Brent Gates

Brent Gates
Brent Gates
	Second baseman / Third baseman
	Born: March 14, 1970 (age 54); Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
	Batted: Switch Threw: Right
MLB debut
	May 5, 1993, for the Oakland Athletics
Last MLB appearance
	October 3, 1999, for the Minnesota Twins
MLB statistics
Batting average	.284
Home runs	37
Runs batted in	298
	Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams
	Oakland Athletics (1993–1996); Seattle Mariners (1997); Minnesota Twins (1998–1999);
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing United States
World Junior Baseball Championship

Brent Robert Gates (born March 14, 1970) is an American former Major League Baseball second and third baseman. He played for the Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and Minnesota Twins between 1993 and 1999. Prior to playing professionally, Brent Gates played for the University of Minnesota where he was named the Big Ten Conference Baseball Player of the Year.

Playing career

Amateur

Gates attended Grandville High School in Grandville, Michigan, and the University of Minnesota, where he played for the Minnesota Golden Gophers baseball team. In 1991, Gates was named the Big Ten Conference Baseball Player of the Year, and was a member of the College Baseball All-America Team. After the 1991 season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Hyannis Mets of the Cape Cod Baseball League.^[1]

Professional

Drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the first round of the 1991 Major League Baseball Draft, Gates made his major league debut with Oakland on May 5, 1993, and appeared in his final game on October 3, 1999.

Coaching and scouting career

Gates was head coach of the Grand Rapids Christian High School baseball team, leading them to two State Championships.[1] and was a coach for the Class-A West Michigan Whitecaps during the 2001 season. He was the varsity baseball coach at Byron Center High School in Byron Center, Michigan through the 2018 season. Gates is based in Grand Rapids and is a professional scout for the Tampa Bay Rays.^[2]

Personal life

Gates resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his wife, Tiffany Gates. Gates has five children, Taylor, Brent Jr., Madison, Jordyn and Brady. His son, Brent Jr., followed his lead and played hockey at the University of Minnesota before playing professionally after being drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the third round in 2015. His daughters Madison and Jordyn play collegiate volleyball together at Grand Valley State.

References

^ "Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League" (PDF). capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
^ Leventhal, Josh, ed. (2015). Baseball America 2015 Directory. Durham, N.C.: Baseball America. ISBN 978-1-932391-56-5.