MLB Draft: Former Willis P Brandon Birdsell Taken By Twins

WILLIS, TX — Former Willis High School pitcher Brandon Birdsell was selected in the 11th round of the MLB Draft with the 339th overall pick by the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday.

Birdsell, a sophomore, was off to a strong start this spring in his first season with Texas Tech before suffering a torn rotator cuff in mid-April.

He was 4-1 with a 3.06 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 36 strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings before coming out of a game against TCU on April 11. Two days later, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported he had torn his rotator cuff, and Birdsell didn't pitch the rest of the season.

Birdsell transferred to Texas Tech from San Jacinto Junior College in Pasadena, where he put up a 2.48 ERA in a coronavirus-shortened 2020 season. He pitched his freshman season at Texas A&M in 2019.

With two years of college eligibility remaining, Birdsell has the option to return to Texas Tech and attempt to improve his draft stock after rehabbing his injury. He was previously drafted in the 39th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros.

Birdsell was named to the third team on the 2018 Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 5A All-State Baseball Team in recognition of a stellar senior campaign at Willis. He went 5-2 that year with 90 strikeouts in 45 innings pitched, also earning honorable mention on the Texas Sports Writers Association All-State Team.

Birdsell pitched for Conroe as a sophomore in 2016, going 5-2 with a 2.89 ERA and 61 strikeouts.