For the third time since Major League Baseball’s Opening Day, the Coastal Plain League witnessed a former outfielder make their debut in center field this season. This time it was Brenton Doyle (photos courtesy of the Colorado Rockies/Nolan Pascu), who spent his 2018 summer with the Wilson Tobs. Doyle started Monday night (4/24) for Colorado. Despite going 0-for-3, he did draw a walk and scored a run in the Rockies’ 6-0 victory at Cleveland.

A fourth round selection by the Rockies in the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft out of Shepherd University, Doyle started his professional career at Rookie-level Grand Junction. There, he batted .383/.477/.611 over 51 games and was honored as a MiLB.com Organization All-Star. He started the 2021 season with High-A Spokane, swinging .280/.336/.454. However, it was perhaps his defensive skills that were even more impressive as he sported a .971 fielding percentage in the outfield on his way to being named one of nine recipients of the 2021 Rawlings Gold Glove Award for Minor League Baseball that season.

A year later, Doyle spent most of his time at Double-A Hartford with a late-season call-up to Triple-A Albuquerque. Overall, he swung a combined .256/.300/.473 with 77 RBIs and 82 runs scored and found himself recognized among the Top 25 club prospects for the Rockies. Now listed as the 16th-ranked prospect in the organization, Doyle picked up right where he left off for the Isotopes to start 2023, batting .306/.404/.633 in 12 games before being promoted to join the Big League club Monday.

A member of the Tobs in 2018, Doyle led the club with a .316 average through 46 games. A reliable contributor in Wilson’s lineup, he racked up 56 hits that summer, including 10 doubles, a pair of triples and three home runs to go with a team-best 24 RBIs and 30 runs scored. He also drew 18 walks and stole 16 bags. Numbers like those saw him selected to the 2018 CPL All-Star Game, where he went 1-for-2 as a member of the American CPL All-Stars, as well as named to the All-CPL Second Team at the end of the year.

Doyle’s debut is the fourth so far for a CPL alum in 2023 and gives the league 168 Major League alums to date. He is also the 18th former Tobs player to reach the Show.

About Coastal Plain League:
The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s premier summer collegiate baseball league. The CPL is currently comprised of 14 franchises playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. To date, the CPL has had nearly 1,750 alumni drafted and 168 alums make their Major League debut. Most notable alumni include Justin Verlander, Ryan Zimmerman, Mark Reynolds, Kevin Youkilis, Chris Taylor, Alec Bohm, Jake Cave, Chas McCormick and NFL Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok @CPLBaseball.