Former major leaguer now pitching for Somerset Patriots
Lesli Brea is back living in his old stomping grounds, the Greenville section of Jersey City, but you can’t exactly call it a happy homecoming. Brea, who has been a professional baseball player for the last eight years, loves being reunited with his father, Rafael, his four brothers and his close friends, but he just wishes the circumstances were different.
Three years ago, Brea was living out a dream. The flame-throwing relief pitcher, who had been clocked as high as 99 miles per hour on a radar gun, had just been traded by the New York Mets organization to the Baltimore Orioles in the trade that brought Mike Bordick to the Mets and sent Melvin Mora to the Orioles.
It was a trade that represented a gigantic opportunity for Brea, because the Orioles believed he was on the fast track to the major leagues.
"I thought it was the best thing that could ever happen for me, the chance of a lifetime," Brea said. "As a ballplayer, it’s the kind of thing you pray for. After the trade, I went down to Class AA for a week, then I was in the big leagues. It happened so fast. I was in the bigs."
Sure enough, the Orioles brought Brea to the majors almost as soon as they acquired him. They loved his velocity, considered to be the highest octane heater in the Baltimore organization. They loved Brea’s biting slider. He had the makings of being a good reliever and a possible closer.
But there was another obstacle that would eventually plague Brea’s climb to stardom – his actual age.
When he was traded to the Orioles, it was first believed he was 21 years old. His birth certificate from the Dominican Republic said that he was born October 12, 1978. However, there was another official document from the country that said he was actually born Oct. 12, 1973.
If the Orioles were grooming a 21-year-old reliever, then he was a prospect. If Brea was really 26, then his star wasn’t as bright.
"I really didn’t think the age should have mattered," said Brea, who still doesn’t properly disclose his real age, saying he’s 26, when the document says he’s actually 29. "It’s all how you perform. You have to compete no matter what, so the age shouldn’t be an issue. People were quick to criticize me for what happened, but I just wanted the chance to play."
When Brea first got into the age-altering business, he was incredibly naïve. After making a name for himself, playing for the Greenville American Little League and for St. Paul’s (Greenville) in the CYO, Brea ran into some trouble in Jersey City as a teenager. He dropped out of Snyder High School and was running with a bad crowd near the beleaguered Curries Woods housing projects, just a stone’s throw from his home.
Brea’s parents suggested that he move back to the Dominican Republic to get away from the trouble.
"I grew up playing baseball, ever since I was little," Brea said. "I always knew that I was able to throw harder than everyone. But I couldn’t stay in school, so I had to go back to DR. I figured I could get a chance to play ball there."
While in the DR, Brea said that he was introduced to some "scouts" who told Brea that he could get into professional baseball, as long as he suddenly became younger overnight.
"They said the younger the better," Brea said. "If you’re under the certain age, you’re a prospect. If you’re over the age, you’re a suspect. I loved playing baseball and was willing to do anything."
So the scout doctored Brea’s birth certificate, shaving off five years from his actual age.
"I still don’t think the age is a big factor," Brea said. "Look at Nolan Ryan. He was still blowing it past people when he was 45. He was older and still got the job done. It’s not age. It’s about getting people out."
Brea was first signed by the Seattle Mariners as a free agent in 1996, before being traded to the Mets for Butch Huskey in 1999, and from there, was shipped to the Orioles.
Brea really didn’t get a great chance to prove himself in the major leagues. He pitched all of two games in the 2000 season and six more in the 2001 season. He pitched a total of 11 innings and had a robust earned run average of 12.27.
He spent the entire 2002 season with Rochester of Class AAA, but never got a chance to even sniff the Orioles’ roster.
"I spent the whole year in Triple A and they kept sending people up to the bigs before me," Brea said. "I was one of the last guys to get sent down after spring training, but I only threw eight innings all spring. How could they tell? I might not be throwing 97 [miles per hour], but I was still throwing good. But I went to Triple A and had a hell of a season and they still didn’t call me."
Brea posted a 3-7 record with a 3.22 ERA and three saves in 60 games for Rochester last year, collecting 75 strikeouts in 85 innings. But he had reached the crossroads with the Orioles. When the Orioles didn’t offer Brea another contract, he became a free agent.
"I didn’t want any part of them," Brea said. "They were going to keep me in Triple A. I wanted a chance. It was best that I leave the Orioles’ organization. I was disappointed. I didn’t have any answers why I didn’t get another chance."
In the off-season, Brea signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and went to spring training there. He was reunited with manager Lou Piniella and pitching coach Chris Bosio, both of whom he knew from his days with the Mariners. Brea figured he had a good chance to get a shot with the Devil Rays.
"But when I got to camp, they had 45 pitchers there," Brea said. "When I saw that, I figured it was going to be tough, no matter what I did. There were guys who jumped ahead of me who didn’t do anything. I felt down."
Three weeks into spring training, Piniella called Brea into his office.
"He told me that he was giving me my release," Brea said. "He was honest with me and felt that I could still go out there and make a club somewhere."
There was only one problem. No one was offering Brea a job.
"My agent hadn’t heard anything from anyone," Brea said. "He faxed letters to every club, and as every day passed, it kept getting harder."
Brea had been through a tough off-season. His mother had passed away. He was missing his wife and 5-year-old son Jordan, who live in Arizona. But now, he was facing the crossroads of his life. His professional baseball career was hanging in the balance.
"But I couldn’t quit the game," Brea said. "I know I still have what it takes to get people out. I still have a deep love for the game. I wasn’t ready to quit."
Brea had a chance to sign with an independent league in Arizona, but when he received an offer to join the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League, he jumped at the chance.
"It was going to let me come home, be with family and friends, be with my father," Brea said. "Just being home again was good with me."
The Atlantic League, where the Newark Bears also play, is a league that gives former major leaguers one last hope of getting back to the bigs. It’s where sure-fire Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson is playing these days. Brea is one of those former major leaguers holding on to a dream.
"I would be cheating myself if I didn’t give it a try," Brea said. "I wasn’t going to beg for a job. I believe I can still throw. I’m still in the 90s. I felt it was a good chance for me to pitch for guys like [former Yankee ace reliever] Sparky [Lyle, the manager of the Patriots] and Count [John "The Count" Montefusco, the former Giants’ Rookie of the Year, who is the Patriots’ pitching coach]. They are two guys who I can communicate with and know what I’ve been through."
Brea is the Patriots’ closer and has an 0-1 record with a 4.31 ERA and three saves thus far for Somerset. He commutes daily from Jersey City to Somerset County for home games and obviously travels with the team on the road.
"I like being in relief again," Brea said. "I like the responsibility. I was never comfortable being a starter. I like coming out of the pen."
But Brea doesn’t know how much longer he can remain in the Atlantic League. After all, he’s only making about $3,000 per month. Not easy to raise a family on that salary.
"I’ll play this season out and see if I can get something," Brea said. "If I play the whole season here, that would be fine. But if I don’t hear anything, I might have to shut it down. I have to start thinking about my future soon."
For now, Brea has to just wonder what really happened, how he could go from rising star to virtual has-been in the matter of months.
"I sit back and wonder what in the world I’m doing here," Brea said. "I really don’t know what happened. There are 32 organizations and no one needs a pitcher like me? Why not me? My Pops always has been supportive and tells me to keep my head up and something will come up. In a way, I keep going for them. My family and friends have always been so supportive. They know I’m still in my prime. But once the prime is gone, there isn’t much more for me to do."
Brea has no regrets. Although the age discrepancy might have given him a black eye and tarnished his reputation, he thanks baseball for giving him the opportunity to be a professional.
"It’s a lot better than running around in the streets, which is where I was headed," Brea said. "It kept me out of trouble, and at the very least, I had the shot."
Whether Lesli Brea gets another one remains to be seen. But he’s still out there plugging along, firing his fastball, breaking off his slider. Maybe there is one shot left. It’s one maybe in a league of maybes.