He began the season with the Round Rock Express of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League, and pitched to a 1–0 win–loss record and a 1.04 earned run average before he was promoted to the major leagues on May 13.
(meta data) TITLE: Texas Rangers: How seasoned rookie Brandon Mann achieved big-league dream after 17 years, stint in Japan and suspension | SportsDay (meta data) AUTHOR: https://www.facebook.com/gerry.fraley.3 (meta data) PUBLISHER: https://www.facebook.com/sportsdaydfw Skip to Main Content High Schools FC Dallas Dallas Fuel Other Sports #### Sign up for our SportsDay Newsletter Get the latest sports news, coverage and opinion – all in your inbox. # How seasoned rookie Brandon Mann achieved big-league dream after 17 years, stint in Japan and suspension Mugshot of Rangers pitcher Brandon Mann. HOUSTON -- There are two ways to view Brandon Mann, a soon-to-be 34-year-old left-hander, coming to the majors for the first time in a 17-year career Sunday with the Rangers. What a compelling story of perseverance. Mann reached his goal after 267 minor league appearances, three seasons in independent leagues, two seasons in Japan and one suspension for use of a banned substance. "It means everything," said Mann, who got the final five outs in the Rangers' 6-1 loss to Houston at Minute Maid Park. "Lots of reflecting on the journey of where it's been. This is pretty awesome. "I always told myself I was a big leaguer. To keep grinding for that opportunity, you have to believe that you are." Adrian Beltre aggravates hamstring injury, forced out of game General manager Jon Daniels is an honest man. Daniels maintained throughout the offseason that the player-development system was thin at the upper levels. The Rangers last three call-ups have been a pitcher with a 6.66 ERA (Yohander Mendez), an infielder hitting .198 (Eliezer Alvarez) and Mann. This type of story can happen only with a club that is rebuilding its talent pipeline. A year ago, it was right-hander Austin Bibens-Dirkx. This season, it is Brandon Mann, who is 11 months older than Bibens-Dirkx. No one in the system was more suitable for this role than Mann, who had a 1.04 ERA and .133 opponents batting average for 171/3 innings at Triple-A Round Rock. That includes right-hander Matt Bush, who has gone from spring training rotation candidate to opening day bullpen to demoted to Round Rock on April 25. Manager Jeff Banister said the move should not be seen as a slight of Bush. The Rangers wanted more of a long-reliever type, and that is not Bush's role. "Bush continues to work and is doing better," Banister said. "This has no real bearing on Matt Bush." Mann will turn 34 on Wednesday, when the Rangers are at Seattle. He grew up in nearby Des Moines, Wash. His high school rivals included Rangers reliever Tony Barnette. Tampa Bay selected Mann in the 27th round of the 2002 draft. That began an odyssey that has included time the Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland and Pittsburgh organizations, three seasons in independent leagues and two seasons in Japan. Mann spent last year with Midland, Oakland's affiliate in the Double-A Texas League. Are you a SportsDay subscriber who loves the Rangers? Join our exclusive Facebook group Mann came to the attention of Rangers assistant general manager Josh Boyd in the offseason through a video of a workout at Driveline, a Seattle-area baseball performance training center. Right-hander Tim Lincecum, currently on the disabled list, also trains there. The Rangers saw enough of Mann to sign him to a minor league deal in January. Before that, Mann was considering retirement. No one was calling, and he had decided against returning to independent ball. "I believed in my heart I was definitely capable of pitching in the big leagues," Mann said. "It's crazy what happens." The low point of Mann's career came in 2016, when he was suspended for 80 games after testing positive for Ostarine, which acts similarly to steroids. He was under a minor league contract with Oakland at the time. Mann told the organization that he had unknowingly purchased an over-the-counter supplement that included the substance. Oakland management accepted that and kept him in the organization. "It was an unfortunate thing," Mann said. "It's in the past. It was hard to come back from that. I thank the people at Oakland for listening to me and believing in me and giving me the opportunity to come back." Mann replaced Mendez, who returns to starting at Round Rock. If the Rangers dump Matt Moore, who allowed three runs in three innings in the loss, Mendez is a candidate for the rotation. ## Never too late A look at the oldest rookies, on the day of their minor-league debut, in Rangers history. They are all pitchers (age in years and days): Yoshi Tateyama 35-149 Brandon Mann 33-362 Tony Barnette 32-148 Austin Bibens-Dirkx 32 -18 Kaz Fukumori 31-240 Twitter: @gfraley ##### This Topic is Missing Your Voice. ##### Login to Comment or create an account Forgot your password? ##### Create an Account or login First Name Last Name Display Name Only letters, numbers, - (dashes) and _ (underscores) Cannot start with a - (dash) or _ (underscore) Minimum 6 characters, maximum 250 characters By submitting, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. ##### Please choose a display name Only letters, numbers, - (dashes) and _ (underscores) Cannot start with a - (dash) or _ (underscore) Minimum 6 characters, maximum 250 characters Display Name ### Story DNA More In Rangers News ### As Josh Hamilton enters Rangers' Hall of Fame, a look back at the price Texas gladly paid for his special talent ### Rangers to remain aggressive despite leading American League in outs on the base paths ### As the Rangers trudge through baseball's longest month, there are some glints of promise among their myriad issues ### Mike Minor gives up a pair of home runs as Rangers lose to Twins , 4-3 ### Rangers feel the pressure of their offensive struggles, but how can they alleviate it? ### Skip an opportunity to be an All-Star? 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Brandon Mann
Career.:Texas Rangers.
On January 10, 2018, Mann signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers.