Windham High pitcher continues on path to major league baseball

By Ed Pierce

Brady Afthim’s first full season of minor league baseball has accelerated and now that he’s been promoted from Low-A Daytona in the Florida State League to the High-A Dayton Dragons of the Midwest League, he’s expecting even better results.

Brady Afthim of Windham pitches for the Dayton Dragons in 
a Midwest League minor league baseball game against the
Lansing Lugnuts on July 3. Afthim, a 13th round draft pick
of the Cincinnati Reds a year ago, was promoted from
low-A Daytona Beach to high-A Dayton by the Reds on
July 2. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE    

Afthim, a 2021 graduate of Windham High School, started playing baseball in the Windham Little League, and was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 13th round of the 2025 Major League Baseball draft. He briefly appeared in two games last September for Daytona Beach after four years of pitching in college baseball for the University of Connecticut Huskies.

His first appearance for Dayton came on July 3 against the Lansing Lugnuts where he pitched 2.2 innings in relief and was awarded the victory as Dayton won, 6-3. So far, Afthim has gotten into two games for the Dragons, pitching 5.2 innings and striking out five Midwest League opposing batters.

A right-handed hurler, Afthim closed out his college career ranking second overall in University of Connecticut history with 92 appearances over four seasons. He is tied for 8th place overall in UConn team history with 17 career saves and posted the lowest opponent batting average in Huskies’ history at just .211.

The Reds drafted Afthim for his blazing fastball which has been timed in the range of 93 to 95 mph, and he has touched 97 mph at times. Besides throwing a fastball, he also mixes in a changeup and a slider that he uses to offset his fastball.

His parents, Shelly and Phil Afthim, are well-known around Windham for their support of both Brady and his older brother Bryce, who also pitched for Windham High School and played in college for the University of Southern Maine.

According to Brady though, he’s expecting batters that he will face while on the mound at High-A Dayton to be much tougher than those he pitched to in the Florida State League.

“In Low-A hitters generally are aggressive so pitchers can use that to their advantage by expanding the strike zone, but I imagine they will be more selective meaning that pitchers have to be in the zone more,” he said.

Afthim says he’s not exactly sure why he was promoted to Dayton after he appeared in 17 games there this season compiling a record of 1-3 with a 2.33 ERA (Earned Run Average) but is happy to be moving up to another level in professional baseball.

“Whoever makes the final decision on that doesn’t give up all the details, but I’d imagine it came down to strike throwing,” Afthim said. “I did a good job in Daytona consistently being in the zone and being efficient.”

He said he’s unsure how he will be used by Manager Julio Morillo while pitching for Dayton.

“Earlier this year I was doing the high-leverage late inning role but then started to stretch my outings out so I’m not totally sure,” Afthim said. “I’d guess maybe a little of bit of both, but I’m cool with whatever. I like being in at the end when the game is on the line, but I also don’t mind being out there and pitching a little bit too.”

At Dayton, Afthim also will benefit from working with the Dragon’s pitching coach Willie Blair, who pitched for 12 seasons and nine different major league teams during his career.

Under the WHS varsity baseball coach at the time, Cody Dube, who also had grown up in Windham, was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles and played minor league baseball, Afthim said he learned valuable insights about the game and made the most of his opportunities while in high school.

He was honored as Maine Gatorade Player of the Year, was selected as the USA Today Player of the Year in Maine and was recognized as First Team All-Southern Maine Athletic Association as both a pitcher and a catcher. Afthim also won the John Winkin Award designating him as the top senior high school baseball player in Maine in 2021 and he was named as the recipient of the 2021 Mr. Baseball in Maine Award.

His 2026 season started for Afthim back in February when he joined the Reds for spring training in Arizona and made an appearance during a spring training game for Cincinnati against the Cleveland Guardians on March 22. <

Windham pitcher earns bullpen spot for Florida State League’s Daytona Beach Tortugas

By Ed Pierce

Windham’s Brady Afthim is yet another step closer in his quest to play Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds.

Brady Afthim of Windham pitches for the Daytona
Beach Tortugas during a Florida State League game
against Jupiter on April 2. Afthim was drafted by the
Cincinnati Reds last summer and is in his first full
season of playing professional baseball.  
PHOTO BY NADIA ZOMORODIAN/
DAYTONA BEAVCH NEWS-JOURNAL

After a solid showing during the Reds’ spring training in Arizona, Afthim, 23, was assigned to the Reds’ minor league team, the Daytona Beach Tortugas in the Florida State League, and appeared in the Tortugas’ first game of the season last week against Jupiter. He faced five batters and struck out two as the Tortugas defeated the Jupiter Hammerheads, 4-2.

A right-handed pitcher, Afthim signed with the Reds last summer for a $150,000 bonus after Cincinnati selected him in the 13th round of the 2025 MLB Draft last July. He graduated from Windham High School in 2021 and went on to a stellar career serving as the closer for the University of Connecticut Huskies.

While playing for Windham High under then WHS coach Cody Dube, Afthim racked up honors as Maine Gatorade Player of the Year, USA Today Player of the Year in Maine, and First Team All-Southern Maine Athletic Association as both a pitcher and a catcher. He also won the John Winkin Award designating him as the top senior high school baseball player in Maine in 2021 and he was named as the recipient of the 2021 Mr. Baseball in Maine Award.

The son of Shelly and Phil Afthim, Brady started playing baseball in the Windham Little League and his older brother Bryce, also pitched for Windham High School and played in college for the University of Southern Maine.

Throwing a fastball between 93 to 95 mph and touching 97 mph at times, Afthim can mix in a changeup when needed and he also keeps batters guessing by throwing a slider effectively.

He says he’s found playing professional baseball is different from college.

“The biggest adjustment for me, being someone who came out of college, has been the approach to pitching in games,” Afthim said. “In college the goal is to win. And priority number one for pitchers is to throw strikes, try to walk as little batters as possible, and be efficient. All things that make sense when you’re trying to win games. In the minor leagues, especially at the lower levels, it’s all development based.”

Afthim said he’s found that in minor league baseball, results come second to player development.

“So, for me, an example would be throwing my slider above 87 mph,” he said. “In college if I was throwing my slider above 87 mph and it was all over the place and my fastball was getting hit off the wall, that wouldn’t be seen as good. Seems pretty obvious. Here my goal is to throw that slider above 87 mph and it’s hit all over the place that would be seen as a step in the right direction. The mindset is eventually I’ll learn to throw that 87 mph slider in good spots, and then I’ll have a really good pitch to go to. So just understanding the process of developing into a better pitcher is the top priority and not necessarily my Earned Run Average or winning games is definitely a change for me.” 

Becoming an even better pitcher is something Afthim started working on after hearing his name called by the Reds in the draft. He initially spent time at Cincinnati’s training complex in Goodyear, Arizona last summer before being assigned to Daytona Beach in late August. Afthim appeared in two games near the end of the 2025 season for Daytona Beach, pitching 3 innings, striking out two and posting an EAR of 3.00.

The 2026 season started for Afthim in February, joining the Reds for spring training in Arizona and he even appeared in a spring training game for Cincinnati against the Cleveland Guardians on March 22. During that game, he faced five batters, throwing 23 pitches, 13 of which were strikes, and only allowing one hit – a home run by Cleveland’s Kyle Manzardo on a 93.1 mph fastball.

Now into the regular season, he’s been working with Tortugas’ pitching coach Jason Immekus to come up with some solid goals for him for the year.

“Obviously my goal is to stay healthy and just enjoy this whole process,” Afthim said. “It can be pretty challenging, but it’s been a blast so far and hopefully that continues.” <

Dream fulfilled: Afthim hears name called in 2025 MLB draft

By Ed Pierce

Ever since he was a young player and competing in Windham Little League games, Brady Afthim has clung to his dream of someday playing Major League Baseball. The next step in his quest became a reality on Monday when the Cincinnati Reds selected him in the 13th round of the 2025 MLB Draft with the 384th pick.

2021 Windham High grad Brady Afthim, who pitched in
college for the University of Connecticut, was drafted
in the 13th round by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2025
MLB Draft on Monday. He is now in Arizona to start
his professional career pitching for Cincinnati's
Rookie League team in Goodyear, Arizona.
PHOTO BY COLBY RUSH

A right-handed pitcher who dominated opponents while playing for Windham High School, Afthim, 22, was the closer for the University of Connecticut Huskies after graduating from WHS in 2021. He earned a baseball scholarship at UConn through hard work and dedication to improving his skills while playing at Windham High.

Under the tutelage of then-WHS Coach Cody Dube, who also had grown up in Windham been drafted and played in baseball’s minor leagues, Afthim made the most of his opportunity in high school. He was honored as Maine Gatorade Player of the Year, was USA Today Player of the Year in Maine, and was recognized as First Team All-Southern Maine Athletic Association as both a pitcher and a catcher. He also won the John Winkin Award designating him as the top senior high school baseball player in Maine in 2021 and he was named as the recipient of the 2021 Mr. Baseball in Maine Award.

A landscape architect major at UConn, Afthim showed promise as a freshman in 2022. He appeared in 22 games out of the bullpen for the Huskies and didn’t allow a run in 15 of his 22 outings while stranding 11 of 14 inherited runners. As a sophomore, Afthim held opponents to .205 batting average while making 26 appearances for UConn, including retiring all six batters that he faced to clinch the Big East Conference regular season title at Creighton University and then pitching a scoreless inning against Georgetown in the Big East Conference Championship Game.

By the time his junior college season arrived in 2024, Afthim drew the attention of professional scouts and was honored as a First Team All-Big East selection. He finished second in the Big East Conference with 8 saves and struck out 27 batters in 25 1/3 innings pitched. His 2.29 Earned Run Average was fifth overall in the Big East that season and he was credited with a save in the NCAA Norman Regional at No. 9 Oklahoma and then pitched a career-high 3.2 innings at No. 8 Florida State in the NCAA Super Regionals.

This year as a senior, Afthim closed out his college career as second in UConn history with 92 appearances. He was tied for 8th place overall in team history with 17 career saves and he posted the lowest opponent batting average in Huskies’ history at just .211. Afthim also had a career-low 2.45 ERA, earned nine saves and had two wins as the team’s closer. In 22 appearances, he racked up 53 strikeouts.

Signing a contract with the Reds, Afthim left Wednesday to join Cincinnati's Rookie League team in Goodyear, Arizona, and the first step on his road to the major leagues.

The Reds drafted Afthim for his talent as his fastball has been timed in the range of 93 to 95 mph and has touched 97 mph at times. Besides throwing a fastball, he also mixes in a changeup and throws a slider that he uses to offset his fastball.

His parents, Shelly and Phil Afthim, are well-known around town for their support of both Brady and his older brother Bryce, who also pitched for Windham High School and played in college for the University of Southern Maine.

“We are all incredibly proud of Brady’s accomplishment in being drafted,” said Shelly Afthim, Brady’s mother. “He has put in a lot of time and effort to reach this goal, and it hasn’t been without sacrifices and challenges along the way. To watch him not only set a goal, work toward that goal for years, then to watch him negotiate for himself and knowing his worth on the day of the draft was really amazing to watch as a parent. He has a lot of support from family, friends and coaches, but he earned this through his own efforts.” <