How Brandon Clarke’s big risk brought him to the Red Sox
“I gotta check my reality sometimes — I'm really a Boston Red Sox. I'm here. I belong here.”
Brandon Clarke flipped through his Bible to find a verse he’d like to discuss. He had plenty of options. So did his teammates at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF), many of whom spent their Thursday night in coach Tim Hill’s living room chatting about their faith over a spaghetti dinner. Among all those verses, one takes permanent residence in Clarke’s mind, heart and on one of his baseball gloves: Proverbs 16:33, which says that no matter what risks you take, you will always end up at the right outcome.
Clarke knows the verse by heart. It’s a verse with parallels to his young baseball career. The former five-star southpaw spent his freshman season at the University of Alabama recovering from various injuries, and would have to fight for innings against the many established starters returning to Tuscaloosa if he stayed. It was around this time when his advisor, Andrew Lowenthal, told him about SCF, a junior college that has sent 36 of their former players to the major leagues. That school wanted to make Clarke No. 37.
Abandoning a roster spot at the University of Alabama and transferring to a little college in Bradenton would be a massive risk — and one with an incredibly hazy outcome. But whenever Clarke takes risks, he trusts that there’s only one outcome: The right one.
After two phone calls with Hill in late July 2022, Clarke became a Manatee.
“Without even going down [to visit SCF], I was just like, ‘God’s gonna lead me down the right path,’ Clarke told Boston.com. “[I know] I’m gonna go to the right place, and it ended up working out good.”
Not too long after Clarke arrived in Bradenton, Hill invited the new transfer to his house to participate in a non-mandatory team Bible study session, which he accepted. Before long, every one of his Thursday nights became booked. You could find him in Hill’s living room opening up about his faith to the teammates and coaches he grew to trust.
Trust goes a long way to Clarke. Trusting his advisor made him risk putting his professional baseball dreams in the hands of Hill and his coaching staff. These weren’t just any dreams. They have occupied Clarke’s head ever since he was four years old, when he first saw David Ortiz take a batters’ box. He wanted to become a pro just like his idol. So did the coaches at SCF.
“I care about Brandon Clarke because he’s more than just a ballplayer, and we’re going to treat him like that,” Hill said.
The more Clarke connected with his coaches, the more he grew comfortable with their guidance. A stress fracture in his shoulder prevented Clarke from pitching much in his first season at SCF, but he signed with Liberty University before the season ended. Liberty never felt like the perfect fit for him though. Only one place did.
“[Clarke] called me in the summer [and] said, ‘I think I want to come back,’” Hill said. “‘I would really like it down there.’”
Hill and his staff were happy to give Clarke his locker back. The return paid massive dividends, as Clarke finished his second season with a 4.36 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP with 107 strikeouts in 74.1 innings. He even attracted the attention of several professional scouts mesmerized by his lightning fastball and his 6-foot-4 frame. They only grew more captivated at the MLB Draft Combine, when Clarke ignited the radar gun with a top fastball velocity of 98 mph. That was a fastball they wanted to add to their team.
“We’ll take big, athletic lefties that throw 100 [mph] any day that we can,” Red Sox director of amateur scouting Devin Pearson said.
The hot summer days came and went until July 15. He gathered his friends and family — including Hill, who joined virtually for a little bit — and turned on the MLB Draft. Picks flew off the board until the Boston Red Sox prepared to make their fifth-round selection. None of his SCF teammates had been selected yet. There wasn’t even a junior college player taken up to that point.
That changed right away when the Red Sox selected Brandon Clarke.
“I gotta check my reality sometimes — I’m really a Boston Red Sox,” Clarke said. “I’m here. I belong here.”
By the time the 2024 MLB draft concluded, Clarke became one of five Manatees to be selected that year — and one of 203 in SCF history. Clarke’s selection emerged as another success story for the junior college, who did everything they could to make Clarke’s risk two years ago worth it.
For the southpaw, taking that risk led him to the right outcome — a spot in the Boston Red Sox’ organization.
“[Clarke’s] goal was to play professional baseball, and he stuck with that,” Hill said. “He turned down a D-1 opportunity, came here, and he saw his dream come true.”
As one of Clarke’s dreams comes to life, another one comes into view. Using all the baseball and life skills he’s learned at SCF, he’s ready to embark on his ultimate goal of succeeding in the major leagues.
“That’s why I’m still playing,” Clarke said, “To make it to the big leagues and be a really, really, really freaking good big leaguer.”
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