Alex Faedo to become 79th Gator to play in the MLB
Former Florida Gators pitcher Alex Faedo is making his Major League Debut Wednesday afternoon with the Detroit Tigers. Faedo will throw the second game of a doubleheader against the 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.
Faedo is the second Florida player to make his MLB debut this season. Mark Kolozsvary’s debuted with the Cincinnati Reds on April 20.
Faedo pitched for the Gators from 2015-17 and won a National Championship with the program in 2017. Faedo was close to making the big league team but had a setback and needed Tommy John surgery in December 2020. He 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.
Faedo compiled 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. 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 joins a long list of Big Leaguers who played for Sully
| Player | Drafted (round) | MLB Debut | Team |
| Nick Maronde | 2011 (3rd) | September 2, 2012 | |
| Paco Rodriguez | 2012 (2nd) | September 9, 2012 | |
| Mike Zunino | 2012 (1st – 3rd overall) | June 12, 2013 | |
| Kevin Chapman | 2010 (4th) | August 9, 2013 | |
| Matt den Dekker | 2010 (5th) | August 29, 2013 | |
| Anthony DeSclafani | 2011 (6th) | May 14, 2014 | |
| Cole Figueroa | 2008 (6th) | May 16, 2014 | |
| Preston Tucker | 2012 (7th) | May 7, 2015 | |
| Brian Johnson | 2012 (1st -31st overall) | July 21, 2015 | |
| Nolan Fontana | 2012 (2nd) | May 22, 2017 | |
| Austin Maddox | 2012 (3rd) | June 17, 2017 | |
| Harrison Bader | 2015 (3rd) | July 25, 2017 | |
| Bobby Poyner | 2015 (14th) | March 31, 2018 | |
| Justin Shafer | 2014 (8th) | August 19, 2018 | |
| Eric Hanhold | 2015 (6th) | September 4, 2018 | |
| Richie Martin | 2015 (1st – 20th overall) | March 28, 2019 | |
| Pete Alonso | 2016 (2nd) | March 28, 2019 | |
| Shaun Anderson | 2016 (3rd) | May 15, 2019 | |
| A.J. Puk | 2016 (1st – 6th overall) | August 21, 2019 | |
| Brady Singer | 2018 (1st – 18th overall) | July 25, 2020 | |
| Dane Dunning | 2016 (1st – 29th overall) | August 19, 2020 | |
| Jonathan India | 2018 (1st – 5th overall) | April 1, 2021 | |
| Jackson Kowar | 2018 (1st – 33rd overall) | June 7, 2021 | |
| Taylor Gushue | 2014 (4th) | June 30, 2021 | |
| Kirby Snead | 2016 (10th) | July 28, 2021 | |
| Mark Kolozsvary | 2017 (7th) | April 20, 2022 | |
| Alex Faedo | 2017 (1st – 18th overall) | May 4, 2022 |
