Brandon Bantz (born January 7, 1987) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played one game in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners in 2013.
Career
Amateur
A native of Arlington, Texas, Bantz attended Mansfield High School where he was teammates with Jordan Walden. He played college baseball at Dallas Baptist University. In 2008, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League.
Seattle Mariners
Bantz was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 30th round, with the 893rd overall selection, of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft.
Bantz was called up to the major leagues for the first time on June 5, 2013. Bantz appeared in one game for the Mariners, starting at catcher in his only appearance. At the plate, he faced Andy Pettitte twice, grounding out once and striking out once before Endy Chávez replaced him as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning. Behind the plate, he caught Joe Saunders, Danny Farquhar and Óliver Pérez. He allowed stolen bases to Robinson Canó and Jayson Nix. Bantz was designated for assignment by the Mariners on June 11. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers on June 13. Bantz spent the remainder of the season with the Double-A Jackson Generals Tacoma, slashing .219/.282/.307 with three home runs and 15 RBI.
Bantz was released by the Mariners on March 27, 2014.
Washington Nationals
On April 1, 2014, Bantz signed as a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals. In 22 games for the Double-A Harrisburg Senators, he slashed .271/.320/.343 with no home runs and six RBI. Bantz was released by the Nationals organization on May 23.
Miami Marlins
On January 19, 2015, Bantz signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins organization. In 68 games split between the Double-A Jacksonville Suns and Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs, he batted a combined .245/.318/.359 with four home runs and 25 RBI. Bantz elected free agency following the season on November 6.