HOLLY SPRINGS – Trailing 4-3 heading to the top of the ninth inning, Seattle turned to Coastal Plain League alum Devin Sweet (photos courtesy of Ben VanHouten/Seattle Mariners) to make his Major League debut on July 19th. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the outing he had hoped for, as he gave up a two-run, bad luck home run to Alex Kirilloff that secured a 6-3 victory for visiting Minnesota.

Signed as an undrafted free agent by Seattle following the 2018 MLB Draft, the 5-11, 180-pound North Carolina Central product began his career with stints between Rookie ball and Single-A. In 15 games in relief, he went 2-1 with a 4.66 ERA. A year later, Sweet found his way into the starting rotation as well as out of the pen. In 127 1/3 innings, he finished 8-5 with a respectable 2.76 ERA and struck out 152. He spent 2021 in Double-A Arkansas, where he struck out 93 in 79 2/3 innings across 13 starts out of 25 appearances. He also had a brief stay with Peoria during the fall, making eight appearances and earning a 1-0 record and 4.32 ERA.

The 2022 season saw him continue with the Travelers, where he sported a K/9 of 10.600 versus a BB/9 of 3.600. Earlier this year, Sweet continued to shine in Arkansas and was 4-1 with a 1.54 ERA before being called up to join the Mariners. In 35 innings of work, he gave up just seven runs – 6 earned – on 24 hits, while walking eight and striking out 47.

A three-year CPL player, Sweet started his first summer experience with the Petersburg Generals in 2015. He made 11 appearances on the mound finishing the season with a 4-1 record and a 2.52 ERA over 39 1/3 innings pitched. He ended the summer, giving up 15 runs – 11 of those earned – on 30 hits, walked 16 and struck out 39.

Sweet would continue his time in the CPL for the next two years, spending his summers with the Asheboro Copperheads (now known as the ZooKeepers). He made 17 appearances over those two seasons, including 14 starts. In 2016, he pitched 39 1/3 innings allowing 15 earned runs on 40 hits, walked 14 and struck out 51, finishing with a 3.43 ERA and a record of 4-1. The 2017 season provided Sweet, the chance to start in all seven of his appearances. In 45 innings on the bump, he struck out 53 and only walked 18 on his way to a 3-1 record and 3.20 ERA. His play on the field didn’t go unrecognized as he was also selected to the 2017 CPL West All-Star squad as well as named a First Team All-CPL player at the end of the summer.

Following his debut, Sweet is now the 179th CPL alum to become a Major Leaguer and the 15th in 2023 alone. He also is the seventh former Petersburg General to make it to the Majors and raises the total of Asheboro players to eight.

About Coastal Plain League:
The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s premier summer collegiate baseball league. The CPL is currently comprised of 14 franchises playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. To date, the CPL has had nearly 1,750 alumni drafted and 179 alums make their Major League debut. Most notable alumni include Justin Verlander, Ryan Zimmerman, Mark Reynolds, Kevin Youkilis, Chris Taylor, Alec Bohm, Jake Cave, Chas McCormick and NFL Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson. 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 TikTok @CPLBaseball.