Former Major League pitcher Tony Saunders has joined The BATT Academy as a pitching instructor.  Saunders is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and a graduate of Glen Burnie High School.  Tony signed as a free-agent out of high-school with the Florida Marlins in 1992.  Climbing through the minor league system, Tony made the opening day roster for the Marlins in 1997. 

Tony, a left-handed pitcher, made 22 starts during the regular season that year, helping the Marlins earn a Wild-Card playoff berth.  In the 1997 playoffs, Tony started game 3 of the League Championship Series against the Braves, which the Marlins won en route to clinching the pennant.  The Marlins went on to face the Cleveland Indians in the World Series, with Saunders making the start in game 4.  Saunders took the loss in game 4, but the Marlins went on to win game 7 and clinch one of the most memorable World Series in baseball history. 

That off-season, Saunders was the first pick taken by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 1997 expansion draft.   Tony’s life and career took an unexpected turn when he broke his arm pitching in a game against the Texas Rangers in 1999.  During a rehab assignment in 2000, Saunders broke that same pitching arm again.  This unfortunately forced his retirement at the age of 26. 

In 2005 Saunders attempted a comeback with the Baltimore Orioles but ultimately chose to remain retired. 

Tony currently still resides in Maryland and is well-known as one of the top pitching instructors in the area.