By DZ. Filed June 11, 2026.
The leader of this piece for the past several years, veteran relief pitcher Tayler Scott of South Africa, was released by the Atlanta Braves on May 16. We shall see if the 34-year-old resurfaces, or if this is it for his vagabond—but nonetheless notable—career. The first African to pitch in the major leagues or Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), Scott moved to the U.S. when he was 16 and was drafted out of an Arizona high school. Since then, he has played for 13 different MLB organizations. The right-hander also played in U.S. independent baseball and the previously mentioned season in Japan’s top league. The right-handed pitcher accrued 357 affiliated minor league appearances and another 125 in the majors. Whether he decides to continue or not, we celebrate a wonderful career of perseverance, highlighted by a 2.23 ERA in 62 appearances with the 88-win 2024 Houston Astros.
Key
Name (age*), organization, country, team.
*Age is as of Sept 1, 2026 (playing age this season).
Single-A (1)
David Matoma (20), Pittsburgh Pirates. Uganda. Bradenton Marauders.
Matoma served a brief demotion to the rookie league, appearing once with a hit, a walk, and a strikeout in 1.2 innings. He then returned to Bradenton, where he has continued to battle his control, walking seven in the 2.2 innings and four games since. In 13 innings and 14 games overall, he has an even 9.00 ERA with 22 walks and 14 strikeouts.
Rookie League, Dominican Complex Leagues (3)
The Dominican Summer League is now underway and in its second week of the season.
Allen Ajoti (22), Los Angeles Dodgers. Uganda. DSL LAD Bautista.
After two seasons in the DSL as a catcher-hitter, with intriguing power numbers, Ajoti transitioned this offseason to the mound. In his first two outings, he has allowed two hits, one walk, one hit batter, and three runs. That was all in his pitching debut; as he pitched one-third of an inning two days later and recorded the win.
Joseph Deng Thon (19), Los Angeles Dodgers. South Sudan/Uganda. DSL LAD Mega.
Deng, a right-handed pitcher born in Juba, South Sudan, debuted in the 2025 season with 22 walks in 3.2 innings pitched. He threw his first third of an inning of 2026 on June 4, hitting one and walking one, which resulted in a pair of earned runs.
Armstrong Muhoozi (19), Pittsburgh Pirates. Uganda. DSL Pirates Gold.
Muhoozi, repeating the Dominican Summer League, hit a single in the top of the first in his first at bat of the season, pulling a muscle in his leg on his way to the base. He is currently on the injured list.
Articles in This Year’s Series
April [link].
May [link].