Andrew Vaughn Bio
Andrew Clayton Vaughn (born April 3, 1998) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago White Sox, where he debuted in 2021 after being selected third overall in the 2019 MLB draft. Vaughn played college baseball for the California Golden Bears and is a former Golden Spikes Award winner, one of the most prestigious individual honors in American amateur baseball.
A right-handed hitting first baseman, Vaughn was long considered one of the top hitting prospects in the game. He has developed into a power-hitting corner infielder whose career has included a trade and a strong late-season resurgence with a new organization.
Early Life and Background
Andrew Clayton Vaughn was born on April 3, 1998, in Santa Rosa, California. He grew up in the same wine-country community and attended Maria Carrillo High School, where he starred for the school’s baseball team. Even as a teenager, he showed a rare combination of hitting ability and pitching talent, batting .380 with 29 doubles, three triples, one home run, 76 runs batted in, 49 walks, and only 15 strikeouts in 332 at-bats. On the mound, he posted a 17–6 win–loss record with a 2.05 earned run average and 166 strikeouts.
His two-way performance at Maria Carrillo High School made him one of the most heavily recruited players in California. After completing high school, Vaughn committed to the University of California, Berkeley, choosing to remain in state for his college career. He would go on to become one of the most decorated amateur players in the country during his three seasons in Berkeley.
Path to Baseball
Vaughn enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, where he played college baseball for the California Golden Bears. As a freshman in 2017, he played first base and also made ten appearances as a pitcher, hitting 12 home runs while batting .349/.414/.555. His strong first season earned him the Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Year Award, and he also played collegiate summer baseball that year for the Victoria HarbourCats of the West Coast League.
His breakout came in 2018, his sophomore year, when he hit 23 home runs while batting .402/.531/.819. Perfect Game/Rawlings named him their National Player of the Year, and he swept conference and national honors, winning the Pac-12 Conference Baseball Player of the Year Award and the prestigious Golden Spikes Award. After the 2018 season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League. In 2019, his junior year, he hit .374/.539/.704 with 15 home runs and 50 RBIs in 52 games, cementing his status as the top hitter available in his draft class.
Andrew Vaughn Career
Early Career (2019–2020)
Considered a top prospect for the 2019 Major League Baseball draft, Vaughn was selected by the Chicago White Sox with the third overall pick. He was one of seven Cal teammates selected in the same draft, reflecting the strength of that Golden Bears program. Vaughn signed with the White Sox for $7.2 million and was first assigned to the Rookie-level Arizona League White Sox.
After hitting .600/.625/.933 with a home run, two doubles, and four RBIs in three Arizona League games, Vaughn was promoted to the Kannapolis Intimidators of the Class A South Atlantic League. With Kannapolis, he batted .253/.388/.410 with two home runs, seven doubles, 11 RBIs, and 14 runs scored in 23 games, earning another promotion to the Winston-Salem Dash of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League, where he batted .252/.349/.411. On October 10, 2019, he was selected for the United States national baseball team in the 2019 WBSC Premier 12 tournament.
Chicago White Sox Era (2021–2025)
The White Sox invited Vaughn to spring training as a non-roster player in 2021. Following an injury to left fielder Eloy Jiménez, the club began experimenting with Vaughn in left field, and he was added to the 40-man roster in time for Opening Day. Vaughn made his MLB debut on April 2, 2021, as the starting left fielder against the Los Angeles Angels. He hit his first major league home run on May 12, 2021, off J. A. Happ of the Minnesota Twins, and finished his rookie year hitting .235 in 127 games with 15 home runs and 48 RBIs.
In 2022, Vaughn batted .271/.321/.429 while seeing time in right field, where his defensive metrics struggled. He continued to develop as a power-hitting corner player for the White Sox over the following seasons. By 2025, however, his production had dipped significantly. In 48 games that year, 31 at first base and 17 as designated hitter, he batted .189/.218/.314 with 5 home runs and 19 RBIs, and on May 23, 2025, the White Sox optioned him to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights.
Milwaukee Brewers Era (2025–Present)
On June 13, 2025, the Chicago White Sox traded Vaughn to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for pitcher Aaron Civale and cash considerations, with the cash included to cover the difference between Civale’s and Vaughn’s salaries. The Brewers immediately optioned Vaughn to their Triple-A Nashville Sounds, where he batted .259 with seven extra-base hits and 16 RBIs in 16 games.
On July 7, 2025, Vaughn was promoted to the Brewers’ active roster to take the place of the injured Rhys Hoskins. His first 15 games with the club were highly successful, including five home runs and 21 RBIs, as he credited the improved performance to better swing discipline. The Brewers had told him he would not play if he continued chasing bad pitches, and he responded emphatically. In 64 games with the Brewers in 2025, Vaughn slashed .308/.375/.493 with 9 home runs and 46 RBIs, providing a strong finish to the season and laying the foundation for his role with the club moving forward.
Notable Events and Milestones
Vaughn’s most notable career milestones include winning the 2018 Golden Spikes Award as the top amateur baseball player in the United States, being selected third overall in the 2019 MLB draft, hitting his first major league home run on May 12, 2021, and enjoying a transformative late-2025 run with the Milwaukee Brewers that revived his career trajectory. Through June 20, 2026, his MLB career totals include a .257 batting average, 88 home runs, and 359 runs batted in.
Andrew Vaughn Career Wins
Andrew Vaughn’s career has been defined more by individual hitting accomplishments and prospect honors than by major championship wins at the professional level. His most celebrated achievement remains the 2018 Golden Spikes Award, which recognized him as the top amateur baseball player in the country during his sophomore season at the University of California, Berkeley.
Other Wins & Performances
Beyond the Golden Spikes Award, Vaughn collected several other major amateur honors, including the Perfect Game/Rawlings National Player of the Year award in 2018, the Pac-12 Conference Baseball Player of the Year Award, and the Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Year Award in 2017. He also represented the United States in the 2019 WBSC Premier 12 tournament.
Andrew Vaughn Family
Personal Life
Andrew Vaughn was born and raised in Santa Rosa, California, where he attended Maria Carrillo High School before continuing his baseball career at the University of California, Berkeley. Public information about his immediate family members, marital status, and children is not consistently documented in verified sources.
2025 Season Performance
Vaughn’s 2025 season was effectively a story of two halves. He began the year with the Chicago White Sox, where a slow start at the plate led to his option to Triple-A Charlotte in late May. Across 48 games with the White Sox, he batted .189/.218/.314 with 5 home runs and 19 RBIs, a stark contrast to the prospect pedigree that had defined his career.
His midseason trade to the Milwaukee Brewers on June 13, 2025, in exchange for Aaron Civale and cash considerations, marked a turning point. After a brief stint at Triple-A Nashville, where he batted .259 with seven extra-base hits and 16 RBIs in 16 games, he was promoted on July 7 to replace the injured Rhys Hoskins. He thrived in Milwaukee, crediting improved swing discipline and the club’s clear messaging about chasing pitches.
Across 64 games with the Brewers in 2025, Vaughn slashed .308/.375/.493 with 9 home runs and 46 RBIs, signaling a genuine offensive resurgence. Entering 2025–2026 and beyond, he is expected to play a central role in the Brewers’ lineup, with renewed confidence and a clear role at first base or designated hitter.
