Baseball Profiles: Brent Brede liked basketball, chose baseball, made bigs

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Brent Brede liked basketball, chose baseball, made bigs

Brent Brede 1990 Elizabethton Twins card

A two-sport star in high school, with college prospects in both baseball and basketball, the junior Brent Brede told The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that, though he always liked basketball best, he thought he had a better future in baseball.

"It wasn't until my sophomore year that I really came on in baseball," Brede told The Post-Dispatch. "I'd like to do both in college, although I know that is hard to do. If I had to do one or the other, I'd rather play baseball. I think the potential is there."

Brede ended up not playing either in college, but playing one, baseball, as a pro. He eventually realized his potential, making the majors over three seasons and seeing Japan.

Brede's career started in 1990, taken by the Twins in the fifth round of the draft out of Wesclin High School in Illinois.

Brede started with the Twins at rookie Elizabethton. He got into 46 games and hit .245.

He started 1991 at single-A Kenosha. He spoke to his hometown Belleville News-Democrat that April about his prospects.

"I'm a lot more confident this year," Brede told The News-Democrat. "Last year I really lacked confidence. You've got to have the attitude that you're going to make it."

Brede returned to Kenosha for 1992, then made high-A Fort Myers for 1993 and AA Hardware City for 1995. In 1996, he made AAA Salt Lake. Then, that September, he made Minnesota.

Brede saw 10 games for the Twins that year. He went 6 for 20. He then returned for 61 games in 1997. He hit .274, with three home runs.

For 1998, he moved to the Diamondbacks, taken in the expansion draft and he got a starting job. He hit a home run in a May game off Ramon Martinez, preventing a Martinez shutout, The Arizona Republic wrote.

"I can't really enjoy it, though," Brede told The Republic of his home run. "That's probably the best anyone's pitched against us this year."

Brede saw 98 games for the Diamondbacks that year and hit .226, with two home runs.

He then moved to Japan and Chiba Lotte for 1999. He saw 33 games there. He returned stateside with the Pirates for 2000 and played the season at AAA Nashville to end his career.

Brede then returned back home to Illinois, where he eventually got back into the sport he left behind after high school, basketball. He became Wesclin's head basketball coach by 2008. He continued in that role in 2024, as well as serving as a teacher.