LINCOLN – The Lincoln Saltdogs and the American Association jointly announced today that the Seattle Mariners purchased the contract of right-handed pitcher Brian McAfee.
McAfee is the 50th Saltdogs player sold to an MLB organization and the 27th since 2011. He is the first player to be picked up by an affiliated team since RHP Shairon Martis was signed on March 31, 2017.
McAfee made six starts for the Saltdogs after joining the team on June 30th. He posted a 4-1 record with a miniscule 1.67 ERA over 43 innings. The righty notched two complete games, including a complete game shutout against the Cleburne Railroaders on July 17th. McAfee recorded a quality start in each of his last five appearances. He surrendered just four runs in his last 38 innings of work.
The righty joined the Saltdogs after spending parts of the last two seasons in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. He went 1-4 with a 2.25 ERA over 48 innings while reaching Single-A this year.
The Bothell, Washington native was a 38th round draft pick in 2016 after a stellar collegiate career at Cornell and Duke. McAfee earned an undergraduate degree in operations and research engineering at Cornell before completing a Master’s in Management Studies degree at Duke. He garnered CoSIDA Academic All-District, Academic All-Ivy League and Academic All-ACC honors. The 24-year-old was 7-5 with a 4.11 ERA in his senior season at Duke.
The Saltdogs, who boast a league-best 3.31 ERA, try to win their twelfth straight game at Haymarket Park tonight. First pitch against the St. Paul Saints is at 6:45 PM with coverage beginning at 6:15 PM on ESPN 1480 and saltdogs.com.
Tickets are on sale and can be purchased by calling (402) 474-2255 or visiting Saltdogs.com. For the latest information on the Saltdogs follow the team on Facebook and Twitter/Instagram @saltdogsball.