Brandon Leibrandt's Simple Mentality: "You Only Get One Career"

The road to the Major Leagues is often not a straight one. Full of twists and turns, the journey rarely ever goes the way one might think, and few understand that better than Louisville Bats starter Brandon Leibrandt.

The lefty found himself on Major League radars at Marist School in Brookhaven, Georgia, where he pitched to a 0.71 ERA and a 13-0 record his senior year, leading him to be named a Baseball America High School third-team All-American in 2011 and to the ESPN Rise first team.

Leibrandt decided to attend Florida State University, pitching three years in Tallahassee before turning pro after his junior year and being drafted in the sixth round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies.

After spending 2014 with the GCL Phillies and Williamsport Crosscutters, Leibrandt was promoted to the Single-A Clearwater Threshers in 2015 and was a Florida State League Mid-Season All-Star and an MLB Phillies Organization All-Star. An injury early in 2016 shelved him for the year, but he didn’t let that stop him. He spent 2017 with Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley, recording a 3.62 ERA across 25 starts between the two clubs.

He returned to Lehigh Valley in 2018 and continued the seemingly straight road he was on, recording a 1.42 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP in 20 games. Then, the twists and turns began to take shape. Leibrandt underwent Tommy John surgery in July of that season, forcing him to miss the rest of 2018 and 2019, and was released in May of 2020 when baseball was on hold due to the pandemic.

When asked what kept him going throughout the uncertainty, it was quite straightforward for the lefty: you only get one career.

“I always felt like, after the injuries, I was never quite myself. For my own sake, and my family is very supportive as well, I felt like I owed it to myself to figure out if I still have the ability to get to the big leagues,” Leibrandt said. “Just playing that out and making sure no stone is left unturned because you only get one career, so I wanted to put everything I could into it.”

Leibrandt signed with the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball on June 3, 2020, and not too long after, his persistence finally paid off. His contract was selected by the Miami Marlins on August 10 of that year and he made his Major League debut on August 23 against the Washington Nationals. In total in the shortened 2020 season, Leibrandt appeared in five games out of the bullpen for the Marlins, notching a 2.00 ERA with three strikeouts in nine innings.

Although his dream of playing in MLB was finally achieved, it was under unique circumstances, with no fans in attendance for any of his outings.

“It was weird, for sure. I mean, absolutely surreal, but weird at the same time,” Leibrandt said. “It kind of felt like a Major League spring training, where it had the players and somewhat had the atmosphere, but not the full go-round with all the fans. But still, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Since then, Leibrandt has been a journeyman of sorts, as he’s pitched for three Major League organizations, the Marlins, Chicago Cubs, and Cincinnati Reds, on minor-league contracts and has also pitched for the Atlantic League High Point Rockers. His contract was purchased by the Reds’ organization from the Rockers on May 24, 2024, putting him back in affiliated baseball for the first time since 2022.

“I was extremely happy to get the call. That’s why you go to independent ball, to try and put up as good of numbers as you can and hope somebody would see what you’re doing,” Leibrandt said. “The Reds came calling, and now it’s time to go show them what I can do and see what happens.”

Leibrandt has made seven starts for Louisville thus far, holding a 1-1 record with a 5.08 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 33.2 innings, and Bats manager Pat Kelly raved about his consistency and ability to throw strikes more often than not.

"First of all, having a left-hander in the rotation has just been nice. Second, he throws strikes, he's going to give you a good five innings, and he does a strong job of reading hitters and adapting to what they're going to do," Kelly said. "It's been fun to watch him pitch, and he's very appreciative to be back in organized ball."

His father, Charlie Leibrandt, was drafted by the Reds, was a starter for 14 years in the Major Leagues, and won the 1985 World Series with the Kansas City Royals, and he has been a significant part of Brandon’s career.

“My dad has been extremely helpful,” Leibrandt said. “He and my mom both have been very supportive through the ups and downs. They’re always there to tell me what I have done well and what I haven’t done well, and they’ve meant a lot in terms of getting better year after year.”

Leibrandt's success continued off the field recently as he and his wife, Kelli, became first-time parents, welcoming their son, Louis, on the evening of July 1st.

No matter the twists and turns that Leibrandt faces in the future, the lefty will continue to draw from his simple mentality: "You only get one career."