Oakland Baseball product Mike Brosseau in World Series with Rays

Oakland Baseball may not have a storied past of big leagues like Vanderbilt, but former Golden Grizzlies infielder Mike Brosseau is competing for a World Series.

The Oakland baseball program is not one filled with big leaguers like that of Louisiana State University or Vanderbilt University, but they have an alumnus competing in the 2020 World Series for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Oakland University Golden Grizzlies Baseball alumnus Mike Brosseau has been one of the key infielders for the Rays throughout the 2020 postseason run as they look to capture a World Series victory. Brosseau was an infielder for the Golden Grizzlies for his four-year college career, signing with the Rays as an undrafted free agent back in July of 2016.

Brosseau hails from Munster, Indiana, but found himself at Oakland for his college years, playing for the Golden Grizzlies. Now, he finds himself in Arlington, Texas, competing for a World Series championship against the Los Angeles Dodgers who lead the series 3-2.

Not to mention that Brosseau hit a home run off of New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman to give the Rays the victory during game five of the American League Divisional Series (ALDS). Taking a look into the past though, Brosseau found his way into 47 games as a freshman where he hit .265/.341/.305, only striking out 18 times over 151 at-bats.

Coming back as a sophomore in 2014, Brosseau would hit .321/.383/.432 for the Golden Grizzlies, where he found some pop in his bat, hitting two home runs. More importantly, he showed his power with 14 extra-base hits and 27 total RBI on the season.

In 2015 Brosseau would play in 49 total games, hitting ..287/.364/.470 with seven home runs and totaling 27 RBI once again during his junior season in a Golden Grizzlies uniform. Before signing with the Rays, Brosseau would come back for his senior season where he once again played in 49 total games.

As a senior, Brosseau hit .355/.452/.570 with ten doubles and ten home runs for 32 total RBI on the season. After a few years working through the minors, Brosseau finds himself on the Rays roster, competing for a championship which has been quite the turnaround for the former Golden Grizzlies infielder.

In 2020 for the Rays, Brosseau played in 36 total games where he hit .302/.378/.558 with five home runs and 12 total RBI on the season. He has been moved around the infield for the Rays as a part of their incredibly versatile team,

In the 2020 postseason, Brosseau has logged fourteen total games. However, game four and game five of the World Series are not reflected in these stats as Baseball-Reference did not have those updated. Brosseau has hit a combined .261/.320/.391 with one home run and two RBI.

As the Rays look to battle back in game six of the 2020 World Series, Brosseau represents the Golden Grizzlies and will look to get back in the series, evening it up and forcing a game seven. Until then, Brosseau has a lot to reflect on, coming a long way from his days with Oakland baseball.

So as the Tampa Bay Rays look to get back to it and approach the 2020 World Series, keep an eye on Oakland Golden Grizzlies alumnus Mike Brosseau who looks to help his team make history in this 60-game sprint of a season.