Will Brennan

Not to be confused with William Brennan (baseball).
Will Brennan
Brennan with the Cleveland Guardians in 2024
Cleveland Guardians – No. 17
Outfielder
Born: (1998-02-02) February 2, 1998 (age 26)
Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
MLB debut
September 21, 2022, for the Cleveland Guardians
MLB statistics
(through 2024 season)
Batting average.270
Home runs14
Runs batted in79
Teams

William Daniel Brennan (born February 2, 1998) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Kansas State Wildcats.

Amateur career

Brennan graduated from Blue Valley High School in Overland Park, Kansas. He enrolled at Kansas State University, where he played college baseball for the Kansas State Wildcats for three seasons, from 2017 to 2019.[1] He batted .350 with 64 hits as a freshman and was named second team All-Big 12 Conference and a Freshman All-American by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.[2] Following the season, Brennan played collegiate summer baseball with the Anchorage Glacier Pilots of the Alaska Baseball League.[3] He was named first team All-Big 12 after batting .359 with 79 hits, 49 runs scored, and 19 stolen bases.[4] During the summer of 2018, he played for the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[5][6] Brennan batted .292 as a junior.[7]

Professional career

Minor leagues

The Cleveland Indians selected Brennan in the eighth round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft.[7] After signing with the team he was initially assigned to the Arizona League Indians before being promoted to the Class A Short-Season Mahoning Valley Scrappers.[8] After not playing in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Brennan was assigned to the High-A Lake County Captains at the beginning of the 2021 season.[9] He was promoted to the Double-A Akron RubberDucks after batting .290 in 62 games with Lake County.[10] Brennan began the 2022 season with Akron and was promoted to the Triple-A Columbus Clippers after hitting .304 with 39 RBIs, which was leading the Eastern League.[11]

Major Leagues

The Guardians selected Brennan's contract on September 21, 2022, adding him to their active roster.[12] He made his major league debut the same day against the Chicago White Sox. Brennan hit his first major home run and triple in the same game off of Max Castillo on October 2.[13] For the season, Brennan hit .357 with 8 RBIs and 1 home run in 42 at bats.[14]

On May 22, 2023, Brennan accidentally hit and killed a bird with a batted ball during a game against the Chicago White Sox. The following day, he hit a home run which he dedicated to the memory of the bird.[15] On June 9, he recorded his first walkoff hit in a 10-9 win against the Astros. Brennan has shown versatility for the Guardians, playing all three outfield positions.

References

  1. ^ https://bluevalleypost.com/2022/09/30/blue-valley-grads-major-league-baseball-145579/ [bare URL]
  2. ^ Woods, Greg (June 7, 2017). "Will Brennan and Cameron Thompson named Freshman All-Americans". BringOnTheCats.com. SB Nation. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  3. ^ "Kansas State rekindles connection with Glacier Pilots". Anchorage Daily News. June 8, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  4. ^ Fortner, Mitch (January 31, 2019). "Brennan Voted to Preseason All-Big 12 Team". 1350KMAN.com. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  5. ^ "KU, K-State rivals and friends reconnect on Cape Cod". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  6. ^ "#10 Will Brennan". pointstreak.com. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Cleveland Indians pick K-State's Will Brennan in 8th round of MLB Draft". The Manhattan Mercury. June 5, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  8. ^ Kinley, Glenn (July 20, 2020). "Former K-State baseball players reflect on canceled minor league season". Kansas State Collegian. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  9. ^ Kinley, Glenn (August 3, 2021). "K-State baseball alum Will Brennan called up to Double-A". KSNT.com. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  10. ^ Hoynes, Paul (March 3, 2022). "Cleveland Guardians' Will Brennan knows what it takes to get to the big leagues – power". Cleveland.com. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  11. ^ "Guardians' Will Brennan: Promoted to Triple-A Columbus". CBS Sports. RotoWire. May 26, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  12. ^ McDonald, Darragh (September 21, 2022). "Guardians Designate Ernie Clement, Select Will Brennan". MLB Trade Rumors.
  13. ^ Wild, Tommy. "WATCH: Will Brennan Hits First Major League Home Run". Sports Illustrated Cleveland Guardians News, Analysis and More. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  14. ^ "Will Brennan Amateur, College & Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  15. ^ Gay, Colin (May 24, 2023). "'RIP lil buddy': Former Clippers OF Will Brennan dedicates home run after killing bird on ground ball". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved May 26, 2023.