Braden Looper

Braden LaVerne Looper (born October 28, 1974) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.

High school

Looper was a scholar athlete while a student at Mangum High School in Mangum, Oklahoma. He graduated in 1993 with four letters each in baseball and basketball, and two in football, while also a member of the National Honor Society.

College and Olympics

He focused on baseball while attending Wichita State University, and was inducted into their sports Hall of Fame in 2003. In 1996, he competed in the College World Series, and was a first-team All-American as a junior. He was also a member of the bronze medal-winning Team USA in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Major leagues

Looper was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals as the third pick in the first round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft. He made his major league debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 31, 1998, striking out the side in a relief appearance. After the 1998 season, he was traded to the Florida Marlins for shortstop Edgar Rentería.

Looper was inconsistent with the Marlins, working his way into the role of a closer. However, he had a penchant for blowing easy saves. Toward the end of the 2003 season, as the Marlins were in a pennant race that culminated in a World Series win, Looper faltered and was replaced as closer by Ugueth Urbina. Looper did get the save in the fourth game of the series against the Yankees.

In January 2004, Looper signed with the New York Mets as a free agent and had his...
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