KEEP DREAMING
Braeden Fausnaught doesn’t want to be pinched and woken up anytime soon.
The Danville grad, who is living out his childhood dream, recently signed a contract with his favorite team, the Philadelphia Phillies.
Assigned to the team’s Florida Complex League rookie-level affiliate, also named the Phillies, Fausnaught and the team already know they want to work on a couple of his pitches and get his arm strength back.
“Working on my breaking ball is the main thing and getting a feel for my cutter again while staying on top of my four-seamer,” Fausnaught said. “I had two weeks off and have to ramp back up to make up for that time off.”
That time not spent pitching was some of his most anxious.
The graduate student turned in one of the best seasons in West Chester University history, coming off a 9-3 season with a 3.29 ERA. His 18 starts — including against eventual national champion North Greenville in the opening game of the D2 National Championships —and 130 strikeouts are both school records.
It earned him an invite to MLB’s Draft League, hurling for the Trenton Thunder where he learned how to be a valuable player, both on and off the field.
“It was a really cool experience and I learned a lot from the coaching staff that was made up of former professionals and big leaguers,” he said. “They had a lot of information, even in terms of acting like a professional in the locker room and what to do pre- and post-game. Some of that is even more important than the game because the game should be the fun part, but the preparation should be more difficult.”
But before going there, his childhood team wanted to see what he had in store, being the only pro team to offer him a tryout — and he wasn’t even nervous.
“There were probably 15-20 other prospects, and it was pretty cool to see other guys throw. Two of the guys there were also on the Thunder, they’re talented players, and it was a cool experience for all of us,” Fausnaught said. “I was maybe a little nervous, but more excited because the nerves kind of went away once I just pitched.”
The anxious moments came after allowing three runs in 11 innings pitched (2.45 ERA), and striking out 14 for the Thunder. That’s because MLB was holding its annual three-day, 20-round draft from July 17-19. With the year Fausnaught had with the Golden Rams and Thunder, and having five teams express interest —none more than the Phillies and Kansas City Royals —Fausnaught thought maybe there could be a chance his name would be called.
“I was definitely more anxious because it was hard to be patient to wait and see,” Fausnaught said. “I knew nothing was guaranteed, but I was definitely hoping to represent my family and university in the draft. It was a little hectic of a week not being selected.”
That week got a lot better, when two days later after reaching out to a Phillies scout he had been in contact with, Fausnaught received the life-changing call while working out with a longtime strength coach and mentor in Danville.
“He texted me back saying, ‘Working on it.’ He must have been because he called me two hours later offering the opportunity to be a Phillie,” he said.
Fausnaught described the call as an “incredible moment,” saying he called his family right away and didn’t even finish the workout he was in the middle of.
Since then, he’s been flown to Florida, shown the team’s facilities, and passed his medical examinations. He signed his contract on Saturday and details have not been made public. He began his work on Monday and says he’s going to go about his duties as he has at Danville, Harford Community College (where as a sophomore, he was just the second player in Owls’ program history to be named junior college All-American), West Chester and Trenton.
“We’re just getting started and nothing really changes. In between the lines, it’s a game and you try and keep it simple and improve where you’re not as strong.
“We’re working on a couple of pitch adjustments that will make my stuff a lot better. I know the resources are available and you’re a priority to them and they want to take care of you mentally and physically and want to help you make those adjustments.”
A priority he never thought would be possible as a kid.
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