Tim Brennan, a 2015 graduate of Holy Ghost Prep, was selected in the seventh round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Texas Rangers
The Times
St. Joseph’s University junior right-hander Tim Brennan, a 2015 graduate of Holy Ghost Prep, was selected on Tuesday in the seventh round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Texas Rangers.
The Rangers chose Brennan with the 209th overall selection.
“I’m blessed and thankful to be selected by the Texas Rangers,” Brennan said. “It has been a dream of mine since I was little to play professional baseball. I was very grateful to spend the day with my family that has sacrificed so much to allow me to achieve my dream.”
“This is obviously a huge day for Tim, the SJU community, and our baseball program,” said St. Joe’s coach Fritz Hamburg. “We are all very happy for Tim and his family. He truly has earned this opportunity. Tim’s success is a direct result of the commitment and hard work he put forth each day, and I would fully expect Tim to have a very successful experience moving forward. He obviously has to work the details out with Texas, but Tim is very excited about his new challenge.”
Brennan, 6 feet 4 and 185 pounds, earned Second Team All-Atlantic 10 honors this season after posting a 9–3 record and a 2.94 earned run average in 88⅔. He leads the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio and walks allowed per nine innings, having fanned 84 against just five walks.
A native of Northeast Philadelphia, Brennan was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team and the All-Philadelphia Big 5 Baseball Team in 2016. He was also tabbed as the Big 5’s top rookie and shared the Pitcher of the Year honor that season and is the frontrunner to be named the top arm in the Big 5 once again this season.
His 20 career victories and 216 career strikeouts for St. Joe’s both rank second in program history, while his 2.79 career ERA places him fifth on the program’s all-time list.
Brennan becomes the 27th Hawk to be drafted by a Major League club and the seventh to be selected during Hamburg’s tenure.
Last summer, Brennan pitched in the prestigious Cape Cod League with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.
At Holy Ghost, he was a four-time All-Bicentennial Athletic League selection and league Most Valuable Player as a junior. He helped the Firebirds win three BAL tiles and two District One crowns. He pitched a perfect game as a senior. He played on three Carpenter Cup teams.
In basketball, he was a captain and two-time All-BAL player who was a part of the 2014 district championship team. ••
