Alcorn State alum Brandon Rembert forges a career as an MLB scout
Brandon Rembert travels. A lot! Thousands of miles on a regular basis. At only 25 years old, it has become the essence of his life.
For some, this type of constant travel would be physically taxing and socially prohibitive, the antithesis of establishing a stable and routine existence. Yet, Rembert’s regular treks provide him deep meaning. A Midwest area scout for Major League Baseball’s Pittsburgh Pirates, he is experiencing a labor of love and forging a career that offers tangible and visceral fulfillment.
“I love what I do,” said Rembert to this writer on Monday speaking via cellphone. “I know this may seem like a cliche, but it is a dream come true. I don’t view it as work. Baseball is my passion. Each day is a new learning opportunity. To build my skills and hone my craft. Having played baseball my entire life it all [naturally] to me feels like this is where I belong.”
Rembert’s route to the Pirates is tinged with irony as it aligns with his circuitous scouting schedule.
A native of Pensacola, Florida, Rembert attended Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama, upon graduating high school. He transferred to Coastal Alabama Brewton Community College, where he played for one season before matriculating to Alcorn State in Lorman, Mississippi, an HBCU whose football program has produced over 50 NFL players.
Rembert was an impactful outfielder for the Braves, playing three seasons, being afforded the third after his 2020 senior season was shortened due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. While he was on the radar of MLB teams as a potential draft prospect, Rembert mentally grappled with the thought of spending years toiling in the Minor Leagues.
Instead, shortly after graduating from Alcorn State in 2021, he accepted a position with the Pirates as a Minor League Baseball operations assistant.
Based at the Pirates’ baseball academy in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic, some of Rembert’s responsibilities included quantitative and qualitative data collection, video collection and administrative assignments.
Being in the Dominican Republic allowed me to build a foundation of understanding and learning many aspects of baseball, seeing it both through the lenses of player and administrator,” said Rembert.
During his time there, several members of the Pirates organization with whom Rembert was working suggested he explore Major League Baseball’s scout school held in Phoenix, Arizona, headed by Tyrone Brooks, senior director of the league’s Front Office and Field Staff Diversity Pipeline Program.
“It was a significant moment for me,” Rembert said, his tone shifting as he recalled the occasion.
Next week in Part Two of this story, Rembert shares the details of life as a scout, his aspirations, and views on the declining number of African American baseball players on all levels of the sport.
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