By Dylan Hernandez
Daily Bruin Contributor
Jon Brandt skimmed down the list. Then checked again. To his
dismay, his name wasn’t there.
The UCLA pitcher had been excluded from the list of top-100
college prospects available in the 2000 amateur draft, which
Baseball America put out in February. Over half of the list, 52 in
fact, were pitchers.
Brandt, a junior, had done as much as any other pitcher in the
collegiate ranks to get on that list. As UCLA’s No. 1 starter
during his sophomore year, he set a school record for strikeouts in
a single game, was named national player of the week, and led his
team to its first NCAA Regional berth in two seasons. During the
following summer, Brandt threw for Team USA on its Red, White and
Blue Tour.
Regardless, the exclusion didn’t surprise Brandt.
“I know I’m not the prototypical pitcher,”
said Brandt, who is generously listed at 6 feet 2 inches.
“I’ve never been big. Even when I was a kid, I was
always somewhere in the middle when it came to height.”
Brandt began pitching at the age of 9 in Palo Alto, Calif. and
from the start, he stood out despite being no taller than the
average boy his age.
“When young kids dominate, it’s usually because
they’re much bigger and stronger than everyone else,”
Jim Brandt, Jon’s father, said. “But Jonathan
didn’t have much size. What he lacked physically he made up
in determination.”
That determination initially went unnoticed when Brandt first
arrived at Palo Alto High School as a sophomore. Having just
transferred from Crystal Springs Uplands School in Hillsborough,
Calif., Brandt was placed on the junior varsity squad. All varsity
head coach Mark Giananni saw was a skinny kid with a decent
arm.
But when he was given the opportunity, Brandt shined like a
diamond in the rough. He was the MVP of the varsity team in each of
his last two seasons and an All-State selection as a senior. His
curveball, which has been in his arsenal since he was 9, earned him
honorable mention All-America honors.
All Brandt could do now was look ahead to college. In his mind,
he already knew where he was going. Or so he thought.
Brandt’s father had been a two-time All-CIF outfielder at
Pasadena’s John Muir High School and later went to play for
Stanford. He stayed at Stanford for medical school and decided to
remain in the area to raise his family.
The younger Brandt, as a result, grew up an avid Cardinal fan.
He attended Stanford baseball games and went to camps held by its
coaching staff. His high school was literally down the street from
the university. He was set on being a Cardinal.
Stanford’s interest in Brandt, however, was not as strong.
He applied to the school for early decision but was put on hold.
Later, he received notice that he had not been accepted. He was
crushed.
“I had good grades, but they weren’t quite Stanford
grades,” Brandt said. “I needed the help of the
athletic department to get me in. If I was a prospect in the eyes
of the baseball team, I would’ve gotten in.
“I guess they saw me ““ 5-10 with an 85 mile per hour
fastball ““ and they didn’t see much upside.”
UCLA’s coaches, however, did. Bruin assistant coach Vince
Beringhele, hearing there was a pretty good pitcher up in Palo
Alto, made his way up north during spring break. He saw Brandt play
and came back impressed.
“He was throwing 87 (miles per hour) into the seventh
inning,” Beringhele said. “That told me he had a strong
arm. I figured he could pick up some velocity.”
Pitching coach Tim Leary and UCLA head coach Gary Adams
eventually saw Brandt as well. They agreed with Beringhele. They
approached Brandt and soon, the breaking ball pitcher was a
Bruin.
As a freshman at UCLA, Brandt wasn’t sure if he would make
the Bruin squad. He managed to earn a spot on the team, but went
1-6 with a 9.27 ERA. But the frustration from a tough collegiate
campaign didn’t keep Brandt down for long.
For his sophomore season, Brandt came back a new pitcher. He
spent his summer learning how to better spot his pitches, and for
the first time, started trusting his fastball.
In a mid-February game against McNeese State, Brandt struck out
a school-record 17 batters, earning him Louisville Slugger National
Player of the Week honors. He went on to lead the team in
strikeouts (109), starts (17), innings pitched (107), and
opponents’ batting average (.231).
Then it became apparent ““ Stanford had let go of a gem
that it had in its own backyard.
“I’m so lucky I came to UCLA,” Brandt said.
“I thank Skip (Adams) for giving me a chance. This place is
perfect for me.”
After touring with Team USA last summer, Brandt returned to
Westwood as the Bruins’ No. 1 pitcher. But when the bullpen
started to struggle on a regular basis, Brandt moved into the
closer’s role, where he has been since.
“He’s been our savior this year,” starting
pitcher Rob Henkel said. “He’s clutch. He’s a
real team player. He changed his role because it was best for the
team.”
And while the Bruins, 35-24 on the year, still have the NCAA
Regionals ahead, many of their players have the upcoming
professional draft in the back of their minds.
Brandt is aware that the labels that have been put on him before
““ “too small”, “doesn’t throw hard
enough” ““ will come back again in the future.
But the UCLA coaches don’t believe it.
“To me, he’s a professional prospect all the
way,” Adams said. “Physically, he may not be the
prototype, but mentally he is.”
The scouts, of course, differ in opinion. Baseball
America’s latest draft report didn’t even have Brandt
ranked among the top 50 prospects in Southern California.
But Brandt didn’t blink.
“That doesn’t bother me,” he said.
All he wants is a chance to prove the scouts wrong. With NCAA
regional action starting this week, Brandt will have the spotlight
and the chance to once again silence his critics ““ and
opposing hitters’ bats.