Brennan Philip Boesch (born April 12, 1985) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2010 with the Detroit Tigers. After being released from Detroit before the 2013 season, Boesch spent most of his remaining career playing for the Minor League teams of the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, and Cincinnati Reds until retiring before the 2017 season when no team signed him from free agency.
Boesch played high school baseball at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles. As a junior, Baseball America ranked him one of the top 25 prospects in the country. He won the World Wood Bat Championship as a member of Team Baseball America, was selected Best Hitter at the Area Code Games, Best Power Hitter at the Team One Nationals and won the Daily News Invitational Home Run Derby. In his senior year he batted .490 with seven home runs and was selected First Team All-CIF and a First Team High School All-American for the All-American Game.
Boesch attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he played three years of college baseball from 2004 to 2006. He was awarded All-Pac-10 first team honors as a sophomore center fielder. He was the winner of the 2005 Clint Evans Award as the team's best hitter and co-winner of the team award for most valuable player. In 2005, he played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Bourne Braves and the Brewster Whitecaps.
Following his junior season, Boesch elected to participate in the 2006 Major League Baseball draft and was picked in the third round by the Detroit Tigers.
Boesch began his minor league career in 2006 with the short season Oneonta Tigers, where he was a NY-Penn League All-Star. With the Single-A West Michigan Whitecaps, in 2007, Boesch led all of Single A in RBIs and was third in hits. With the Double-A Erie SeaWolves, Boesch led the Eastern League in home runs (28) and won the MILB Round Trippers Award for leading all of AA in home runs, en route to his selection by Baseball America as Best Power Prospect AA. With the AA Seawolves, Boesch was named the Seawolves' Most Valuable Player, League Mid-Season All-Star, Post-Season All-Star, led the league in total bases and extra base hits. He finished fourth in runs scored and third in RBIs. Boesch also won a Gold Glove as he led the league with 15 outfield assists. Boesch started the 2010 season with the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens.
The Tigers called up Boesch from the Toledo Mud Hens to replace the injured Carlos Guillén on April 23, 2010. Boesch made his major league debut the same day in a game against the Texas Rangers.
Boesch hit his first major league home run off Los Angeles Angels pitcher Joel Piñeiro on April 30. Coming in the same inning as Scott Sizemore's first career home run, it was the first time two Tigers had hit their first career home runs in the same inning since Pop Dillon and Kid Elberfeld in 1901.
Boesch was named the American League Rookie of the Month for May and June 2010 and Tigers Player of the Month in June. In his rookie season Boesch posted 14 home runs and 67 RBIs. He finished fifth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting.
Boesch appeared in 115 games but after establishing career bests of 75 runs scored, 121 hits, 16 home runs, and a .283 batting average, Boesch's season ended when he suffered a torn ligament in his hand in early August.
After post-surgery rehabilitation, Boesch started the 2012 season slowly. He had his best month in July, when he hit .295, with 4 home runs and 17 RBIs. But after July, his playing time was reduced and Boesch completed his season with a .240 batting average, 12 home runs and 54 RBIs over 132 game appearances.
Eligible for arbitration after three years of MLB service, the Tigers, in January 2013, signed Boesch to a one-year, $2.3 million contract for the 2013 season, but the Tigers also signed free agent All-Star outfielder Torii Hunter, who would quickly replace Boesch.
The Tigers released Boesch on March 13, 2013 in the middle of spring training.
New York Yankees and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
On March 15th, Boesch signed a contract with The New York Yankees.
On May 14th, The Yankees optioned Boesch to the Triple-A team Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Boesch would be recalled on May 25th but then would shortly return to the RailRiders on June 3rd.
On July 19th, the Yankees released Boesch outright while he was on rehab assignment for the RailRiders for a slight muscle tear, this enabled them to make room on the roster to replace the injured All-Star shortstop Derek Jeter with another infielder.
By playing only 23 games with the Yankees, Boesch is listed as having a avg. hit of .275 with 3 homeruns, and posted career highs with a slugging percentage of .529 and OPS of .831.
Boesch, a free agent going into the 2013 off season, played for the Escondigo Leones of the Dominican Republic Winter League where among other things he worked on sharpening his eye. Boesch was among league leaders in bases on balls and showed no ill effects from the injury that sidelined him.