Brian Serven, a 2013 Palm Desert High School (PDHS) graduate, made his MLB debut Wednesday with the Colorado Rockies in a game against the San Francisco Giants.
Serven was drafted by Colorado in 2016 and has spent the past six years working his way up through the minor league circuit, according to a report by KESQ. Several of his family members flew to Colorado for the game. During his first at bat, he fouled off the first pitch which landed in the hands of his family who were watching from the stands.
"It was all a blur, and he called and wanted to talk to my wife and myself at the same time," Jim Serven, Brian’s father told KESQ. “So, we put our phone on speaker and he broke the news to us. He was emotional too and he said, ‘I got to tell you guys. I got the call. I'm going.’"
Brian attended Arizona State after graduating from PDHS, KESQ reported. He was drafted by the Rockies in the 5th round of the 2016 MLB draft.
In the minor leagues, Serven's stats saw him with a .245 batting average, 285 hits, 44 home runs and 160 RBIs in 1,163 at-bats, KESQ reported.
Last year, Serven had a spectacular season with the Albuquerque Isotopes, which is the AAA affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, KESQ reported. In September, he hit a two-run homerun off Clayton Kershaw, pitcher for the LA Dodgers. He also hit a homerun in April in the Isotopes' game against the Sacramento River Cats, the Triple A affiliate for the Giants.
Now that he's a major leaguer, Serven will play as Colorado's No. 2 catcher behind Elias Diaz, according to KESQ.