Former Bandys High lefty begins fourth
on-field minor league season in Double A
Editor’s note: Tuesday’s game was rained out and reset for Wednesday at 5:35 p.m. with Deal still slated as Mississippi’s starter.
DEAL
By CHRIS HOBBS
HobbsDailyReport.com
PEARL, Mississippi — Hayden Deal, a 6-foot-5 lefty who starred at Bandys High and who has 17 wins and 208 strikeouts in 64 pro games, begins his fourth minor-league season Tuesday night with a notable start.
FOLLOW HAYDEN
You can visit HobbsDailyReport.com for updates when Hayden Deal pitches throughout this baseball season.
Deal has been announced as opening night starter for the Double-A Mississippi Braves. He’ll face visiting Pensacola (Fla.) with a 6:35 p.m. start.
COVID-19 wiped out what would have been the start of Deal’s fifth year as a pro but he is back after going 5-10 in 2019 in High-A in the Florida State League. He pitched 119 1/3 innings with 99 strikeouts and 32 walks.
Deal was signed after a free agent tryout at Bandys High after his college career at Presbyterian (S.C.). A scout watched his throw, made a phone call and offered Deal a contract at the Bandys baseball field.
As a pro, he is 17-13 with an ERA of 2.87. He has walked only 58.
He is listed on the Braves’ roster as from Maiden but he is actually from Newton, growing up on Caleb Setzer Road in Newton.
LISTEN TO HAYDEN AS OPENING DAY NEARS: https://twitter.com/mbraves/status/1389356371389321219
HAYDEN DEAL’S PRO CAREER STATS: https://www.baseballamerica.com/players/97015/hayden-deal/
OPENING DAY ROSTER: https://img.mlbstatic.com/milb-images/image/upload/milb/grt68kumu6hm1gydrvmg.pdf
MISSISSIPPI BRAVES SCHEDULE: https://www.milb.com/mississippi/schedule/2021-05
