Faith, family, friends fuel Broom’s journey in pro baseball
Unless you were a high first-round draft pick, you generally don’t get a whole lot of attention as a minor league baseball player. Perhaps you might make a catch that finds its way into SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays of the Night, but any other notoriety that comes from outside the city where you play home games take some doing on your part.
This past season, former Gordon Lee Trojan Conard Broom found a way to get it done on two different levels.
In May, milb.com — which covers all aspects of the minors — ran a story about Broom’s living arrangements during his time with the Class A (Advanced) Lynchburg (Va.) Hillcats of the Carolina League. In the interest of frugality and personal independence, Broom found a used camper, hooked to his truck and found a spot in the stadium’s parking lot to set up shop when not on the road.
And while that story was making the rounds on social media, Broom also started making a name for himself as one of the top relief pitchers in the lower levels of minor league ball.
After splitting time in 2018 between the Arizona Rookie League, Lake County (Ohio) and Lynchburg (Broom finished the 2018 season with a 2-1 record, four saves and a 1.17 ERA in 22 appearances), he began this past season in Lynchburg, but was called up to Class AA Akron after just 17 games.
He pitched in 25 games for the Rubber Ducks, ending the year with a combined 2-3 record and three saves in a set-up role. In 62 combined innings, he fanned 70 batters, walked just 23 and had a minuscule ERA of 0.73 era, while allowing batters to hit just .149 against him.
“I try not to think about the numbers,” Broom said. “I just do what I do best and just depend on what’s gotten me there. You can’t get the big head. You just stay humble and pitch to your strengths and try to be a good teammate. Those things seemed to have worked out for me this year.”
Broom was recently back in Chickamauga to be honored at halftime of the Trojans’ football game with North Cobb Christian on Oct. 11. He received his framed Gordon Lee jersey, with also included a list of his high school accomplishments, while being cheered on by plenty of family and friends in the crowd.
He says he still tries to keep up with how the Trojans are doing during the season.
“It’s no surprise that Coach (Mike) Dunfee and the guys have had success the past few years,” he said. “I came into
Gordon Lee in Coach Dunfee’s first year and I think we kind of set the foundation and he’s built on it from there. Twenty or thirty years down the road, there will be a big shrine in the Gordon Lee locker room and it’ll be great to see. It’s fun to see that he’s having success at Gordon Lee.”
Broom said pitching in the minors is very different from his high school days and even his college days at Mercer.
“It’s a grind for sure,” he explained. “I think we played 130 games this year. We basically played everyday. We only had about four or five off days throughout the whole season, so you just have to keep doing what you’re doing and keep a positive attitude. I also tried to be a good teammate around the clubhouse and those things really helped me out this year.”
Broome graduated from Gordon Lee in 2015 after a prep career that saw him earn Walker County Player of the Year three times. In addition to Region 6-A Player of the Year and All-State honors, he finished his Gordon Lee career with a 43-7 overall record, a 1.12 ERA and 439 career strikeouts. His 43 wins is second all-time in GHSA baseball history.
He became a relief pitcher with the Bears where he was named to the Southern Conference All-Freshman Team in 2016. He was a SoCon first team pick in 2017 and 2018 and a third-team All-American selection at the end of his junior season.
He added that it took him a while to get used to coming out of the bullpen.
“They told me when I came to Mercer that I wouldn’t start a game,” he continued. “I actually did start one game, my very last one, but for the most part I was a relief pitcher. It took me about one solid season to get used to it, but once I realized that was my role, I kind of bought into it and things worked out for me.”
Work out they did as Broom was selected in the 10th round of the 2018 June Amateur Draft by the Cleveland Indians. He signed on June 13, was in Arizona five days later and hasn’t looked back since. He says he doesn’t know where he will begin the 2020 season, but is ready to get the job done wherever the organization needs him.
“I’ve got an idea that I’ll probably start out in Class AA, but it just depends on where they see me and where I fit in that role,” he added. “Like I said, I just have to keep doing what I’m doing and control what I can control. I’m a big believer in that. It’s let me have success in the past.”
And whether next year’s destination is ultimately Akron, the Class AAA Columbus Clippers or perhaps even The Show itself, Broom said he will always be grateful to the people in Chickamauga for helping him, supporting him and encouraging his dream.
“There were about five or six older men in their 80’s that came to every one of our baseball games and one of them was (the late) Billy Neil Ellis,” Broom recalled. “He was a good friend of mine and my dad. They drove eight hours to come watch us play in the (state) championship game and that’s something that I will always hold near and dear to my heart. I really appreciate all that support.
“I’d also like to thank God for the ability that He’s given me. I couldn’t have done it without Him and the support of my family and friends in the community here in Chickamauga. I’ve got a big support group.”
And as for living arrangements next year?
“I do still have the camper,” he said. “It’s unoccupied right now, but I’ll probably be living in it again this next season. It’s pretty simple. I really just sleep in there, but it gets the job done.”