Cali Native Bremer Finds A Home In Seattle
October 16, 2014 | Baseball
SEATTLE - Noah Bremer could have chosen the easy route after high school. He grew up playing baseball in Berkeley, Calif. and both his parents were grads of the hometown school California. No one would have thought twice if he decided to stay near home and play college baseball for the Bears. When it came time to select a college though, Bremer followed in his brother's footsteps and chose his own path.
His brother, Tyler, a current farmhand for the Miami Marlins, chose to go to Baylor in Waco, Texas. Noah, a 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher, decided the University of Washington was the right place for him.
“My parents went to UC Berkeley but they told me to go to wherever I wanted to go,” said Bremer. “I didn't have a lot of pressure to stay home. I kind of got tired of Berkeley being there so long. My high school is five blocks away from UC Berkeley, so it was time to go explore different areas.”
And when Washington came calling, it ultimately was an easy choice for the freshman Bremer.
“Washington put a good offer on the table that no one else had put up yet,” he said. “I loved it up here when I visited. I came up here when it rained and when it was nice, so I saw both sides of the coin.”
Besides the weather, Bremer also was blown out of the water by the positive vibes of the team.
“This program is going nowhere but up,” Bremer said. “They sold me on the whole mindset of the team and being a part of the team. I really bought into it and I saw what this team is going to look like later on. I said I had to be a part of it and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.”
Now that Bremer has arrived, he also gets to utilize some of the top facilities in the nation. He even bragged to Tyler, who is six years older, about the facilities. His brother came away impressed.
“My brother was a pitcher at Baylor where they have good facilities as well,” said Noah, “But when I showed him the facilities here he said he hadn't seen anything like it. I feel like it is one of the best places in the country, if not the best.
“I can't think of anywhere else where it would be better.”
On the field, Bremer oozes talent. He looks like the projectable type of pitcher that scouts drool over. His fastball already hits in the 90's and with some work in the weight room, he could be a gem down the road, or maybe even this season.
“He is very competitive, but his fastball command is his main attribute,” said UW pitching coach Jason Kelly. “He has a very good breaking ball and a developing change up. He is 6-4 to 6-5 and 175 pounds so he has a long way to go in the weight room part of it and developing strength, but he has a chance to be a front line Pac-12 starter.”
For now, Kelly is just trying to figure out a way to utilize his tall freshman in his first season.
“Ultimately, I think he is a starter in our program,” Kelly said of Bremer. “Whether or not that comes this year, I don't know, but I hope it does. That is kind of going to be up to him with the work ethic and pitching well when he gets opportunities. So, I hope that he can be a starter sooner rather than later.”
That would be fine with Bremer. But, he is willing to help in anyway he can.
“Whatever role I am put into I am willing to give 100 percent into that role,” Bremer, who plans on majoring in business, said. “If there is any opportunity to seize the moment and to show what I can do, I am going to do that. If that is as a reliever, or as a set up guy, or somehow as a starter, I will accept that role and do my best to excel.”
Bremer knows that if he excels at Washington and develops his body and game, he has a chance to play at the next level. Besides his pedigree of being the younger brother of a top-notch baseball prospect, the Huskies showed last year that professional talent can be developed at Montlake. The Huskies sent three pitchers to the pro ranks via the draft, including two starters.
“It was really encouraging to see,” Bremer said of the record eight Huskies that were drafted last June. “I hope the best for those guys and there are a lot of guys in this locker room right now that I feel like will go on to do the same thing and get drafted in high places.
“I am looking forward to watching those guys grow and become really good major league athletes,” continued Bremer. “I can learn from them and say 'okay this is how hard he worked and this was his mindset' and I can replicate that and maybe, hopefully, have the same fate.”
For now, Bremer is concentrating on the present. He and the Huskies have a lot of work to do in order to get prepared for the rigors of the upcoming season. Besides the on-field activities, Bremer is still a freshman, adjusting to his first year of college. But so far, Bremer loves his new life in Seattle.
“Things are going pretty well right now,” he said. “I am practicing really well and I am throwing really well in my bullpens. I am really getting to know the guys. They are helping me out a lot. School is starting to pick up where we are starting to actually do stuff in my classes. I am just trying to accept the process and learning to do that: wake up early, go to class, go to practice and have enough energy for everything. It is a learning process, but there are plenty of guys here to help out with that. I am getting used to it.”
Bremer and his teammates wrap up fall practice with the Purple and Gold World Series next week. The captains will select teams via a draft on Friday. Three games will be played next week, Monday through Wednesday, Oct. 20-22. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. each day.
The public is welcome to attend the games and get a sneak peak at the team.
