Former Jayhawk, Brett Bochy, to make MLB Debut

September is an exciting time for MLB fans. Most fans can look forward to their team competing for a playoff spot, while some fans are already tuning baseball out and gearing up for football.  A neat thing about being a fan of a college team is the excitement of rooting for former alumni once they go pro. As Jayhawks, we haven’t had much to look forward to during September call-ups, but today former Jayhawk Brett Bochy was called up to the San Francisco Giants.

Bochy was drafted in the 20^th round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft by the San Francisco Giants after spending three years at KU. Bochy’s career as a Jayhawk was cut short due an injury that required Tommy John surgery in the middle of his junior year. Despite the injury, Bochy was drafted after posting a 5-0 record and striking out 54 batters during his junior year.

It’s no secret that Brett is the son of Giants’ coach, Bruce Bochy, but hold off on calling for nepotism for now. Brett was drafted a few years ago in 2011. Since then, Brett has worked his way up from A-ball to the MLB. Brett was even a non-roster invitee for a couple of years during the Giants spring training. Bruce Bochy decided that Brett wasn’t quite ready for the big leagues a couple of times, so he cut him from the squad twice.

Bochy will finally have the chance to play for his father in games that matter. Bochy will be on the active roster and will officially be available to play for tomorrow’s game in Colorado.

Bruce and Brett will now become members of the father/son club in the MLB. Moises Alou played under Felipe Alou in 2005 for San Francisco. Of course, Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey Jr. played alongside each other 20 years ago. More often forgotten, Tim Raines and Tim Raines Jr. both accomplished the same feat in 2001.

Bochy is now one of the few Jayhawks in the MLB. He joins Milwaukee’s Tom Gorzelanny, who has had a decent career so far. Since leaving KU in 2003, Gorzelanny has made his way around a few different baseball clubs and has established himself as a reliable pitcher out of the bullpen. His best season to date was in 2012 when he helped the Washington Nationals record an MLB best 98 wins.  This year he will try to help the Brewers in their quest for the post season.

As for Bochy, don’t expect many clutch innings down the stretch from him. The Giants are in a middle of a pennant race right now, so Bochy will be used sparingly. Still, this fall will definitely give him valuable experience and a better feel of pitching at the pro level. Bochy will most likely be a spring training invitee in March and has a good chance of making the squad if he continues to improve like he has.