Checking in on Former Smokies
SL Knoxville Smokies

Checking in on Former Smokies

Published on September 4, 2025 under Southern League (SL)
Knoxville Smokies News Release


Minor league players don't always get the call with the team that drafted them. The Cubs have had their fair share of players both traded away and brought in before getting the call to the majors. Sometimes, players go on to become some of the great minds of the game, filling front office positions for teams around the league.

In this case, these former Smokies are competing for a division title, and will likely compete for a World Series title. The only difference, they're competing in the NL East - one from the field and the other from the front office.

Brooks Raley stays strong out of the pen

LHP Brooks Raley was drafted out of Texas A&M in 2009 by the Cubs. In three years, he was up to Double-A playing with the Smokies.

2011 was Raley's first and only full year with the Smokies. In that year, he went 8-10 with a 4.22 ERA as a starter. Raley started the 2012 season with the Smokies as well, going 2-2 with a 3.51 ERA in eight starts before being moved up to Triple-A and eventually up to the big leagues with the Cubs later that season.

After the 2013 season, Raley was claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Twins and his journeyman career began. Raley moved from Minnesota to Anaheim to Cincinnati before finally getting an extended shot at the major league level beginning in 2020 with the Astros.

After being traded from the Reds to the Astros during the 2020 season, Raley began to make a name for himself. In 17 appearances out of the bullpen for the Astros, he was 0-1 with a 3.94 ERA and earned his first career save in the majors. Raley played one more full season with the Astros before signing with the Rays before the 2022 season.

After just one season with the Rays, Raley was traded to the Mets before the 2023 season. Raley is now in his third season with the Mets, although injuries have plagued him horribly both last season and this season.

After posting a 2.80 ERA over 54.2 innings in 2023 for the Mets, Raley injured his left elbow and required surgery. Teams knew it would be a long time before Raley would pitch again but the Mets liked what they saw and elected to re-sign the free agent for a few more years. 2024 was mostly a recovery year for the lefty as he only made eight appearances but didn't allow an earned run.

In 2025, Raley remained on the injured list until mid July. Essentially a high-end trade acquisition for the Mets in the middle of the year, Raley has picked up right where he left off. In 18 appearances so far this season, Raley is 1-0 with a 2.20 ERA.

His dominance in the bullpen and the ability to now use a lefty in high leverage spots has helped the Mets keep their once diminishing playoff hopes alive. Now the Mets are even competing with the Phillies for the NL East title. However, another former Smokie has made some moves from the front office to attempt to hold off Raley and the Mets down the stretch.

Sam Fuld: Dominating Smokie to Phillie mastermind

Sam Fuld was a small outfielder out of Stanford University. He was drafted by the Cubs in the 10th round of the 2004 draft. Fuld was dominant at the first few levels of the minors in the Cubs system. In both Low-A and High-A, he batted .300, earning himself a swift call-up to Double-A.

In his first season with the Smokies, Fuld slashed .290/.372/.388. He didn't hit for much power but was able to get on base at a great clip. His strong season earned him another call-up to Triple-A for a handful of games and even a few games in the majors with the Cubs.

In 2008 Fuld played for the Smokies one more time and had another great season. Slashing .271/.366/.381, he found a little bit more power in his game while continuing to walk more than he struck out as a Smokie.

In 2009 and 2010, Fuld bounced between Triple-A and the majors with the Cubs until he became a Ray prior to the 2011 season. Once again, Fuld bounced between Triple-A and the majors until he was traded to the Athletics during the 2014 season. Fuld played one more full season before retiring after the 2015 season, however that would not be the end of his involvement in baseball.

In 2017, Fuld was hired by the Phillies to be in their front office. By 2020 he was named their general manager. Since he became general manager, the Phillies have acquired big names like Zack Wheeler, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner, and Jhoan Duran.

Prior to the 2025 season, Fuld was promoted to the Phillies President of Baseball Operations, giving him more authority over the decisions to sign and trade for players.

Since Fuld became general manager, the Phillies have been to the postseason three times, including making the World Series once in 2022. This season, the Phillies are once again lined up to make the playoffs as they currently hold first place in the NL East. Fuld is looking for his first World Series with the Phillies, and they certainly have a great shot at it this year.

Be sure to check out more articles like this about your favorite former Smokies every Thursday/Friday at www.milb.com/knoxville/news.

Check out the Knoxville Smokies Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Southern League Stories from September 4, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central