Benjamin Keith Casparius Bio
Benjamin Keith Casparius is an American professional baseball pitcher who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball. Born on February 11, 1999, he emerged as a notable pitching prospect after a successful amateur career in Connecticut where he set the state record for hits. Casparius made his MLB debut in August 2024 and quickly became part of Dodgers history, contributing to their 2024 World Series championship team. He married Erin Matson, a field hockey coach at North Carolina.
Early Life and Background
Casparius grew up in Westport, Connecticut, where he attended Staples High School. During his senior year in 2017, he established the Connecticut state record for career hits while leading his team to a state championship title. His exceptional performance earned him recognition as the Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year, establishing him as one of the top high school players in the region.
His family background includes his father, Ben Casparius, who has served as a long-time youth baseball coach in the Westport area, providing early instruction and guidance in the sport. This familial involvement in baseball helped shape his development as a player from a young age.
Path to Professional Baseball
Following high school graduation, Casparius continued his baseball career at the collegiate level. He played two seasons at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he served as a two-way player, contributing both on the mound and at the plate. As a freshman, he demonstrated impressive pitching ability with a 1.69 earned run average across 10 appearances while also collecting 18 hits and 15 runs batted in, helping the Tar Heels reach the College World Series.
After his sophomore season at North Carolina, Casparius transferred to the University of Connecticut Huskies for his junior year. Due to transfer waiver complications and the cancellation of the 2020 season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, he did not compete that year. Instead, he played in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League for the New Britain Bees to stay sharp. Although he hoped to be selected in the 2020 MLB Draft, he went undrafted due to the shortened draft format and returned to UConn for the 2021 season, where he posted an 8-5 record with a 4.03 earned run average across 15 starts.
Benjamin Keith Casparius Career
Minor League Development (2021-2024)
The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Casparius in the fifth round of the 2021 MLB Draft and signed him to a contract with a $247,500 signing bonus on July 26. He began his professional career with the Arizona Complex League Dodgers and later appeared in five games with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, allowing only two earned runs in six innings of work.
During the 2022 season, Casparius split time between the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes and the Great Lakes Loons, making 27 appearances with 16 starts. He logged 89 and two-thirds innings but struggled to a 6.42 earned run average. The following year brought more consistency as he split the season between Great Lakes and the Tulsa Drillers, recording a 6-7 mark with a 5.27 earned run average across 26 appearances including 21 starts. After the 2023 campaign, he continued his development in the Arizona Fall League with the Glendale Desert Dogs.
Los Angeles Dodgers Breakthrough (2024)
Casparius opened the 2024 season with Tulsa, where he made five starts and posted a 3.32 earned run average before earning a promotion to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Baseball Club. At the minor league’s top level, he continued his strong performance, compiling a 4-3 record with a 3.36 earned run average and 72 strikeouts across 16 games with 14 starts.
The Dodgers promoted Casparius to the major leagues for the first time on August 18, 2024, though he was optioned back to Oklahoma City three days later without appearing in a game. He received a second promotion on August 31 and made his MLB debut that same day in relief against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He worked a scoreless inning and earned his first career win. His first career strikeout came against Nolan Jones of the Colorado Rockies on September 22. In total, Casparius appeared in three games during the regular season, pitching eight and one-third innings with a 2-0 record, allowing nine hits and two runs while recording 12 strikeouts.
Dodgers Championship Run (2024 Postseason)
Although initially left off the postseason roster, Casparius was added during the Division Series when pitcher Michael Grove suffered an injury. He did not appear in the Division Series but made a significant impact in the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets. He pitched four and one-third scoreless innings in the clinching sixth game, earning the victory as the Dodgers advanced to the World Series.
In the 2024 World Series against the New York Yankees, Casparius started the fourth game at Yankee Stadium. He allowed one run on one hit and three walks across two innings. That appearance marked his only appearance in the series, which the Dodgers won in five games to capture the championship, earning Casparius a World Series ring in his rookie season.
2025 Season Performance
Casparius made the Dodgers opening day roster for the 2025 season and emerged as an important member of the bullpen, providing multiple innings of work when needed. His versatility proved valuable during the early months of the season. In June, following several pitching injuries to the starting staff, Casparius was moved into the starting rotation to fill the void.
The transition to a starting role proved challenging for Casparius, and after approximately one month in the rotation, he returned to his bullpen role. The Dodgers optioned him back to Triple-A Oklahoma City on September 9. Across 46 major league games during the 2025 season, he compiled a 7-5 record with a 4.64 earned run average and 71 strikeouts. He also made five appearances for Oklahoma City, allowing two runs in five and one-third innings. Although he was on the active roster for the 2025 NLCS, he did not appear in any games during the postseason.
Career MLB Statistics
Through April 8, 2026, Casparius has appeared in 49 major league games spanning his rookie season and 2025 campaign. He has compiled a career win-loss record of 9-6 with a 4.52 earned run average and 86 strikeouts. His career includes contributions to a World Series championship, a victory in the NLCS clinching game, and a starting assignment in the World Series during his debut season.
Personal Life
Casparius is in a relationship with Erin Matson, who serves as the head coach of the field hockey program at North Carolina, his alma mater. The couple has been together since his collegiate years at Chapel Hill. Casparius has maintained connections to his Connecticut roots, where his father has continued coaching youth baseball in the Westport community.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season marked Casparius’s first full major league campaign, though it came with challenges and adjustments. Making the Dodgers opening day roster represented a significant achievement following his mid-season call-up the previous year. His early-season role as a multi-inning reliever suited his skill set well, and he provided valuable depth to a bullpen that dealt with injuries throughout the year.
The move to the starting rotation in June tested his versatility but exposed limitations in his ability to handle a starter’s workload over multiple innings across consecutive games. The transition proved brief, and his return to the bullpen in July allowed him to return to a more comfortable role. His late-season option to the minors in September did not diminish his value as a potential contributor down the stretch and in future seasons.