How Vanderbilt Experience is Helping Devin Futrell Throughout Minor League Career

When Devin Futrell went on the Injured List for the Salem Red Sox earlier this season, it was Deja vu of sorts for the former Vanderbilt left hander.

Futrell was sidelined due to the same injury this season as he was in his junior year at Vanderbilt. He had the same feeling, too.

“When you’re hurt, you’re kind of just itching and get back out there,” Futrell told Vandy on SI. “I just kinda had to work my way back.”

The former Vanderbilt left hander—who was selected in the 10th round of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox—was discouraged upon receiving the news that he’d have to miss time as a college junior and in his first season of pro ball, but in a way his first injury situation aided him in the second one.

As a result of what Futrell did in his final college season, he had perspective of the magnitude of his injury and what he had to do in order to get back on the mound. Just go in, rehab, ramp up and it’ll work out like it did last time.

“[The first injury] just kinda reminds you that this isn't the end of the world,” Futrell said. “I was gonna miss two weeks, three weeks and then get back to throwing, so I kinda based my rehab this year based on what I did last year.”

Futrell’s first rehab resulted in him coming back for outings against Tennessee and Louisville, this one he’s got a 2.48 ERA through 10 starts and is starting to feel like himself again.

Perhaps Futrell’s road here wasn’t the one he thought he’d take after becoming one of the SEC’s premier Sunday starters as a sophomore and ultimately falling out of the rotation as a junior, but there doesn’t appear to be any regret in his head in regards to how his career played out.

“I give a lot of credit to coach Corbin and [Scott Brown] just because they are the ones who helped me develop not just as a baseball player, but as a human,” Futrell said. “I think them two were. Big parts of my development and the person I am today.”

Futrell never got to experience an Omaha run as a member of Corbin’s program, but he’d still endorse it to a high schooler that was in the position he was in. As an 18 year old, Futrell believed that he could be a pro. He took the intel he had and used it to go to Vanderbilt alongside a crop of starting pitchers that had pro aspirations.

Now he looks back and is one of five Vanderbilt pitchers selected in last summer’s MLB draft. Carter Holton is a Brave. Bryce Cunningham is a Yankee. Andrew Dutkanych is a Cardinal. Greysen Carter is a Yankee. Futrell is a Red Sox. That means something to him.

Futrell may not see any of those four guys in the league he’s currently in, but he isn’t forgetting his connection to them anytime soon.”

“We all got to campus same time freshman year we all kind of worked our way up,” Futrell said. “It was pretty cool to see us kind of grow together and develop together at Vanderbilt and now us doing our respective things in pro ball.”