Former Lexington County Blowfish, Taylor Widener, made his Major League debut July 25 for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Widener entered in relief in the seventh inning, allowing no hits or runs and striking out one in his 1 2/3 innings of work in the Diamondbacks 5-1 loss to the San Diego Padres.

Widener was drafted in the 12th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees out the University of South Carolina. The Aiken, S.C., native was traded to the Diamondbacks before the start of the 2018 season of which he went on to be named Arizona’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year after posting a 2.75 ERA with 176 strikeouts in 137 1/3 inning pitched. While his stats at the Triple-A level in 2019 weren’t as dominant, the organization saw enough to invite him to Spring Training and ultimately the Diamondbacks Summer Camp in 2020 where he was regarded as one of the team’s top performers.

Widener was named a CPL All-Star and All-CPL performer in 2015 while pitching for the Blowfish, holding a 2.53 ERA with 43 strikeouts over 32 innings pitched. His debut marks the 132nd all-time former CPL player to make their major league debut and the second of the 2020 MLB season. Widener’s debut pushes the Blowfish’s major league alumni total to now five.

About Coastal Plain League:

The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s premier summer collegiate baseball league. Heading into its 24th season in 2020, the CPL features 15 franchises playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. To date, the CPL has had over 1,600 alumni drafted and 132 alums – including 2017 ALCS MVP, 2017 World Series champion, 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young award winner Justin Verlander, as well as 2017 NLCS MVP Chris Taylor – make their Major League debut. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat @CPLBaseball.