Former Brewers farmhand set to spend 2026 season in Japan

Back in 2019, the Milwaukee Brewers selected shortstop Cam Devanney out of Elon University in the 15th round of the MLB draft. An under-the-radar draft selection at the time, Devanney demonstrated a strong defensive acumen and good bat-to-ball skills, as evidenced by his .335 batting average and 36 strikeouts in 255 plate appearances in his final year at Elon, when the Brewers added him to their farm system six years ago.

Following his selection in the 2019 draft, Devanney impressed during the second half of the summer, dominating the competition in Rookie Ball. After the 2020 minor league season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Devanney made the jump to Double-A in his second season of professional baseball in 2021. Understandably, it took him some time to adjust to the strong competition in the Southern League, and in 2021 he slashed just .175/.269/.261 with 15 extra-base hits in 87 games.

However, the subsequent season, Devanney was back with the Biloxi Shuckers to start the year, and his familiarity with Double-A pitching paid off to say the least. The now-25-year-old cracked 20 homers and 28 doubles in 115 games with the Shuckers before being promoted to Triple-A Nashville for the final three weeks of the season. His success at the plate continued at the top level of the minor leagues for the rest of the 2022 season and the 2023 campaign as well. In 2023, what would end up being his last season in the Brewers' organization, Devanney slashed .271/.362/.461 with 11 homers, good for a wRC+ of 110.

Former Brewers farmhand, Cam Devanney, signs with Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan

Despite putting together strong 2022 and 2023, Devanney, who was quickly approaching minor league free agency, was traded by the Brewers to the Kansas City Royals in a package that landed Milwaukee reliever Taylor Clarke in December of 2023. Before making his MLB debut, Devanney was traded again, this time to the Pittsburgh Pirates in July of this year, in exchange for Adam Frazier.

Devanney made his MLB debut with the Pirates on August 31 of this past year, and went on to appear in 14 games for Pittsburgh during the final month of the season. However, his cup of coffee in the majors didn't go as planned, with just five hits in 36 at-bats.

Occupying a spot on the Pirates 40-man roster without a clear role on their big league roster, Devanney was a non-tender candidate this offseason. Rather than face that fate, the now 28-year-old Devanney is opting for a new opportunity in Japan, where he will join the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the 2026 season as initially reported by Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on the social media platform X.

Hoping to build off of the success that he has enjoyed at the Triple-A level throughout his minor league career, a strong season in NPB in 2026 could make Devanney an interesting free agent shortstop a year from now.