Sometimes prospects can be seen a mile away. Scouts have been watching them, or at least have been aware of them, for many years before the fateful draft approaches. Sometimes, though, the opposite is true. A player can not even be drafted, but keep performing well enough to force their way into the mix at higher and higher levels.
Enter Michael Brosseau.
Michael is not considered a traditional prospect, as he’s not listed among the Tampa Bay Rays’ top 30 prospects, but he just keeps hitting, to the point that he was named the Rays’ Organizational All-Star at third base by milb.com.
So let’s take a look, shall we?
First of all, Michael played in Waynesboro in 2015, and stayed all summer, appearing in 41 games. In 151 at-bats, he hit 298/377/430, with 34 runs, 23 RBIs, 10 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs, a 14/19 BB/K ratio, and even added 13 stolen bases in 16 attempts.
He returned to Oakland, and completed his eligibility, hitting a total of 308/389/453 in 189 games and 704 at-bats. He added 128 runs, 104 RBIs, 30 doubles, 3 triples, 19 home runs, and a perfectly even 75/75 BB/K rate. But…. he went undrafted.
The Rays, however, signed him as an undrafted free agent. He was assigned to the Gulf Coast League that first summer (2016), where he hit 319/428/442 in 113 at-bats, along with 20 runs, 21 RBIs, 12 doubles, 1 triple, and a 15/19 BB/K rate. He was a finalist for ATVL’s rookie level hitter of the year (Bradley Jones (Charles Town 2015) won it). He was also named a post season Gulf Coast League all-star.
In 2017, Michael was assigned to Bowling Green, where he played 80 games, and later bumped up to Charlotte in the Florida State League, where he played 19 games. His final combined stats: 321/399/453 in 371 at-bats, with 63 runs, 24 doubles, 2 triples, 7 home runs, 42 RBIs, 31/63 BB/K rate. I won’t spoil anything here, but he is a finalist for ATVL’s full season A Hitter of the Year. (A series coming later.)
And now he’s the Rays’ Org All-Star at 3B. This is what Michael Leboff wrote about him:
After putting together an impressive rookie campaign in the Gulf Coast League, the undrafted 23-year-old continued to prove himself in the Midwest League. He posted an .853 OPS in 80 games. Brosseau didn’t slow much upon his promotion to Class A Advanced Charlotte, where he put up a .333/.425/.420 slash line in 19 contests.
Right now, Michael is playing for Perth in the Australian Baseball League. Through December 16th, he’s leading the league in batting average while putting up a 438/500/767 line, with 17 runs, 29 RBIs, 9 doubles, 5 home runs, and a 10/7 BB/K rate in 19 games and 73 at-bats. Have bat, will travel.
Michael will most likely start back at Charlotte in 2018, but keep an eye on this young man, as he just seems to hit wherever he goes!
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