FPD grad and Mercer baseball alum Austin Cox signs MLB deal with Braves

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          Austin Cox is going from the land of barbque to the state known for peanuts and peaches.

          And home.

          The FPD grad and Mercer baseball alum was signed Sunday night to a major-league contract by Atlanta and immediately sent to AAA Gwinnett.

          The 6-4 lefty was a fifth-round pick by Kansas City in 2018 and made his big-league debut in 2023. He had two dozen games under his belt and set a team record by not allowing a hit by the first 25 batters he faced.

          Then he suffered a torn ACL with MCL damage while covering first in a September game that year, a situation that began a variety of contracts and options. He chose free agency, but was re-signed quickly and spent 2024 in the minors, in AA Northwest Arkansas and AAA Omaha. He went 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA, throwing 60.2 innings in 42 games.

          He was signed again by KC in January of 2025, and was 2-1 in 11 games at AAA Omaha with a 3.55 ERA, 18 strikeouts and six walks in 12.2 innings. He was signed by Atlanta on Sunday only a few hours after being released by Kansas City.