Blue Jays
The 5-foot-5 speedster made it to the majors for the first time, debuting on September 11. He played in two games, going 0-for-2 with a walk before his season ended with a trip to the Injured List.
Martin earned the call after splitting minor league time in the Kansas City and Toronto organizations this year after the Royals signed him out of the Mexican League in 2025.
Martin was already a seasoned veteran when he suited up for the Milwaukee Milkmen in 2023, posting a modest .234/.313/.347 line, but stealing 21 bases. A standout 2024 season in the Atlantic League in 2024 put him back on the radar before he returned to affiliated baseball the next year.
Max Scherzer, Toronto Blue Jays
The second-oldest player in the majors, the 42-year-old Scherzer battled injuries in his 19th MLB season, going 4-9 with a 5.74 ERA in 18 starts for the Blue Jays. He did move into the top 10 in career strikeouts this season, but not much else went right for him or the disappointing Blue Jays.
A future Hall of Famer, Scherzer is 225-126 with a 3.29 ERA and 3,557 strikeouts over 3,047.2 innings, including three Cy Young Awards and World Series titles with the 2019 Washington Nationals and 2023 Texas Rangers.
Before it all started, Scherzer began the 2007 season with the Fort Worth Cats as leverage in a protracted contract battle with the Arizona Diamondbacks, an experience he recalled after joining the Rangers more than 15 years later. He made three starts, made a lasting impact on his teammates, and allowed one run in 16.0 innings with 25 strikeouts before he and D-Backs finally came to terms. He made his MLB debut less than a year later.
Max Scherzer started his professional career with the 2007 Fort Worth Cats before becoming one of MLB’s greatest strikeout artists (Photos: Dallas Morning News and Rick Scuteri/Imagn)
Caleb Thielbar, Chicago Cubs
In his 10th MLB season, the 39-year-old Thielbar was a little wobblier this season than those before, posting a 4.86 ERA, but he still struck out 60 over 50.0 innings in 58 outings out of the bullpen for the Cubs.
A rare two-time Indy ball-to-MLB success story, Thielbar stuck in the majors for good in 2020 (after initially making it from 2013-15) and is 29-20 with a 3.45 ERA over 472 outings, striking out 463 batters in 428.0 innings.
The Minnesota native kickstarted his career with a 2.54 ERA in 43 outings for the 2011 St. Paul Saints, earning him a shot with the Twins that netted him his first MLB stint. After washing out, he returned to the Saints for 59 more excellent outings in 2016-17, earning a shot with the Tigers in 2018, returning to the majors two years later.
Bryan Torres, St. Louis Cardinals
A teammate with Rudy Martin with the 2023 Milwaukee Milkmen, Torres also made his MLB debut this season, slashing .229/.309/.331 with 4 homers and 19 RBI over 74 games with the Cardinals. Before debuting, he also suited up for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.
After initially considering retirement, Torres signed with the Milkmen in 2022, staying for two years, hitting .372 with 14 homers, and 93 steals over 184 games, becoming the first two-time batting champion in AA history and setting a since-broken league record with 71 steals in 2023.
Those exploits earned him a shot with the Cardinals in 2024, where he won another batting title at Double-A that year, hit. 328 in Triple-A in ’25, and started well in Triple-A again before he debuted on May 23.
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