The Region News

Mike and Bonnie Brosseau are proud of their son, Mike Brosseau of the Tampa Bay Rays.

The younger Mike – they refer to him as “Michael” – has given them a lot to be proud of, reaching the major leagues and becoming a key contributor to the Rays as they moved through the American League playoffs with the goal of winning the World Series. They open the Fall Classic Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who defeated the Atlanta Braves 4-3 in Game 7 of the NLCS Sunday night.

His parents, however, are equally proud of the kind of person he remains despite his success and subsequent national attention. Michael Brosseau slammed a home run off a 100-mph fastball from New York Yankees star closer Arnoldis Chapman in Game 5 of an AL Division Series on Oct. 9, propelling the Rays past the Yankees 2-1 and into the American League Championship Series.

Bonnie Brosseau sports her lucky Rays practice jersey that she wears for each game. It’s a Tampa Bay Ray practice jersey her son wore many times before she took possession. | Submitted

“That was nice,” Mike the father told The Region News.

Bonnie was wearing a Rays practice journey she claimed from her son’s closet. She wears it while watching every game.

“Oh my God. There is not an unproud bone or cell in my body,” she said. “We could not be more proud of him.”

Bonnie said it’s not just because of his success.

“He’s very level-headed, he’s pretty humble,” she said. “He just takes things as they come and day-by-day. He’s not a bragger and he is very humble.”

Michael Brosseau, 26, couldn’t be blamed for developing a bit of an ego, but that is just not who he is, his parents said. He was a star player growing up on his Little League and travel ball teams, but never exhibited signs of a big head, Mike and Bonnie said.

Even now, in the midst of pressure-packed postseason baseball, he found time to FaceTime with his dad after his big homer, and routinely stays in contact with his parents.

“By the time the games are over, I try to hit the hay,” Mike said. “We get in a few minutes in here and there.”

On days off or when the team is on the road, they enjoy more time with their only child, but understand what he is going through and try to give him space, Mike said.

“I texted him and said, ‘Hey don’t worry about trying to get in touch with us,’” he said. “He actually FaceTimed and talked for three and four minutes. I could hear people talking ... he had a lot of interviews.”

The homer was big news, with millions of baseball fans watching the only game played last weekend.

The Rays and the Yankees have developed a rivalry in recent seasons. The Yankees are rich in postseason history with 27 championships and more wins than any other franchise, as well as payroll. Founded in 1998, the Tampa Bay franchise underwent a name change from the Devil Rays to the Rays in 2008, and have claimed six postseason appearances, two AL pennants and no titles. They rank 28th out of 30 MLB teams in salary at $28.3 million, about a quarter of the Yankees.

They swept the Toronto Blue Jays in the Wild Card Series, winning in two games, before topping the Yankees. They jumped to a 3-0 lead in the ALCS against a power-packed veteran Houston Astros team and after the Astros rallied to tie the series, the Rays prevailed 4-2 in Game 7 Saturday night to reach the World Series for the second time in franchise history.

Beating the Yankees and hitting a clutch homer off Chapman was the biggest moment in Brosseau’s career. The hard-throwing left-hander, who routinely tops triple digits, fired a 101-mph pitch over Brosseau’s head on Sept. 1. Brosseau hit two homers in the next game, and was ready for Chapman in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the ALCS.

Getting back at him with the homer that moved the Rays forward and sent the Yankees home was a strong response. Brosseau has hammered lefty pitching all season, so despite being largely unknown and unheralded, while Chapman is an 11-year veteran with a $48 million contract, Brosseau wasn’t intimidated.

“That made it a little sweeter,” Mike said of his son’s circuit clout. “No doubt that added to the hype of the whole situation.”

But he said Michael was not carrying a grudge over the earlier pitch.

“I don’t think it gave him a chip or anything on his shoulder,” Mike said.

He didn’t need the extra motivation. Michael has been driven to play in the majors for as long as his parents can recall.

“Always been a hard worker no matter what he has done,” his dad said.

After starring in youth baseball, he joined the powerhouse Andrean High School program, where he had to sit and learn as a freshman, earning some playing time for a squad that his dad said may have been the strongest in school history. The Fighting 59ers have won seven 3A Indiana state titles, including one in 2010 with Michael as the starting shortstop.

“He maybe got lost a little bit more in the shuffle,” Mike said. “He was a freshman and they had a powerhouse team. That was a super, super group. The example of those guys out there made him strive even more.”

By his sophomore year, he was the starting shortstop, following a tradition of excellent players at that key position. Five or six of them went on to play Division I college baseball.

“There was a lot of competition,” Mike said. “That’s a shortstop machine.”

But none of the others have risen to the level Michael is at now.

“I can’t speak for the other players, but Michael always aspired to play pro ball,” his dad said. “That was always a goal for him. It took a lot of breaks to get him there. When he got those breaks, he took advantage of them.”

Bonnie said he was driven to succeed.

“He wanted to play ball,” she said. “He’s always wanted to played ball and he scratched his way to where he is today. He’s earned it. He’s done a good job.”

Michael was the starting shortstop at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, batting .354 while leading the Horizon League in on-base percentage at .456 in 2016. He also displayed improved power, hitting 10 home runs in the short college season.

But he was deemed too short – 5'9" – not strong or fast enough. Brosseau went undrafted, and his baseball career seemed to be winding down.

Michael told The New York Times, in an interview after he hit the big home run, that being bypassed has motivated him.

“It’s a day that I look at quite often, honestly — that day in June in 2016 when nobody wanted me,” he said. “That’s always a driving factor.”

While he looked for a chance to play pro ball, the Rays needed an infielder for their Gulf Coast League rookie-level team in Port Charlotte, Florida. Brosseau met with a scout and was offered a contract for $1,000. He seized the opportunity.

By 2017, he was with the Bowling Green Hot Rods, and led the Midwest League in batting average and OBP, proving he had a good eye at the plate. Brosseau moved onto the Charlotte Stone Crabs, the Montgomery Biscuits and the legendary Durham Bulls.

“Minor league baseball was a great experience,” Mike said, as he and Bonnie attended as many games as possible.

Everywhere Michael went, he hit. By the summer of 2019, he was with the Rays, becoming the 19,562th player to appear in the majors. He singled in his first at-bat and has proven to be an effective and, at times, dangerous hitter ever since.

He hit .273 with six homers in just 132 at-bats in 2019, the equivalent of about a fourth of a season. This year, with the pandemic reducing the season from its regular 162-game schedule to just 60 contests, he hit .302 with five home runs.

He is doing it for the major league minimum salary, $568,500. Because of the shortened season, he was paid $210,556 this year. But after hitting .300 and playing well in the postseason, his future looks bright.

Brosseau has displayed a willingness to play wherever needed, appearing at third, second and first base as well as both left field and right field. He’s even pitched four times when the Rays were hopelessly behind and didn’t want to use a pitcher in a game.

Mike said his son has told him he will play any position.

“He wants to contribute as much as he can to the team,” he said. “The big goal is to get the World Series and win the World Series. I think he’s content anywhere they can get him in there and need him in there.”

During the 2019 AL Wild Card Game against the Oakland Athletics, Brosseau started at 3B, moved to 2B and finished at 1B. It marked the first time a player had been at three infield positions in one postseason game.

Mike said as the Rays have advanced through the postseason, family, friends and former teammates have contacted them

“Obviously we heard from people in his travel ball days and his Little League days,” he said. “Lot of calls.”

Bonnie has her own routine. She dons the baby-blue Rays practice jersey before each game.

“The jersey is his. Not store-bought,” Bonnie said. “He’s worn it so many times and it’s been laundered but it still has his smell and that has carried me through these tough COVID times in the past months of not being able to be there to watch him play.”

It’s also good luck.

“Wearing it appears to have some connection with the win,” she said. “Call it whatever. I believe it’s a connection. So I am happy and proud to wear it. We are so grateful to the Rays organization for giving him this opportunity. This has been such a wonderful journey.”

Like their son, the Brosseaus are modest, friendly people, happy to share their stories with a reporter.

“Thanks for the opportunity to relive some wonderful memories,” Mike said.