Braxton Fulford

Braxton Fulford
Colorado Rockies – No. 37
Catcher
Born: (1998-12-09) December 9, 1998
Lubbock, Texas, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 16, 2025, for the Colorado Rockies
MLB statistics
(through 2025 season)
Batting average.213
Home runs1
Runs batted in16
Stats at Baseball Reference 
Teams

Braxton Albert Fulford (born December 9, 1998) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2025.

Amateur career

Fulford attended Monterey High School in Lubbock, Texas. As a senior in 2017, he batted .571 with one home run, 37 runs batted in (RBI), and 13 doubles.[1]

Fulford was not selected in the 2017 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft and enrolled at Texas Tech University to play college baseball for the Red Raiders.[2] As a senior in 2021, he hit .264 with 14 home runs, 44 RBI, and 12 doubles in 52 games.[3] After the season, the Colorado Rockies him in the sixth round, with the 170th overall pick of the 2021 MLB draft.[4]

Professional career

Fulford made his professional debut in 2021 with the rookie-level Arizona Complex League Rockies, hitting .267 over 14 games.[5] He played the 2022 season with the Single-A Fresno Grizzlies,[6][7] batting .268 with 15 home runs, 53 RBI, and 17 doubles over 104 games.[5] Fulford opened the 2023 season with the High-A Spokane Indians, being named the Northwest League player of the week in mid-April, and was promoted to the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats in late May, then the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes near the end of the season.[8][9] Over 78 games played in 2023, Fulford hit .270 with ten home runs and 34 RBI.[5] He spent the 2024 season back with Hartford, batting .241/.341/.412 with 10 home runs, 46 RBI, and 10 stolen bases across 92 games.[10] He was named the Rockies minor league player of the month for August after batting .298.[11]

The Rockies planned to send Fulford back to Hartford to begin the 2025 season, but following injuries to catchers Drew Romo and Austin Nola, he started the year in Albuquerque, hitting .395/.477/.868 with five home runs and 10 RBI over 12 games. On April 14, Fulford was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[12][13] He made his debut on April 16[14] and was the first player in franchise history to debut by batting 0-for-4 with 4 strikeouts, a golden sombrero.[12] On April 20, his second MLB game, Fulford hit his first home run, a solo shot off of Jake Irvin of the Washington Nationals.[15] He also made three throwing errors in that game, a 3–2 loss. He returned to the minors after one more game.[12]

Fulford returned to the majors in June when the Rockies released catcher Jacob Stallings.[16] Fulford played in 10 games that month, returning to Albuquerque on July 1 when Nola was promoted.[17][18] Fulford returned to the Rockies in August, backing up Hunter Goodman for the rest of the season. As a rookie, Fulford had a .213/.267/.324 slash line.[17]

Personal life

Fulford's cousin is professional quarterback Paxton Lynch.[9]

References

  1. ^ Silva Jr., Carlos (May 15, 2017). "Monterey's Fulford completes senior campaign on high note, signs with Texas Tech baseball". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  2. ^ Christy, Pete (May 16, 2017). "Texas Tech baseball signs Monterey's Braxton Fulford". kcbd.com. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  3. ^ Stoia, George (July 12, 2021). "Rockies draft rounds 2-10: Interim GM Bill Schmidt believes second-round pick Jaden Hill can be 'impact pitcher' in MLB". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  4. ^ "Monterey, Texas Tech product Braxton Fulford drafted by Rockies". Everything Lubbock. July 12, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "Braxton Fulford Stats, Fantasy & News". MiLB.com. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  6. ^ "Fresno Grizzlies Announce 2022 Opening Day Roster". MILB.com. April 4, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  7. ^ "2022 Fresno Grizzlies Season Recap". MILB.com. October 3, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  8. ^ Harding, Thomas (June 2, 2023). "Rockies promote Braxton Fulford to Double-A Hartford". MLB.com. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Colorado Rockies (2025). Colorado Rockies 2025 Media Guide. p. 96.
  10. ^ "Braxton Fulford - Stats - Batting". fangraphs.com (in Spanish). Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  11. ^ Stern, Andrew. "Fulford named Rockies MiLB Player of the Month". Texas Tech Red Raiders. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  12. ^ a b c Etkin, Jack (May 19, 2025). "Braxton Fulford Gets His Cup of Coffee and is Ready for More". Medium. Colorado Rockies. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  13. ^ "Rockies outfielder Kris Bryant lands on IL with back issue". ESPN.com. Associated Press. April 14, 2025. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  14. ^ Soto, Andrés (April 16, 2025). "Fulford ready for MLB debut in LA: 'A lot of people show out here'". MLB.com. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  15. ^ "Rockies' Braxton Fulford: Tallies first big-league homer". CBS Sports. April 21, 2025. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  16. ^ McDonald, Darragh (June 6, 2025). "Rockies Release Jacob Stallings". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  17. ^ a b "Braxton Fulford 2025 Batting Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  18. ^ McDonald, Darragh (July 1, 2025). "Rockies Designate Sam Hilliard For Assignment, Select Austin Nola". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
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