Gulf Breeze High grad Ben Lively getting new chance with Cincinnati Reds

Bill Vilona

Special to the News Journal

Starting pitcher Ben Lively of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch in the first inning during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park on April 26, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Ben Lively is getting a new opportunity to return to Major League Baseball with the team that first launched his pro career.

Lively, 29, a Gulf Breeze High graduate, was signed Thursday by the Cincinnati Reds to a minor league contract. The deal includes an invitation to the Reds’ Major League spring training camp.

The Reds selected Lively, a right-handed pitcher, in the fourth round of the 2013 draft, following three seasons at the University of Central Florida.

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In 2014, he became the only local player to ever play for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos when Lively reached the Double-A level with the Reds organization. He made 13 starts for the Blue Wahoos in 2014, compiling a 3-6 record and 3.88 earned run average.

After that season, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, where he made his MLB debut on June 3, 2017. After time with the Phillies and Kansas City Royals, Lively has spent parts of the last three years in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO).

Ben Lively of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch in the top of the first inning against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on September 29, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

He made 36 starts for the Samsung Lions in the KBO. His 2021 season with the Lions was cut short by a shoulder injury which required surgery.

Now, he’s back at full strength and heading into a favorable situation with the Reds. Two former Blue Wahoos pitchers, Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle, were part of the Reds’ starting rotation in 2021, but there are competition spots available within the Reds roster as both a starter and reliever.

Lively has appeared in 26 MLB games with the Phillies and Kansas City Royals, making 20 starts. He has a 4.80 earned run average across 120 innings.

After a dominating high school career at Gulf Breeze, Lively was chosen in the 26th round of the 2010 MLB draft by the Cleveland Indians. He opted for the collegiate route at UCF and earned his bachelor’s degree at the school.

Bill Vilona is a retired Pensacola News Journal sports columnist and now senior writer for Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He can be reached at bvilona@bluewahoos.com