Wild Things open door for former 2nd-round pick
Getting called to the office of a manager or coach during spring training is always a nightmare for a baseball player.
It was especially difficult for Cole Brannen and the Boston Red Sox.
That’s because Brannen, the Wild Things’ center fielder, was supposed to make it. He was drafted in the second round, 63rd overall, by the Red Sox in 2017 and handed a signing bonus of what was reported to be $1.3 million.
When the Red Sox told Brannen that he was released at the end of spring training this year, he was stunned.
“I didn’t see it coming,” Brannen admitted.
It doesn’t take long to figure out why Brannen was once a coveted prospect coming out of The Westfield School in Perry, Ga. A lefthanded hitter, Brannen has blazing speed, the kind of eye-popping athleticism that made him look like a future star. He ran a 60-yard dash in a blistering 6.18 seconds while in high school and was named an All-American by both Perfect Game and Under Armour.
Those skills never translated onto the professional field for Brannen. He spent four seasons in Boston’s farm system but never made it above the high-Class A level. Brannen had only a .187 batting average in 296 career games.
Though the Red Sox had much invested in Brannen, they ran out of patience.
With no other offers from major league organizations on the table, Brannen went home to Georgia and tried to figure what was his next chapter in life. He worked out daily with Dr. Tyler Steele, a physical therapist and close friend. A person of faith, Brannen knew he didn’t want to give up on baseball, even when it looked like the sport had given up on him.
Brannen realized the need to go back to baseball. The Wild Things were there to open the door for him.
“I was sitting around the pool after a workout and my phone rang,” Brannen recalled. “I didn’t recognize the number but I knew immediately that it was a baseball call. I said I had to answer this.”
The caller was Washington manager Tom Vaeth, who was offering Brannen a spot on the Wild Things’ spring training roster.
“He was the only one who reached out,” Brannen said.
Given a chance to restart his career, Brannen has excelled as a center fielder, teaming with Hector Roa, Wagner Lagrange and L.G. Castillo to give Washington four productive players who rotate in the three outfield positions and designated hitter.
Entering Tuesday night’s series opener against Tri-City, which ended too late for this edition after being delayed in the fourth inning because of rain, Brannen was batting .338 and tied for the Frontier League lead with 14 stolen bases.
“Before you can open a chapter in life you have to close an old one,” Brannen said. “I am a man of faith and I don’t like to ask why something happened or didn’t happen. I’m here now and having more fun than anyone.
“I don’t like to look too far ahead and that’s what is working for me. I’m worried about doing my job for this team and I want to win the (championship).”
Brannen did hint that the jump from small-town kid to professional baseball player might have been too much too soon for him. He was the first baseball player ever drafted from his high school and his plan was to attend Georgia Southern University. That was before the Red Sox came calling.
“It was not going to be easy. I was an 18-year-old kid who was out in the real world by myself for the first time,” he said.
Now he’s wiser, more confident and for the first time in pro ball is experiencing extended success.
“I’m very passionate about my job,” he said. “I’m not going to make the same mistakes twice. I feel different. My confidence is different.”