Diamondbacks player Saalfrank suspended by MLB for sports betting

Andrew Saalfrank, a relief pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks and currently playing in the minor leagues, is one of four players who have been suspended for one year for illegal sports betting, the league announced on Tuesday.

MLB has permanently banned San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano for betting on his former team and suspended four other players for a year after the players were found to have placed independent bets with a legal sportsbook.

Marcano appears to be the first active major league player to be banned under the sport’s gambling regulations since New York Giants outfielder Jimmy O’Connell in 1924. Pete Rose, baseball’s leading hitter during his playing career, agreed to a lifetime ban in 1989 after an investigation concluded he had bet on Cincinnati Reds games while managing the team.

Another major league player, Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly, was suspended for a year on Tuesday for betting on baseball in the minor leagues. In addition, minor league players Jay Groome of San Diego, José Rodríguez of Philadelphia and Saalfrank were suspended for a year for betting on major league games.

What did MLB’s investigation into Andrew Saalfrank’s sports betting find?

Saalfrank has only appeared in two games for Arizona this year and is pitching in the minors. Last year, he played in 10 regular-season games and 11 playoff games, posting a 1.94 WHIP in 5.2 postseason innings, including three World Series games.

MLB discovered that Saalfrank had been committed to the D-backs before being called up to the major league roster and when he played in the minor league system from 2021 to 2022.

He did not bet on the minor league team he was assigned to during that time period. There is no evidence that he manipulated his bets, and he denied that he attempted to change the outcome of any of the games he bet on.

He violated Rule 21(d)(1) of the MLB Sports Betting Policy:

“Betting data shows that from September 9, 2021 through October 29, 2021 and on March 9, 2022, Saalfrank placed 29 baseball bets, including 28 MLB-related bets and one parlay bet on college baseball games while on a minor league contract with the Diamondbacks,” the press release states. “Saalfrank placed all of his MLB-related bets, including four bets with the He was played in the Diamondbacks’ Major League while on the injured list of the Diamondbacks’ Low-A affiliate team.

“In total, Saalfrank wagered $445.87 on baseball, with $444.07 of that on MLB-related bets (an average of about $15.86 per bet) and a net loss of $272.64 on MLB bets. Ultimately, Saalfrank won only five of his 28 MLB-related bets and lost his college bet for $1.80.”

MLB bans five players for sports betting

The league said it was informed of the betting activity by a legal sportsbook. None of the penalized players participated in the games they bet on, and all of the players denied to MLB that they had any inside information relevant to their bets or the games they bet on – statements that MLB said are consistent with data it received from the sportsbook.

“Strict enforcement of Major League Baseball’s rules and policies on gambling behavior is a critical component of our most important priority: preserving the integrity of our games for fans,” Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “The longstanding prohibition on betting on Major League Baseball games has been a core principle for over a century. We have made it clear that the privilege of playing baseball comes with the responsibility to refrain from certain behaviors that are legal for other people to engage in.”

Marcano had placed 387 baseball bets, including 231 MLB-related bets, totaling over $150,000 between October 16, 2022, and November 1, 2023. The league says 25 of those bets involved wagers on Pittsburgh Pirates games while he was on the team’s major league roster.

However, he did not play in any of those games as he was on the injured list after suffering a season-ending knee injury. During that time, he received medical treatment at PNC Park. Marcano bet almost exclusively on the outcome of games and lost all of his parlay bets involving the Pirates, winning only 4.3% of all his MLB-related bets.

Major League Rule 21, posted in every clubhouse, states that wagering on baseball games in which a player, umpire, league official or team employee is not required to act will result in a one-year suspension. Wagering on games in which the person is required to act will result in a lifetime suspension.

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