Pete Fairbanks

Pete Fairbanks, a Wisconsin native, grew up in St. Louis and played college ball at the University of Missouri. His father, Shane, was on the Mizzou baseball team in the 1980s, and his uncles, Rich and Andy. played football for the Tigers. Fairbanks turned professional as a ninth round draft pick of the Texas Rangers in 2015. He underwent a second Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in 2017, but recovered to make his big league debut with the Rangers in June 2019. Tampa Bay acquired him in a trade a month later, and Fairbanks went on to log 90 saves and average 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings over parts of seven seasons in the Rays’ bullpen. In December 2025, he signed a one-year contract with the Marlins as a free agent. His peers elected him to the MLBPA Executive Subcommittee as a Pension Committee Representative in December 2024.