Carter Baumler's young career comes full circle as Rangers battle the team that drafted him
Originally a draft pick of the Orioles, Baumler was acquired by Texas via the Rule 5 draft this offseason.
Texas Rangers relief pitcher Carter Baumler in action during the eighth inning of an opening-day baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola) (Chris Szagola/AP) BALTIMORE — The MLB debut was nerve-wracking. But it’s not like the nerves are calming down this week either.
Carter Baumler ’s next assignment is likely to come against the team that drafted and nurtured him for his first five professional seasons: Baltimore. “I just think it's really cool,” Baumler said. “I’ve still got a few friends over there, but I'm just really excited.
I spent my whole career trying to get here and I just think it’s cool that I’m here on the flip side. It’s not like I’m mad at them or anything. I’m super grateful for everything they did for me.
But, yeah, it would be crazy if it didn’t run through my mind [striking out the side]. ” The Rangers acquired Baumler in a trade with Pittsburgh during the Rule 5 draft , but Pittsburgh had selected him from the Baltimore organization for the Rangers. The Orioles drafted him in the fifth round of the COVID-shortened 2020 draft out of Dowling Catholic High School in Des Moines, Iowa, where he’d been classmates and friends with Caitlin Clark.