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Ben Cleaver is sophomore left-handed pitcher for Kentucky who appeared in only six games in 2024 and had a 4.26 earned run average in 6 1/3 innings.
He was ranked as the 21st best southpaw in his recruiting class by Prep Baseball Report but only got limited time on UK’s College World Series team last season.
This year he is 6-3 in 77 innings with a 3.39 ERA. He has 87 strikeouts and has been a consistent pitcher for UK going into postseason play.
Former Kentucky coach Keith Madison says Cleaver reminds him of former UK pitcher Scott Downs, the 1994 Kentucky Mr. Baseball out of Pleasure Ridge Park. He was picked in the 12 round of the 1994 major league baseball draft but came to UK and became a third-round pick in the 1997 draft. He played for the Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago White Sox.
“Ben is very similar to Scott,” said Madison. “Scott was a slender lefty who had a great curveball just like Ben does. Scott was an incredible competitor and Ben is a great competitor.
“Ben has a good fastball but is sneaky fast with that great spin that makes it look like it is coming in even faster than it is. I like the way he pitches up in the zone. He can elevate the ball and his curveball helps that. He is one of the most underrated players on the team.
“If I had Ben Cleaver I would want him to pitch the biggest games of the year. I think he believes he can win and do tremendous things. Cleaver’s curve is a big hammer and he’s just going to keep getting better.”
