Alex Faedo is the 79th Gator to debut in the MLB including the 27th player to do so under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Former Florida baseball standout pitcher Alex Faedo is set to make his Major League Baseball debut for the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday afternoon, earning the start in the second game of the doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
With the promotion, Faedo becomes the 79th former Gator to make it to the big leagues and the 27th player to do so under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_coaches.aspx-3Frc-3D1445&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=946WZfZaTomZCeCH-sEvHEKicEk2Sp8v6JlQcWMwR4CqT3OisPpjYzSUOHTssanq&s=KTzv4xi66BGhKCNtOMnzU73UBe8jz54p0fMs0Tdewl0&e= >. He is the second Florida player to accomplish the feat during the 2022 campaign, following Mark Kolozsvary’s debut with the Cincinnati Reds on April 20.
Faedo, who pitched for the Gators from 2015-17 and won a National Championship with the program in 2017, was off to a strong start in his first four games of the season split across Single-A and Triple-A. Over 15 2/3 innings, Faedo was 2-1 with a 1.72 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 20 strikeouts after missing all of the 2021 campaign due to Tommy John Surgery.
Prior to being chosen by the Tigers with the 18th overall pick in 2017, the right-hander totaled a 28-6 career record at Florida over 289 2/3 innings with a 2.80 ERA and 349 strikeouts. The 2017 College World Series Most Outstanding Player, Faedo’s .824 winning percentage represents a program record and he ranks tied for third all-time in wins, second in strikeouts per nine innings (10.8), third in strikeouts and tied for seventh win innings pitched. Faedo’s 157 strikeouts in 2017 are the most ever by a Florida pitcher in a single season.
Faedo was named a semifinalist for the 2017 Golden Spikes Award while being named an All-American in both 2016 and 2017. The Tampa, Fla. native was a two-time All-SEC honoree and picked up South All-Region First Team and Second Team accolades in 2017 and 2016, respectively.
Below is a complete list of Gators to debut in the MLB under O’Sullivan.
MLB Players Under O’Sullivan
Player Drafted (Round) MLB Debut Team
1 Nick Maronde 2011 (3rd) September 2, 2012 Los Angeles Angels
2 Paco Rodriguez 2012 (2nd) September 9, 2012 Los Angeles Dodgers
3 Mike Zunino 2012 (1st – 3rd overall) June 12, 2013 Seattle Mariners
4 Kevin Chapman 2010 (4th) August 9, 2013 Houston Astros
5 Matt den Dekker 2010 (5th) August 29, 2013 New York Mets
6 Anthony DeSclafani 2011 (6th) May 14, 2014 Miami Marlins
7 Cole Figueroa 2008 (6th) May 16, 2014 Tampa Bay Rays
8 Preston Tucker 2012 (7th) May 7, 2015 Houston Astros
9 Brian Johnson 2012 (1st – 31st overall) July 21, 2015 Boston Red Sox
10 Nolan Fontana 2012 (2nd) May 22, 2017 Los Angeles Angels
11 Austin Maddox 2012 (3rd) June 17, 2017 Boston Red Sox
12 Harrison Bader 2015 (3rd) July 25, 2017 St. Louis Cardinals
13 Bobby Poyner 2015 (14th) March 31, 2018 Boston Red Sox
14 Justin Shafer 2014 (8th) August 19, 2018 Toronto Blue Jays
15 Eric Hanhold 2015 (6th) September 4, 2018 New York Mets
16 Richie Martin 2015 (1st – 20th overall) March 28, 2019 Baltimore Orioles
17 Pete Alonso 2016 (2nd) March 28, 2019 New York Mets
18 Shaun Anderson 2016 (3rd) May 15, 2019 San Francisco Giants
19 A.J. Puk 2016 (1st – 6th overall) August 21, 2019 Oakland Athletics
20 Brady Singer 2018 (1st – 18th overall) July 25, 2020 Kansas City Royals
21 Dane Dunning 2016 (1st – 29th overall) August 19, 2020 Chicago White Sox
22 Jonathan India 2018 (1st – 5th overall) Thursday, April 1, 2021 Cincinnati Reds
23 Jackson Kowar 2018 (1st – 33rd overall) Monday, June 7, 2021 Kansas City Royals
24 Taylor Gushue 2014 (4th) Wednesday, June 30, 2021 Chicago Cubs
25 Kirby Snead 2016 (10th) Wednesday, July 28, 2021 Toronto Blue Jays
26 Mark Kolozsvary 2017 (7th) Wednesday, April 20, 2022 Cincinnati Reds
27 Alex Faedo 2017 (1st – 18th overall) Wednesday, May 4, 2022 Detroit Tigers
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