In a season full of change, Braden Bristo fulfilled a dream
" They were heading in the right direction and their whole staff was doing a great job handling guys. Detroit was way better than I expected, so I was really happy."
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During the 2023 MLB season, Braden Bristo lived out a dream that has been years in the making. After six seasons in the minors, the former 23rd-round pick made his big-league debut against the Red Sox. For Bistro, it was a process he will never forget.
"We were at home in Durham, and I was with the Rays at the time," said Bristo. "We had a normal day planned and my manager texted me asking if I could come in a little early, which was kind of weird. I got down there quickly and he brought me into his office and said this isn't a for sure deal, but there's a good chance you're getting called up for the game tomorrow. He said it depends on how Taj Bradley throws in the game tonight. He was making his debut that night. When I got off the plane, he was in the fifth inning, and I was like, that's going to be enough. I got a call that night saying I was being activated."
In his debut, Bristo hardly looked like a rookie. He did not allow a hit in three innings against the Red Sox and struck out four batters. While the stakes were higher than ever, Bristo was no stranger to pitching at Tropicana Field.
“I was lucky because half of spring training was at the Trop, so I got to pitch there a little during spring training and knew my way around by the end,” said Bristo. It wasn’t too unfamiliar, but there was still that nervous energy in the air of, like, this isn’t spring training, and there’s going to be a lot of people here watching this game.”
Following his debut, Bristo was optioned back to Triple-A. His time with the Rays ended in April when he was placed on waivers, but the Tigers quickly scooped him up. He returned to the majors in May and built on his prior success.
The Louisiana native made two appearances with the Tigers and allowed two earned runs in four innings. During that stint, Bristo got to play alongside Miguel Cabrera, whom he watched growing up.
“I was only up with Detroit for three days, but it did seem like every day he was breaking another franchise record or MLB record of some sort,” said Bristo. “I think the one he broke was total bases. I think he passed Ken Griffey Jr. It was pretty cool. I would go out to pitch and come back in, and he would be sitting there. I would be sitting there like, what am I doing sitting next to this guy? It was pretty cool sharing a dugout with him. When I was in high school, he was in his prime.”
While the 2023 campaign was full of change for the 2016 draftee, he got a unique view of how two organizations work. For Bristo, both teams helped him grow as a pitcher and surpassed expectations.
"You hear as you're coming up through organizations how each team's philosophies work and stuff like that," Bristo said. I had always heard that the Tigers were far behind and the Rays were ahead of everybody in terms of pitching philosophy. That wasn't my experience when I got to Detroit. They were heading in the right direction and their whole staff was doing a great job handling guys. Detroit was way better than I expected, so I was really happy."
After crossing his MLB debut off his bucket list, Bristo enters the 2024 campaign with higher expectations. He has shown that he has the stuff to be successful in the majors, as he finished the 2023 campaign with a 2.57 ERA in seven innings of work.
His focus now shifts to secure a spot on the Opening Day roster.
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