Upbringing

Brett Michael Gardner was born to parents, Jerry Gardner and Faye Gardner. His father, Jerry Gardner was a professional Major League Baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies’ minor league team. He was a great influence on Brett’s decision to pursue baseball. He saw the success that his father had and wanted the same for himself. When he competed in Little League, he had faith that he would make it to the big leagues because his father had already shown him that it was possible.

 He had had an advantage over his peers because he was able to learn about what it took to make it from his father. His father showed the type of work ethic that was required to become a pro athlete. On days when Brett didn’t feel like playing or practicing, his father would push him and remind that it isn’t possible to succeed on just talent alone. He had to work hard every day to keep getting better because his competition would get better and leave him in the dust if he didn’t keep the pace up.

Brett was always fond of baseball and he was the center of attraction since his school days because of his ability and his famous father. He was always a part of his schools’ baseball teams and he excelled in showing his skills. His knack for the sport brought him to closer to achieving his dream every time he stepped up the mound.

Amateur Career

When he was attending higher education, his school, the College of Charleston was holding baseball tryouts. Even before the tryouts, Brett showed how confident he was in himself. He went up to the coach and told him that he was ready to be on a team. He told the coach that he would be a big reason for the team’s success and he was determined to lead the team to victory.

The coach was surprised by the young man’s confidence. He paid special attention to Brett has he tried out with the other potential recruits. Brett did so well during the tryouts but it wasn’t just his playing ability that got him selected. The coach really liked that he was enthusiastic and passionate about the game. Just like his father said, the coach that natural talent could only take you so far. You had to actually have a love for the game to succeed. Some baseball players are good enough to make it to the pros and they’ll make decent money but they’ll never be one of the top players if they didn’t have a true love for the game. The coach could see that Brett was one of those players that cared deeply about the game.

In 2005 during his senior year, Brett backed up his strong words. He ranked third for his batting average of 0.447 in while he played for the College of Charleston Cougars. His season at Charleston was strong enough for pro scouts to take notice of him. The question of being drafted was no longer a question, the new question was which spot he would get drafted in.