Perhaps more so than any of the other amateur drafts in the four major North American professional sports leagues, the MLB Draft is a complete and total crapshoot. There are very rarely " sure things" at any position, and one recent first-round pick of the Atlanta Braves is learning that lesson the hard way.
After being selected with the No. 24 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, former Braves prospect Ryan Cusick is now a man without a home after being designated for assignment on Monday. The Detroit Tigers announced that the former Wake Forest Demon Deacons standout pitcher had been sent packing to open up a roster spot for Parker Meadows to return from the disabled list.
OF Parker Meadows has been activated off of the 60-day injured list.
— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) June 2, 2025
INF/OF Justyn-Henry Malloy was optioned to Triple-A Toledo following yesterday’s game.
To make room for Meadows on the 40-man roster, RHP Ryan Cusick has been designated for assignment.
Like any first-round draft pick, Cusick surely had envisioned his career going in a different direction than it has. While he did receive a $2.7 million signing bonus for putting pen to paper on the contract he signed with the Braves in 2021, he was shipped out of the organization less than a year later as part of a trade that brought veteran first baseman Matt Olson to Atlanta from the Oakland Athletics.
Cusick stuck with the Athletics' organization through the start of the 2025 season. However, his lack of success at the minor league level during that time ultimately led to the franchise designating him for assignment on May 27, 2025.
The former top draft pick by the Braves was not on waivers for long as the Tigers claimed him on May 30. That partnership was over before it ever really had a chance to get going, though, as Cusick was, once again, designated for assignment after making just one appearance for Detroit's Triple-A affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens.
In five seasons in the minor leagues, Cusick has a win/loss record of 10-19 with an ERA of 5.20 which isn't great no matter how you slice it.
At 25 years old, Cusick will likely get another opportunity to latch on with a franchise at some point. The allure of being a former first-round pick sticks with you even if the first few years of your professional career don't go as planned.
With that being said, though, if the right-handed pitcher wants for baseball to be what pays his bills moving forward, he would be wise to make the most of whatever opportunity may come next. After several failed endeavors elsewhere, teams will begin to lose faith in the issue being the system rather than the player.