Andrew Saalfrank banned for one year for betting on baseball

Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Andrew Saalfrank was one of five players suspended by MLB for betting on baseball. The others include major league players Tucupita Marcano (San Diego Padres infielder/outfielder) and Michael Kelly (Oakland Athletics pitcher), and minor league players Jay Groome (Padres pitcher) and José Rodríguez (Philadelphia Phillies infielder).

Below is the full text of the Saalfrank portion of the MLB press release. The information indicates that the bets took place in 2021 and 2022. The total amount of baseball bets was less than $500, and Saalfrank did not appear in any of the games he bet on.

The left-handed reliever was called up in September 2023 and made 10 scoreless appearances. He appeared in 11 postseason games, completing 5.2 innings and allowing two earned runs. Saalfrank appeared in just two games earlier this season, allowing four runs before being sent to Triple-A Reno.

Andrew Saalfrank, pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the minor leagues was suspended for one year for violating MLB sports betting rules and policies, including Rule 21(d)(1).

Betting data shows that from September 9, 2021, through October 29, 2021, and on March 9, 2022, Saalfrank placed all of his MLB-related bets, including four bets involving the Diamondbacks’ Major League team, 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.

· Saalfrank’s MLB wagers included parlay bets that sometimes included multiple MLB-related and sometimes MLB-related and non-MLB-related legs. Saalfrank’s bets varied, including who would win the game, the number of strikeouts a pitcher would have, or whether more or fewer than a certain number of runs would be scored in the game.

· Saalfrank did not attend any of the games he bet on, nor did he place any bets on his team. There is no evidence – and Saalfrank denies it – that the results of the baseball games he bet on were manipulated, influenced or tampered with in any way.

You can read the full text of the MLB announcement regarding the other players here.

The MLB was rocked by a betting scandal involving Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani’s personal translator. Ippei Mizuhara allegedly stole $16 million from Ohtani to pay off his gambling debts. Federal authorities cleared Ohtani of any knowledge or involvement in Mizuhara’s gambling and theft. You can read about it on Sports Illustrated.