'Grateful' Brooks answers long-awaited call
Sonja Chen
@sonjamchenThis story was excerpted from Maria Guardado¡¯s Giants Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox. MLB.com's Sonja Chen contributed this report.
When Trenton Brooks connected for his first big league hit, it was a moment -- 2,648 plate appearances, 638 games and eight seasons in the Minor Leagues -- in the making.
Appearing in his third Major League game (and making his second start), the 28-year-old Brooks stepped in against Yankees starter Marcus Stroman in the third inning of Friday night's 6-2 Giants loss, worked a full count and laced a ball through the right side of the infield, right under the glove of a diving Gleyber Torres.
Later, when Brooks was asked to reflect on the moment, he used the same word as he had three days earlier to describe the feeling of finally making it to the big leagues after spending so many years in the Minors: grateful.
"I was really grateful," he said. "It was a really cool experience. That's really all I got. It was cool; it was a great moment."
Brooks received his first call to The Show on Tuesday, when he was selected from Triple-A Sacramento as one of the corresponding moves after LaMonte Wade Jr. went on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. Brooks made his long-awaited MLB debut that night, drawing the start at first base and going 0-for-2 at the plate.
When Brooks arrived at Oracle Park, he was already well-acquainted with a decent chunk of the big league clubhouse. Several players on the Giants¡¯ 26-man roster began the 2024 campaign with the River Cats, including shortstop Brett Wisely, who was Brooks' roommate in Sacramento.
"I haven't stopped smiling all day, just seeing him up here," Wisely said when Brooks was called up. "It just feels good to see him play and live his dream out."
It's been a long road to realizing that dream, to say the least.
Brooks was selected by Cleveland in the 17th round of the 2016 MLB Draft (No. 512 overall) out of the University of Nevada-Reno. He ascended the Minor League ranks with time, reaching Triple-A Columbus in '21 and spending all of '22 there, but that was as far as he got with the organization that drafted him.
Last August, Brooks joined the Giants' organization in a Minor League swap that sent left-hander Sean Newcomb to the A's. Between Las Vegas and Sacramento in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, Brooks hit .286 with a .916 OPS, 31 doubles, 22 homers and 90 RBIs in 2023.
Before receiving his first call to the big leagues in ¡®24, Brooks slashed .308/.426/.462 (.888 OPS) with 13 extra-base hits in 43 games for the River Cats. He also had more walks (31) than strikeouts (27).
Then, at long last, Brooks got the call.
"It's been a long time, and it's been a long grind for not only myself, but my family," Brooks said before his debut. "It's very rewarding, waiting this long. I'm very excited to do what I can to help this team win."
With Wade expected to be out for around four weeks, Brooks should have an opportunity to build up big league at-bats. Wilmer Flores is expected to get the bulk of the playing time at first base, but Brooks gives the Giants another left-handed bat that they need with Wade, Michael Conforto (right hamstring strain) and Jung Hoo Lee (out for the season, left shoulder dislocation) all sidelined.
Eight years is a long time to wait for anything, no matter how big the dream is. But Brooks didn't have a problem finding the motivation to keep at it.
"I love playing this game," Brooks said. "And then obviously, my family. They've always been really supportive of me, so it's been exciting."