Frank J. Brooks (born September 6, 1978) is a former
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
. A left-handed
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
who bats from the left side, Brooks is 6'1" tall and weighs 200 pounds.
His primary pitches are a low-90s
fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. " Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thr ...
and a low-80s
curveball with a large break.
Baseball career
Brooks played high school baseball at
Sheepshead Bay High School
Sheepshead Bay High School is a defunct public high school in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. Closed in 2016, the building currently operates as Frank J. Macchiarola Educational Complex, housing several smaller high schools.
History
Sheepshe ...
in Brooklyn. In a 1996 game, he threw a
no-hitter with 16 strikeouts and hit a
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
. After graduation, he attended
Saint Peter's College, New Jersey
Saint Peter's University is a private Jesuit university in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded as Saint Peter's College in 1872 by the Society of Jesus. The university offers over 60 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 2,600 ...
for three years. At the end of his junior season, the
Philadelphia Phillies selected him with the 396th overall pick of the
1999 June draft, as part of that draft's thirteenth round. He signed with the Phillies and began his professional career with the
Batavia Muckdogs
The Batavia Muckdogs are a collegiate summer baseball team in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL). They are located in Batavia, a city in Genesee County, New York, United States. Their home field is Dwyer Stadium in the city of ...
, where he was honored as a member of the
New York–Penn League
The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...
's
All-Star team.
Brooks began his professional career as a
starting pitcher, but he converted to relief partway through the season. He was dominant in Double-A in ,
striking out
''Striking Out'' is an Irish television legal drama series, broadcast on RTÉ, that first aired on 1 January 2017. Produced by Bl!nder F!lms for RTÉ Television, ''Striking Out'' stars Amy Huberman as Dublin-based solicitor Tara Rafferty, who is ...
71 batters in 58 innings, while surrendering only 40
hits and five
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s. Brooks's performance caught the eye of the
Pittsburgh Pirates, who acquired him in a
deadline
Deadline(s) or The Deadline(s) may refer to:
* Time limit, a narrow field of time by which an objective must be accomplished
Arts, entertainment, and media Comics
* Deadline (DC Comics), a fictional villain
* ''Deadline'' (magazine), a British ...
deal for
closer Mike Williams. After the trade, Brooks spent time with two of the Pirates' affiliates, the
Altoona Curve
The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of th ...
and the
Nashville Sounds.
The
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
selected Brooks in the
Rule 5 draft that off-season, and then immediately traded him to the
Oakland Athletics. Brooks was one of five players chosen from the Pirates in the major league portion of that Rule 5 draft, a series of events that resulted in a great deal of criticism of Pirates' general manager,
Dave Littlefield. Brooks failed to stick with the Athletics, but when placed on waivers on March 18, was claimed by the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
. Boston likewise had trouble finding space for him on their roster, and when placed on waivers again on March 31, cleared them and was sent back to the Pirates.
After spending most of at Triple-A, Brooks made his major league debut on August 27, 2004, and went on to appear in eleven games with the Pirates. He pitched well in relief, striking out 17 batters in 16 innings and surrendering only a .175
batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
to opposing hitters, but his final season totals were distorted by a poor performance in an emergency start. The Pirates placed him on waivers to clear roster space at the end of the season, and he was claimed by the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
. Brooks went through
spring training with the Dodgers, but was placed on waivers yet again on April 13, 2005, and was claimed by the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...
.
Brooks spent the majority of the 2005 season with the Braves' Triple-A affiliate, the
Richmond Braves. He did earn a brief callup to Atlanta, pitching to two batters in a game against the
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...
on May 16. At the end of the year, Brooks signed with the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
as a minor league
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
.
In April , Brooks signed a minor league contract with the
Kansas City Royals. He was released on June 12 and five days later signed with the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
. Brooks spent the rest of 2006 pitching for the Red Sox Double-A affiliate, the
Portland Sea Dogs
The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.
The Sea Dogs became part of the Red Sox syst ...
. On November 8, 2006, Brooks signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres and became a free agent after the season.
On April 14, , Brooks signed with the
Somerset Patriots
The Somerset Patriots are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey, that is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They compete in the Eastern League, known as the Double-A Northeast in 2021, and w ...
of the
Atlantic League.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Frank
1978 births
Living people
Atlanta Braves players
Batavia Muckdogs players
Baseball players from New York (state)
Major League Baseball pitchers
Pittsburgh Pirates players
Nashville Sounds players
Las Vegas 51s players
Omaha Royals players
Saint Peter's Peacocks baseball players
San Antonio Missions players
Portland Beavers players
Somerset Patriots players
Piedmont Boll Weevils players
Clearwater Phillies players
Reading Phillies players
Altoona Curve players
Richmond Braves players
Portland Sea Dogs players
Sheepshead Bay High School alumni
Mesa Desert Dogs players