Bryce Brentz Back with a Vengeance

If Bryce Brentz was still unsure whether he was in the good graces of the Red Sox, all doubts were erased shortly before last Thanksgiving.

The 25-year-old outfielder was one of three minor-leaguers in the organization - pitcher Anthony Ranaudo and third baseman Garin Cecchini being the others - placed on the 40-man roster in order to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft that takes place every December at baseball's Winter Meetings. Once a player gets placed on the 40-man, the "one-call away" speech that is typically given to every ballplayer upon joining the Triple-A ranks resonates a little more.

 

 

In Brentz's case, his newfound status helped bring closure to his roller coaster of a 2013 season. Indeed, it may have been the most challenging and chaotic year of his baseball life, one where injuries limited him to just 88 minor-league games.

It was also one that featured a pot of gold at the end of the proverbial rainbow.

"They had a lot of players that they could have chosen from, but it's a very humbling experience that I'm grateful for," expressed Brentz when asked about the good news he received during the off-season. "You sit there and don't know what's going to happen. All of a sudden they protect you and it's like, 'Okay, you have a foundation, time to get to work.

"It gave me that mindset that now I have to be ready," Brentz added.

That wasn't the case for Brentz heading into last season. Instead of parlaying his non-roster invitation to spring training into something substantial, Brentz spent time recovering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound sustained while cleaning a handgun.

"You have that one moment where you get comfortable and forget that, 'Oh my God, this thing can hurt you,'" said Brentz. "I lost respect for my firearm … it was the same one that I had for a while. People make mistakes. I was embarrassed and very sorry that I put myself, my family and the Red Sox in that situation, but I came back healthy."

With the gun incident behind him, Brentz entered the season with the PawSox armed with one clear-cut objective - place himself in a position that would result in manager Gary DiSarcina informing him that he was off to Boston and the major leagues for the first time in his pro odyssey.

A "serious knot in my throwing shoulder" limited Brentz to DH duties for a stretch in June, a month where he ended up batting .247 with an on-base percentage of .304. For comparison, the 2010 supplemental first-round draft pick hit .287 the previous month and reached base at a .319 clip.

Then the calendar flipped to July. Brentz came close to seeing his season go completely up in smoke after sliding awkwardly into second base during Pawtucket's July 5 contest at Rochester. Faced with surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee, the procedure was delayed nearly two weeks after Brentz had a bout of food poisoning.

Was Brentz resigned to the possibility that his season was over upon going under the knife? The thought never crossed his mind. He did make it back, hitting three homers (two in the Rookie Level Gulf Coast League, one more back in Pawtucket) over 13 games, wrapping up the year with a .264 average and 19 homers, which was tied for the most in Boston's farm system.

"You look at the time I missed and the injuries I had to come back from, it was a success to hit what I hit," said Brentz.

"It was a challenging year, but it's something he had to persevere through," said Ben Crockett, Boston's Director of Player Development. "Overall, we saw a lot of good things from Bryce. There were times where he showed he can compete at the major-league level."

Seeking to make up for lost time, Brentz participated in the Dominican Winter League. He ended up compiling 57 at-bats in 19 games. More importantly, he was able to lay the groundwork that has him believing that the sky is potentially the limit. 

"I thought I needed some more at-bats, but it's not the regular season. My whole thing (in the Dominican) was to see a lot more pitches and work on being selective," said Brentz. "I was excited to get back out and play and see how my knee was. That was important."

While there's no doubting Brentz's ability to deposit souvenirs over the fence - he's hit 71 home runs in his first four pro seasons - questions have been raised whether he can become patient and selective enough to compliment his raw power. To that point, Brentz drew just 21 walks in 368 minor-league at-bats last season.

He doesn't see cause for alarm because of a perceived breakthrough that took place prior to injuring his knee.

"One day I had a talk with (ex-Red Sox outfielder) Dwight Evans and (PawSox hitting coach) Dave Joppie. We didn't see results right away, but eventually I started to see more pitches per at-bat," he pointed out. "I'm never going to be a work-the-count kind of guy, but I'm staying back and not getting fooled on off-speed pitches as often. I think that goes a long way and you need to build on it."

Healthy and free of drama, Brentz made quite the splash during his time in major-league camp this past spring. He totaled three homers and seven RBI in 25 at-bats before getting reassigned to the PawSox.

Certainly it's an encouraging step for a player who - thanks to his 40-man distinction - is officially knocking on the door that leads to the majors.

"I'm looking to make a good impression, play hard and keep my nose down," said Brentz.