Athlete of the Week: Carlmont's Jordan Brandenburg

The spring season’s first Daily Journal Athlete of the Week was spectacular both sides of the ball in last Tuesday’s 5-1 non-league win over Riordan. Taking over as Carlmont’s designated hitter, Brandenburg — the 2016 Bay Division triple-crown winner as a sophomore — registered a typical day as the slugging senior went 3 for 3 with a home run, two doubles, a sacrifice fly and two RBIs.

“I think I only took one pitch (all day),” Brandenburg said. “I was seeing the ball well.”

And that’s just the half of it. Carlmont graduated a majority of its pitching from last season, including ace Sean Prozell, who logged five complete games in 2017. So, with the Scots in need of arms, Brandenburg stepped in and did his best Prozell impersonation, using just 91 pitches to earn a complete-game victory, allowing six hits while striking out eight.

And, oh yeah, this marked the senior right-hander’s varsity pitching debut.

“He’s a good athlete,” Carlmont manager Rich Vallero said. “And I think his competitive fire is really what carries him. He’s a kid who’s never started and his first start is against a [West Catholic Athletic League] opponent, and … he goes complete game in his first start.”

Vallero wasn’t surprised at Brandenburg’s versatility. Maybe that’s because Brandenburg has been nothing but versatile since joining the varsity Scots. To get the slugger’s bat in the lineup in 2016, Vallero used him as a first baseman, despite Brandenburg never before having played the position. The sophomore went on to win the Bay Division triple crown.

As a junior last season, he converted back to his natural catching position. Brandenburg took to it in stride, handling a Scots staff that notched a 1.97 team ERA while himself hitting .341 with three home runs, 29 RBIs and tabbing a team-best .600 slugging percentage.

Then injury struck on the gridiron.

“No one really wanted me to play (football),” Brandenburg said. “They were like, ‘You’re dumb.’ But I liked hitting people.”

After sitting out his junior year following two junior-varsity football seasons, the 5-10, 195-pound Brandenburg took to the gridiron for his first varsity game and was trying for a tackle in garbage minutes during the fourth quarter of a 49-6 Carlmont win. Brandenburg caught a spike in the turf, took a hit and suffered a torn ACL in his left knee.

Vallero was at the game. And despite the amount of negative feedback Brandenburg said he got over the football venture, Vallero said he was not at all in the negativity camp.

“I was actually an advocate of him playing football,” Vallero said. “I was a three-sport athlete in high school. And I just think sometimes getting away from the game, it restores your hunger and your love for the sport instead of playing it all year round.”

Vallero describes Brandenburg as having the heart of a warrior. And the star senior proved it. After undergoing knee surgery the first week of October, Brandenburg was back on the baseball field in less than three months — on Christmas Day no less — doing what he does best. Taking hacks.

“He’s always been super competitive,” Vallero said. “I remember him as an eighth-grader, I’d come up here on the weekend to cut the grass and I would see bikes tipped over at the top of the grade. And he’d be up here taking BP as an eighth-grader and as a freshman. He’s just a kid who likes to work. He loves to hit. He’s kind of proving right now that with confidence and a little swagger about yourself, a lot can be accomplished.”

Even though Brandenburg is still trying to get full strength back in his legs — he has yet to get into a catching crouch since the injury — he can still tear it up at the plate.

In the Riordan victory, he opened his day hitting-wise by scorching a double down the left-field line. And by the way he rounded first base and barreled into second, it was impossible to discern any hint of injury.

“He came tearing around first, head first into second,” Vallero said. “Jumped up, gave some emotion to the dugout. This is our dude. This is our warrior. We go with him.”

Despite following with a home run and a double, Brandenburg watched from the on-deck circle prior to his fourth plate appearance as Riordan — with runners at second and third — intentionally walked No. 3 hitter Zane Van Arsdel to face Brandenburg with the bases loaded.

“I could see it in his face,” Vallero said. “He was just like, ‘Really?’”

The result? A booming fly ball to the warning track. Brandenburg was credited with a sacrifice fly and an RBI. But it was nearly a lot more.

“It was probably about 10 feet away from a grand slam,” Vallero said.

On the mound, Brandenburg is game for taking the ball whenever Carlmont needs him. Riordan isn’t exactly tearing the cover off the ball this season. Outside a 16-2 win over South City the day after the loss to Carlmont, the Crusaders have totaled just seven runs in their five other games.

Brandenburg, though — like he’s always been — is ready for the next challenge.

“I would love to get some more starts and just see how far I can take it,” Brandenburg said.