Brennan Boesch

Brennan Boesch

Brennan Boesch of the Detroit Tigers in a game against the Baltimore Orioles on April 7, 2011
Cincinnati Reds – No. 27
Outfielder
Born: April 12, 1985
Santa Monica, California
Bats: Left Throws: Left
MLB debut
April 23, 2010 for the Detroit Tigers
Career statistics
(through April 27, 2015)
Batting average .255
Home runs 47
Runs batted in 190
Teams

Brennan Philip Boesch (born April 12, 1985) is an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is 6' 4" and weighs 235 pounds. He made his major league debut in 2010 for the Detroit Tigers and won the American League Rookie of the Month Award the first two full months he was in the major leagues.[1] In 2013 he played for the New York Yankees.

High school career

Boesch played high school baseball at Harvard-Westlake School in North Hollywood, Los Angeles.[2][3] As a junior, Baseball America ranked him one of the top 25 prospects in the country.[4] He won the World Wood Bat Championship as a member of Team Baseball America, was selected Best Hitter at the Area Code Games, Best Power Hitter at the Team One Nationals and won the Daily News Invitational Home Run Derby. In his senior year he batted .490 with seven home runs and was selected First Team All-CIF and a First Team High School All-American for the All-American Game.[4]

College career

On the day University of California coaches came to scout him, Boesch swung at only three pitches – all for home runs. Highly recruited by professional scouts and colleges, Boesch chose the University of California, Berkeley, where he hit the ball out of the park in his first college at bat. Boesch played three years of college baseball at Berkeley from 2004–06. He was awarded All-Pac-10 first team honors as a sophomore center fielder.[5] He was the winner of the 2005 Clint Evans Award as the team's best hitter and co-winner of the team award for most valuable player.[5]

Professional career

Minor Leagues

Boesch playing for West Michigan in 2007

Following his junior season, he was drafted in the third round of 2006 Major League Baseball Draft by the Detroit Tigers.[6]

Boesch began his minor league career in 2006 with the short season Oneonta Tigers, where he was a NY-Penn League All-Star. With the Single-A West Michigan Whitecaps, in 2007, Boesch led all of Single A in RBIs and was third in hits. With the Double-A Erie SeaWolves, Boesch led the Eastern League in home runs (28) and won the MILB Round Trippers Award for leading all of AA in home runs, en route to his selection by Baseball America as Best Power Prospect AA. With the AA Seawolves, Boesch was named the Seawolves' Most Valuable Player, League Mid-Season All-Star, Post-Season All-Star, led the league in total bases and extra base hits. He finished fourth in runs scored and third in RBIs. Boesch also won a Gold Glove as he led the league with 15 outfield assists. Boesch was added to the Tigers 40-man roster and started the 2010 season with the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens. After winning Tigers Minor League Player of the Month in his first month in AAA, Boesch was called to the Major Leagues on April 23, 2010.[7]

Detroit Tigers

2010

Boesch as a rookie at Dodger Stadium

The Tigers called up Boesch from the Toledo Mud Hens to replace the injured Carlos Guillén on April 23, 2010.[8] Boesch made his major league debut the same day in a game against the Texas Rangers. Boesch hit a double off the left-field wall on the first pitch in his first major league at-bat.[9]

Boesch hit his first major league home run—a grand slam off Los Angeles Angels pitcher Joel Piñeiro—on April 30. Coming in the same inning as Scott Sizemore's first career home run, it was the first time two Tigers had hit their first career home runs in the same inning since Pop Dillon and Kid Elberfeld did it in 1901.[10]

Boesch was named the American League Rookie of the Month for May and June 2010[11][12] and Tigers Player of the Month in June. In his rookie season Boesch topped all American League rookies with 14 home runs and 67 RBIs. He finished fifth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting.[13]

2011

After placing fifth in American League Rookie of the Year voting, Boesch's 2011 campaign began with him earning a starting position in the Tigers outfield. He started the season strong, leading the American League in June with 41 hits and a .380 batting average, but after establishing career bests with 75 runs scored, 121 hits, 16 home runs, and a .283 batting average, Boesch's season ended when he suffered a torn ligament in his hand in early August. It was the first time in his baseball career that Brennan had been sidelined by a serious injury.

2012

His 2011–12 off-season focused on a long post-surgery rehabilitation, and Boesch started the 2012 season slowly. He had his best month in July, when he hit .295, with 4 home runs and 17 RBIs. But after July, with his playing time reduced, Boesch completed his season with a .240 batting average, 12 home runs and 54 RBIs. Against the White Sox, in two key games during the pennant race, Boesch hit two game-winning home runs off Sox lefty Chris Sale, the only home runs Sale gave up all year to a left-handed batter.

Eligible for arbitration after three years of MLB service, the Tigers, in January 2013, signed Boesch to a one-year, $2.3 million contract for the 2013 season, but the Tigers also signed free agent All-Star outfielder Torii Hunter.

New York Yankees

2013

With Hunter lodged in right field, the Tigers released Boesch on March 13, 2013. The very next day the New York Yankees offered Boesch a Major League contract. In 23 games with the Yankees, Boesch hit .275 with 3 homeruns, and posted career highs with a slugging percentage of .529 and OPS of .831. On two different occasions, May 8 versus the Colorado Rockies and May 25 versus the Tampa Bay Rays Boesch delivered clutch game winning hits in the ninth inning.

While Boesch was on a rehab assignment in AAA recovering from a slight muscle tear, the Yankees released him in order to make room on the roster to replace the injured All-Star shortstop Derek Jeter with another infielder.

Boesch, a free agent going into the 2013 off season, played for the Escondigo Leones of the Dominican Republic Winter League where among other things he worked on sharpening his eye. Boesch was among league leaders in bases on balls and showed no ill effects from the injury that sidelined him.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

2014

On January 28, 2014, Boesch signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The contract included an invitation to spring training.[14] On April 16, Boesch was called up and reached base on a fielding error on third baseman Josh Donaldson of the Oakland Athletics in his first plate appearance for the Angels. He was given a jersey with 00 number on it – which he later called a distraction – and switched to No. 28.[15]

The Angels designated Boesch for assignment on October 7, 2014.[16] He elected free agency on October 9.[17]

Cincinnati Reds

2015

On November 26th, 2014, Boesch signed a minor league deal with the Cincinnati Reds.

Personal

Boesch was born in Santa Monica, California. His father, Phil, is a prominent Los Angeles-area attorney with an office in Santa Monica.[18] His mother, Vivian, is the operator of The Venice Beach House, a boutique hotel in Venice Beach, California.[19]

Boesch is fluent in Spanish.[20]

References

  1. ↑ 2012 Tigers Information Guide (PDF). 2012. pp. 70–73.
  2. ↑ "Top Performers". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 8, 2014. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  3. ↑ Sondheimer, Eric (April 8, 2003). "Powered Up at Harvard-Westlake". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 8, 2014. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Cal Baseball Lands Gem Recruit Boesch". Daily Californian. October 2, 2003. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Brennan Boesch profile". California Golden Bears. Archived from the original on December 17, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  6. ↑ Gripp, Heather (April 20, 2005). "H.-W.'S BASHERS LEAD CAL". Los Angeles Daily News (HighBeam Research). Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
  7. ↑ Kornacki, Steve (November 20, 2009). "Tigers add Audy Ciriaco, Scott Sizemore and two other minor leaguers to 40-man roster". Mlive.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  8. ↑ Lowe, John (April 23, 2010). "Carlos Guillen goes on disabled list". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 23, 2010. (subscription required (help)).
  9. ↑ Lowe, John (April 24, 2010). "Ramon Santiago refuses to fold in 9th; Brennan Boesch goes 2-for-4". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 24, 2010. (subscription required (help)).
  10. ↑ Beck, Jason (May 1, 2010). "Rookies have a milestone night in Detroit". MLB.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Boesch named AL's top rookie for May". MLB.com. June 2, 2010. Archived from the original on June 6, 2010.
  12. ↑ "Brennan Boesch of the Detroit Tigers voted winner of the Gillette presents American League Rookie of the Month Award for June". MLB.com. July 6, 2010. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Brennan Boesch". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Carlos Pena, Brennan Boesch signed". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 28, 2014. Archived from the original on January 29, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
  15. ↑ Bill Shaikin (August 12, 2014). "Angels' Brennan Boesch ditches No. 00 jersey, calls it a 'distraction'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 13, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  16. ↑ Gonzalez, Alden (October 7, 2014). "Angels claim OFs Marte, Kieschnick from D-backs". MLB.com. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  17. ↑ Adams, Steve (October 9, 2014). "Outrighted: Tabata, Buck, Boesch". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
  18. ↑ http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/yankees/brennan-boesch-thrilled-yankees-uniform-tigers-favor-blog-entry-1.1653289
  19. ↑ http://www.venicebeachhouse.com/reviews/
  20. ↑ http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20100520/painter-major-league-life-has-so-far-been-cake-for-detroit-tigers-rookie-boesch

External links