Brooks Brannon, shown here with Randleman during the Class 2-A state playoffs in May, has had a strong start to his professional career. (File photo)
Ex-Randleman star then triples twice in second game
Former Randleman catcher Brooks Brannon’s second professional plate appearance resulted in a two-run single Saturday in the Florida Complex League at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla.
“It was amazing,” Brannon said of the feeling in a text to Randolph Record.
Brannon, who was a ninth-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox last month, went 1-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout in his debut for the Red Sox rookie club in a 16-10 loss to the Minnesota Twins minor-league club. He struck out on three pitches in his first at-bat against Ryan Horstman, a 30-year-old on a rehabilitation assignment with a pro career that began in 2013.
On Monday in his second game, Brannon was 3-for-4 with a two-run triple, another triple and scored three runs in a 14-2 victory against the Baltimore Orioles rookie club. That game was shortened to six innings because of wet grounds.
Brannon was part of back-to-back state championship teams for Randleman, concluding his high school career in June. He was a North Carolina signee, but opted to turn pro after the draft.
