He's listed as 5-feet-10-inches, but Mike Brownstein played with more stature than his frame suggests.
And it's why the Milwaukee Brewers took the former Lobo in the 14th round of the 2009 MLB Draft. Brownstein was one of six UNM players taken in this year's amateur draft.
Most notably, relief pitcher Cole White was selected. He went to the Kansas City Royals in the sixth round.
Power hitter and Albuquerque native Brian Cavazos-Galvez was the second UNM player taken. Cavazos-Galvez was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and, if all goes well, he could have an opportunity to play for the Albuquerque Isotopes in the future. John Hesketh, Cameron Monger and Dane Hamilton were also drafted.
Brownstein was the third Lobo taken.
Still, Brownstein knows he's not built to blast home runs over the fence. He said he's a scrapper, similar to David Eckstein or Dustin Pedroia.
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He makes his living doing all the little things right, even though he said he never thought he looked like anything special on the field.
"I won't baffle anyone with my appearance or what I look like in a uniform," Brownstein said. "I am going to have to work my way up and prove myself on the field. You never master the game, and as a player, you are looking to make yourself better any way you can. I have to continue to move up the ladder to become a better baseball player. I have to grind it out and take whatever it is I can learn about the game."
Brownstein perfected the college game, though.
In his junior year, he racked up several Mountain West Conference awards. Among those awards were Second Team All-MWC and MWC All-Tournament team. Brownstein also rode a 17-game hitting streak in 2008.
In his final year at UNM, Brownstein was second in batting average on the team, hitting .414. He had 101 hits in 244 at bats. He started all 57 games and had the second-best fielding percentage at .984.
Even though Brownstein is happy with what he has accomplished during his college career, he said getting drafted is a dream come true.
"You know, you play all your life and now this is my opportunity to play professionally," he said. "All the weight is taken off of your back when you get drafted."
If anything, though, Brownstein knows the weight is still on him. After all, he has to overcome his physique - and that's no small task.
Yet he said he's optimistic, for himself and for all his ex-teammates that got the call up to the pros.
"These guys are like my brothers," Brownstein said. "It was awesome to see these guys get drafted and it just makes this past season so much more special. It's like the cherry on top to see everyone else drafted."
