Chicago Cubs minor league players

Brandon Lee Birdsell (born March 23, 2000) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Chicago Cubs organization.

Birdsell attended Willis High School in Willis, Texas, and played college baseball at Texas A&M University in 2019, San Jacinto College in 2020, and Texas Tech in 2021 and 2022. He appeared in seven games for Texas Tech in 2021 before he underwent rotator cuff surgery, ending his season. He was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 11th round of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft but did not sign. In 2022, he started 15 games for Texas Tech and went 9-3 with a 2.75 ERA over 85 innings. After the season, he was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the fifth round of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft. He signed for $385,000.

Birdsell made his professional debut in 2023 with the South Bend Cubs and was promoted to the Tennessee Smokies in August. Over 24 starts between the two teams, he went 4-8 with a 2.77 ERA and 97 strikeouts over innings. He opened the 2024 season with Tennessee and was promoted to the Iowa Cubs July. Over 27 games (26 starts) between the two teams, Birdsell went 8-9 with a 3.91 ERA and 134 strikeouts and was named Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

*[https://texastech.com/sports/baseball/roster/brandon-birdsell/11657 Texas Tech Red Raiders bio] Provided by Wikipedia