There are very few individuals making waves in professional sports like Brandon Rembert, a graduate of Alcorn State who recently broke into the MLB space as an Operations Assistant and a scout. Rembert’s story is full of promise, heartbreak, determination, and embodies the essence of perseverance.

Rembert was born and grew up in Pensacola, Florida. From an early age, baseball took a hold on him. He followed in his older brother’s footsteps as he was introduced tee-ball, then quickly moved on to baseball. Despite his Southern heritage, Rembert was somewhat of a Boston Red Sox fan. A singular player caught his eye:

“My favorite player was Manny Ramirez back when he was with the Red Sox,” he said. “He had the dreads and the long hair, then I started to get my hair kind of like his because I wanted to be like him and have my batting stance like him. That’s a guy that I really liked growing up, I thought he was entertaining and he had a lot of energy. I guess the Red Sox were my favorite team growing up just because of him and David Ortiz.”

Rembert continued to pursue baseball as he matriculated through school. Eventually, after graduating from Booker T. Washington High School in Pensacola, he decided to go to Faulkner University. After he transferred from Faulkner to a junior college, the recruitment from bigger schools started to heat up.

“I got offers from Jackson State and some other HBCUs, and some Division II schools as well,” he said. “It was a lot of different twists and turns trying to get to Alcorn, but at the end of the day it was a good decision for me.”

Rembert as a baseball player at Alcorn.

Rembert credited his former head coach Brett Richardson and the rest of the coaching staff for his decision to come to Alcorn State. 

“He had a lot of emphasis on the off the field stuff being as important as the on field stuff,” he said. “He was very much into academics and things like that; making sure we went to class, making sure we went to study hall. At the end of the day, not everyone is going to make it to the big leagues, not everyone is going to play professional baseball. That off the field stuff mattered just as much as the on the field stuff did, and I was thankful to have a coach that emphasized that.”

He further added that Alcorn’s “family environment” helped him feel comfortable enough to make the transition.

Despite Richardson’s teachings, one goal lingered in Rembert’s head: making it to the big leagues. He more than made a case for himself throughout his career as a Brave. The outfielder was a two-time SWAC Pre-Season All-Conference First Team selection leading up to the 2020 and 2021 campaigns. Additionally, going into the 2021 season, Black College Nines listed him as one of the 10 best HBCU MLB Prospects.

Unfortunately, Rembert’s dreams quickly faded away after a tragic injury.

“That whole ordeal was crazy. It was during a preseason practice,” he explained. “We weren’t even supposed to be on the field that day, but it dried up enough to go out. We were doing a little scrimmage and I was rounding first base when my hamstring just have out. I was perfectly fine before that. I felt really good, at my best, to be honest, and then that happened. That whole year was just trying to get back on the field, but every time I tried, it made it worse.”

The injury took required months of rehab on top of processing. Rembert had a clear path to his goals, yet the opportunity was stripped from him in the blink of an eye.

Following the 2021 season, Rembert graduated with a master’s degree from Alcorn State. He had to do some soul searching, but knew his interests still remained in baseball.

“To be honest, it was hard. I had to do some inner work. My identity was so rooted into being a baseball player. I was like, ‘Oh, that’s Brandon the baseball player.’ But then I had to separate myself from being the baseball player to, ‘I’m Brandon, but I play baseball. I’m not a baseball player.’ Knowing that I’m somebody and that I’ma bel to do more things outside of just being a baseball player was a lot of work. It was tough, but it made me who I am today as I learned how to face adversity and learn how to mentally overcome it.”

Following his graduation, Rembert moved back home to Pensacola. He became an assistant hitting and outfield coach for his high school, and also coached a local travel team. He gained a new perspective on the game and the lessons it presented from a different angle.

“I liked coaching, but I liked coaching younger people,” he said. “The people that I coached, they were really wanting to get better. It felt good for me to able to impact their lives, not just on the field, but helping them off the field and guiding them in the right direction.”

While Rembert enjoyed coaching, he still wanted something more. That “something” came out of left field.

During his playing days at Alcorn State, Tyrone Brooks, a senior director of front office and field staff diversity pipeline program at the MLB, spoke to Rembert’s team about a diversity program. Brooks also happened to have worked previously with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Because Rembert maintained the connection, Brooks felt confident in his skills. He sent Rembert’s resume to the Pirates without him knowing. Soon after, the Pirates reached out to the HBCU graduate.

“The Pirates started giving me some calls and giving me some interviews. They all went well, so they decided to bring me on in February. It was kind of like a breath of fresh air that I was able to be in professional baseball even though it’s not on the side that I wanted to be. I’m incredibly thankful that it worked out the way it did.”

The Pirates hired Rembert as a Minor League Operations Assistant, but his tenacity recently earned him a promotion into the scouting department for the major league team.

Rembert credits much of his success to the lessons he learned at Alcorn.

“It taught me a lot, like how to manage my time which is big in professional baseball. It also taught me how to build relationships with people. Playing baseball, I was always gone, so being able to form those relationships with my classmates just to be able to help me out or help me study was key. Also, learning how to communicate; communication skills are big in any profession you have outside of college, so learning how to communicate with others effectively helped me as well.”

Rembert also understands another key message: giving back to his community. He knows the importance of helping out others and potentially encouraging Black student-athletes in similar situations.

“I just want to let people know that HBCU graduates are in fact currently working and are being represented within such a prominent industry. I want to be of encouragement to other HBCU students and people in general, as someone who is currently working in Major League Baseball, that it is a very possible and attainable dream to work in the professional baseball industry, or any industry one desires for that matter.”