Mark Brakebill saw pro baseball as life, then as secondary

After six seasons in the minors, making it up to AA, Mark Brakebill returned for one more season in 1995, as a player coach with the independent Corpus Christi Barracudas.

He also returned to the field a bit different, he was due to be a dad that September, The Corpus Christi Caller-Times wrote.

"Before, baseball was my life," Brakebill told The Caller-Times that May. "There were no decisions to be made. Wherever baseball took me, I went. Now, family comes first."

For Brakebill, that season did prove to be his last. He ended with seven seasons played, one at AA.

Brakebill's career began in 1989, taken by the Mariners in the 13th round of the draft out of Glendale Community College in California.

After being drafted, Brakebill spoke to his hometown Arizona Republic about the opportunity to turn pro, the same thing his childhood friend Kelly Lifgren did the year before.

"It's a dream come true," Brakebill told The Republic. "This is something Kelly and I always dreamed about as kids. Now, it's happened."

Brakebill started with the Mariners at short-season Bellingham. He saw 47 games and hit .278. H then moved to high-A Peninsula for 1990 and 1991. He hit .178 in 50 games his first year there and .155 in 38 his second.

For 1992, he moved to the Angels system and single-A Quad City. He hit .286 in 60 games that year, with six home runs. That August, he returned from a wrist injury with a 4-for-5 performance one night and a home run the next, The Quad-City Times wrote.

"I've been patient and I've been hitting my pitches instead of hitting the pitcher's pitch," Brakebill told The Times.

Brakebill then saw AA Midland in 1993. He got into 62 games and hit .230. For 1994, he moved to independent Corpus Christi, then saw two games at high-A Lake Elsinore in 1995 and played the rest of the year at Corpus Christi to end his career.

• Arizona Republic, June 14, 1989: Friends hit goal, make pro baseball
• Quad-City Times, Aug. 14, 1992: Bandits fall
• Corpus Christi Caller-Times, May 19, 1995: Major changes in the minor leagues

More: The 1990 Peninsula Pilots

1990 Minor League Tally 

Players/Coaches Featured:4,184
Made the Majors:1,377-32.9%
Never Made Majors:2,807-67.1%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors:559
10+ Seasons in the Minors:344

More 1990 Minor Leaguers:

 - Cloyd Boyer saw 5 ML seasons, later sought by Bobby Cox, 8/26/15

 - John Braase helped college team, made three pro seasons, 10/16/20

 - Miah Bradbury waited, then got drafted by the Miami Miracle, 11/22/23

 - Troy Bradford threw college complete games, saw 6 seasons, 4/25/13
 - Vince Bradford played 2 pro baseball seasons, then football, 10/30/16

 - Mike Bradish played for South Bend, his mother almost did, 4/16/21
 - Bert Bradley used lessons learned as player as coach, 3/29/15
 - Eric Bradley did what he needed to do over 3 pro seasons, 10/16/13

 - Mike Bradley returned from injury to pros, saw two seasons, 10/15/22
 - Terry Bradshaw had impact with Cardinals, saw 2 seasons, 3/3/17