Brentz, Triple-A home run king in camp, inspired by amputee twin brother

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1 Brentz, Triple-A home run king in camp, inspired by amputee twin brother dkpittsburghsports.com/2018/03/23/bryce-brentz-brother By Lance Lysowski March 23, 2018 Comments BRADENTON, Fla. Jared Brentz doesn t understand why his twin brother suddenly struggles to hit a baseball at times. He ll listen attentively when Bryce calls for advice, although Jared often has to ask his brother to slow down and explain those struggles in golf terms. Jared typically applies tough love, telling his brother to just hit the ball. Those regular phone calls began in 2010 during Bryce s first professional season in the Red Sox organization. The right-handed hitting outfielder, drafted months earlier, saw his batting average drop below the Mendoza Line in rookie ball, so he called Jared to vent. He said, Yeah, I know, man, I had a tough day, too: I had to put my legs on before I walked out the door, Bryce, who is competing for a spot on the Pirates opening day roster, told DKPittsburghSports.com. He s been through more in a lifetime than I think anybody should have to go through and I wouldn t put it on my worst enemy. If he can do that, I can t complain about anything. Jared had both feet amputated at 12 years old, the result of arthrogryposis, a rare joint condition he was born with which impacted the positioning of his feet, and required a wheelchair at 10 years old. Now wearing prosthetics, he is the world s best amputee long driver in golf, winning three world championships after teaching himself how to swing a club. 1/5

2 Bryce, 29, has struggled at times this spring with a.250/.362/.350 slash line and one home run in 40 at-bats after being acquired by the Pirates last month. However, he finds it easy to keep his situation in perspective, thanks to some inspiration from his brother. It s something I keep in mind when I come here every day, Bryce said, lightly swinging a bat in front of his locker stall at LECOM Park. Jared had surgery at 7 months old to adjust the positioning of his feet, but he required two other procedures as a child. In an effort to keep his legs rested for sports in the evening, Jared used a wheelchair at school during the day, beginning at 7 years old. Those limitations did little to impact the competition between the two brothers, though. Their parents told their teachers to place them on separate teams in any sort of competitive situation. That decision backfired. When playing dodgeball in gym class, they d ignore every other child on the gym floor to try to throw the ball at each other. Both excelled in multiple sports, including baseball, and were always trying to turn situations into athletic competitions. When Jared returned from the hospital after surgery, the two brothers were throwing a football to each other from 15 feet away, when Bryce failed to catch the ball, hitting him in the chest. He threw it back to Jared in anger, who had a full cast on both legs going up to his hips. The ball struck Jared in his left leg, yet he never told his parents of the incident, yelling for Bryce to run into the family s home in Knoxville, Tenn., to grab Advil to alleviate the pain. We always joked around, like there was no mercy rule no matter what the situation was. I could literally be facing a flight of stairs in a wheelchair and Bryce would say, Could you not pop a wheelie and get on down? Jared said in a phone interview. In our family, I was never treated differently from Bryce. It was more or less like I figured out a lot of things as far as getting around, doing this, doing that. There was no pity. At 9 years old, Jared started losing function in his feet and the muscles around his lower limbs weakened. He was given three options: be permanently limited to a wheelchair, undergo another surgery that would allow him to walk uncomfortably, or amputation. Jared chose amputation since he could receive prosthetics to allow him to walk. He was a fouryear letter-winner in golf and wrestling in high school. Meanwhile, Bryce was excelling in baseball, earning a scholarship to Middle Tennessee State and being drafted in the 30th round by the Indians. Bryce opted for college, where he set the school s career home-run record and was named an All-American. The Red Sox drafted him in the first round, 36th overall, in 2010, and he reached Double-A in 2012 despite that difficult first season in Low A. Back in Knoxville, Jared discovered ParaLong Drive, but his golf swing was too strong for any of the local driving ranges. One local driving range owner asked him to stop coming because he kept losing too many golf balls in the woods beyond the range. Though he was strong, Jared could not hit the ball 2/5

3 consistently down the middle of a fairway. Finally, with the help of PGA of America instructor Jeff Page, Jared taught himself how to hit a ball effectively while wearing his prosthetics. He can now drive a golf ball over 400 yards. I never saw my brother as being handicapped, Bryce said. I always thought he was a better athlete. Still is. But Jared can do things in different ways than most normal people because of his disability. He always had to figure things out. I think that was something I ve always admired. We never cut each other slack, either. Brentz was named among Baseball America s top-100 prospects prior to 2012 and reached Triple-A that season, but his progress was slowed by injuries, including a broken thumb, knee and hamstring issues. Still, Brentz made his major league debut for the Red Sox in But he had back-to-back disappointing seasons because of the injuries in 2015 and 2016 at Triple-A. The Red Sox wanted him to use a leg kick in his swing, yet Brentz was never able to get comfortable with the adjustment. Those struggles continued last season, too, when he was batting.191 on May 19. Like his brother did on a golf course in Knoxville, Brentz tried to find comfort at the plate. After sitting on the bench for a few games, he sat in a hotel room in Buffalo in search of a solution. Finally, he found a Twitter account with video of past and present players swings. Watching video of Barry Bonds revealed a potential answer. Bonds used a simple toe tap that allowed him to quickly progress through his swing, producing incredible bat speed. Brentz presented the idea to his hitting coach at Triple-A Pawtucket, Rich Gedman. The results were immediate. Brentz batted.304/.372/.603 with 27 home runs his season total of 31 led the International League, and he won the league s home run derby and 76 RBIs in 90 games to finish the season. It was so much fun, Brentz said. It was a blessing to be healthy. It was something you re going, Wow. We did and it s working. We ran with it. It was so much fun. He was a favorite to be the Red Sox fourth outfielder in 2018 when he was traded to the Pirates last month after Boston agreed to terms with free-agent outfielder J.D. Martinez. The move presented Brentz with an opportunity, yet he s now running out of time. Neal Huntington is deciding between an additional bench player or a 13th pitcher for opening day. Brentz is out of minor-league options and was unable to play for four days last week after injuring his shoulder while attempting a diving catch. He declared himself healthy Friday morning and expressed confidence that he found an answer to his troubles at the plate. Meanwhile, his brother remains his biggest critic. He s always been like that, Bryce said. 3/5

4 Obviously when he s not doing that great you feel for him, but again, its like, What are you doing? Jared said. It s always a roller coaster, it seems. He ll find a way to really take off, and I know baseball. I know every hitter has their ups and downs. It happens in golf. There are some days I can t put two shots together to save my life, but it s always a thrill to know he s there and he s made it that far. 8 Comments Nova struggles as Nationals pound mistake-prone Pirates again Harrison, Musgrove, Schugel progressing 4/5

5 Meadows not going to settle for Triple-A 5/5