Brett Cumberland to Cal
Coming out of high school, Brett Cumberland had only one school offer him a scholarship to play baseball. That school: California, the same California that, back in 2010, was reportedly nixing their baseball program as a cost-cutting measure. Fortunately, after receiving over $9 million in pledges in April of 2011, Golden Bears baseball was saved.
Brett Cumberland was born on June 25th, 1996 in Turlock, California. He graduated from Turlock High School in 2014. He led them to a 28-3 record with his .383 average, two home runs, and 28 RBI in his junior season. Impressively, Cumberland struck out a total of four times in 112 plate appearances his junior year. He committed to play for the Golden Bears baseball program prior to his junior year of high school. In his senior season, Cumberland hit to the tune of a .410 average. During his high school career, Cumberland was a three-time all-conference catcher and was twice named to Perfect Game’s All-American Underclass Honorable Mention. He was also a member of the County All-Star team according to calbears.com.
Quickly after arriving on campus in Berkeley, Cumberland took over the reigns of the catching position. As a freshman at Cal in 2015, Cumberland appeared in 56 games, starting 55 and batting .254. He added in seven home runs and 32 RBI. His freshman season was plagued with injuries, however. He jammed his right wrist in April when sliding into home plate against UCLA. Just one week later, he was hit by a foul ball on his right hand against Arizona. For the rest of his freshman campaign, Cumberland played with three bone bruises and a strained ligament.
Instead of accepting offers to play in the coveted Cape Cod Baseball League, Cumberland worked on an almond orchard just outside of his hometown. In doing so, he was able to recover easier from the hand and wrist injuries that afflicted his freshman season.
Cumberland’s Sophomore Campaign
When the 2016 season rolled around, Cumberland was set in stone as the starting catcher for the Golden Bears. With his injuries healed and a season under his belt, Cumberland’s sophomore campaign was a breakout one. Cumberland started and appeared in 52 games for the Golden Bears, hitting .344 with 16 home runs and 51 RBI. Over the course of his college career, he produced a .300 average and poured out 23 homers with 83 RBI. He boasted a .988 field percentage with just eight errors in his two years at Cal. To top off the stellar sophomore season, Cumberland was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year.
Cumberland Enters the MLB Draft
In college baseball, most players aren’t eligible for the MLB Draft until the end of or during their junior season. Brett Cumberland was able to enter the MLB Draft following his sophomore season. According to the MLB rules for the First-Year Player Draft, four-year college players who have either completed their junior or senior years or are at least 21 years old are eligible for the draft. Brett Cumberland was 21 at the end of his sophomore season, making him eligible for the MLB Draft.
A switch-hitter with power that seems to send the ball flying off of the bat, Cumberland drew scouts in droves. He is considered to be an offensive catcher with what scouts grade as an average arm and average glove. Entering the 2016 MLB Draft, Cumberland was ranked as the 69th overall prospect by MLB.com.
Braves Choose Brett
With the 76th overall selection in the 2016 MLB Draft, the Atlanta Braves selected the catcher with the power bat out of the University of California-Berkeley. Prior to this selection on the first day of the draft, the Braves had selected three high school pitchers. Although many scouts worried about his catch-and-throw abilities, the Braves were high enough on Cumberland and his power. Cumberland should draw a plethora of walks as well as hit for average, whether it’s in the minors or in the Major Leagues.
Cumberland’s Professional Debut
Brett Cumberland was assigned to the Braves rookie affiliate Danville Braves to begin his professional career on June 30th, 2016. In 45 games in his first season with Danville, he hit a modest .216, supported by just three home runs, 30 RBI, and a .317 OBP. In the final ten games combined, Cumberland hit .226 with RBI and four walks. When it comes to the first season of professional baseball for many prospects, a decline in production can be expected and is far from uncommon. Due to the outstanding numbers Cumberland put up while at Cal, the Braves organization knows what he is capable of doing at the plate.
Cumberland’s season saw its share of ups and downs, evidenced by a batting average well below the team average of .251. With only a little over a week left in the regular season and Danville 7.5 games out of first place, there is little time for Cumberland to improve his average and increase his production at the plate.
Atlanta’s Future Behind the Plate
With the lack of production and stability behind the plate in Atlanta over the past couple of seasons, the opportunity for Cumberland to potentially land himself on the Major League roster is high. With prospects such as Lucas Herbert and Jonathan Morales in Rome, Cumberland will need to excel in the upcoming seasons to climb through the ranks of the organization. In all likelihood, Atlanta will dip into the free agent market to acquire a long-term catcher either this off-season or in 2018. Brett Cumberland still has a chance to join Atlanta’s 25-man roster in the impending seasons. As he strives to ascend through the organization, expect to see big things from him whether, it’s at the plate or as the battery.
Main Photo:
