Brandon Compton rounds third base after a two-run home run. Photo by Chris Jones (High Point University)
Harwich, Mass. – For most high school seniors, your final summer before you get into the real world is spent hanging out with friends, seeing family or even training for sports. Brandon Compton (Arizona State), spent his summer beginning a long rehab process from the dreaded Tommy John surgery.
“Rehab and all of that stuff is not fun at all,” said Compton. “But now that I look back, it was somewhat of a good thing. In the time that I couldn’t play at Arizona State, I spent a lot of time in the cages, working on my conditioning and just improving physically. Once I was able to catch up on the field, I think that process helped me a lot.”
Compton had TJ surgery on May 26, 2022, and from then on, wasn’t able to play baseball for over a year. However, when he could finally lace up his cleats in a meaningful game, he was a beast at the plate. In fact, his very first game back against Santa Clara University, he went 3-4 with 3 RBI and a home run, proving that the procedure and off time couldn’t slow him down.
He proceeded to mash at the plate the rest of his redshirt freshman season as he finished with a .354 batting average, 14 home runs, 51 RBI and 30 extra-base hits. At the end of the season, he was named the PAC-12 Freshman of the Year and found his way on the All-PAC-12 First Team list.
Following that stellar season, Compton would choose to play for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League. At the beginning of his Kettleer tenure, the left fielder had some trouble at the plate, starting 0-for-9 in the first three games. However, that drought wouldn’t last long.
In Tuesday's game against the Y-D Red Sox, the Arizona native had a key two-run home run that set Cotuit up for a major comeback that they, unfortunately, fell short of.
The next game would be on Thursday against the Harwich Mariners, and that’s where Compton really let his potential show. He would have a spectacular performance, going 3-for-6 with five RBI and a grand slam, as the Ketts would crush Harwich, 18-4.
“It’s a different league out here. The pitchers are really good, the fields are tough, everything is tough in this league, but you have to get used to it,” said Compton.
The offense in general has been outstanding the last two games where it put 24 runs on the board to go along with 26 hits and five home runs. Some players have made adjustments to their swing and approach in the last few days and its led to great results on the field. But Compton says it’s more of a mental thing for him.
“Like I said, it’s a different league and more of a mental game than anything else,” the left fielder says. “You have to try and win every pitch and try and put your best product on the field.”
Looking ahead, Cotuit will continue to face some very talented teams, but Compton says that the Ketts have the potential to be very dangerous and have an explosive lineup. The next challenge will come Friday night as the Kettleers will take on the undefeated Hyannis Harbor Hawks at Lowell Park. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET.
Brandon Compton throwing. Photo by Holden McBerty (Univeristy of Memphis).
