Brook Fordyce

When Brook Fordyce was an eighth grader at East Lyme (Connecticut) Junior High School, he was a star basketball player as well as a good baseball player. Fordyce led his hoops team to a 15-1 record and averaged 23 points per game in the New London Recreation Department’s Junior High tournament in 1985.1 That was the last year that he played organized basketball.

Fordyce played football as a freshman and sophomore but suffered a shoulder injury as a sophomore and did not return on the advice of several doctors and his parents. “I was down, but I had a talk with my parents, and they said, ‘You’re lucky you can play one sport. There are people who can’t, and would die to play baseball,’” Fordyce said. “That helped me accept it.”2  Not only did Fordyce accept his situation, he made the best of it, going on to play for five different teams in a 10-year big league career (1995-2004).

Brook Alexander Fordyce was born on May 7, 1970, in New London, Connecticut, to Dr. Thomas and Susan (née Brook) Fordyce. Thomas was a dentist and a past president of the New London Dental Association. Susan – daughter of Canadian Football Hall of Famer Tom Brook – was a stay-at-home mom. Brook had three siblings: Kerry, Stephen, and Christine.3

As a freshman at Saint Bernard School in Montville, Connecticut, Fordyce was named to the All-Connecticut Conference (ACC) baseball second team as a utility player. The following year, the right-handed hitting backstop was named Player of the Year on the Southeastern Connecticut All-Star team by virtue of his .608 batting average with 10 doubles, five triples, eight home runs, and 32 RBIs.4 Fordyce continued his solid play in the summer, playing shortstop for the Niantic American Legion team, earning the MVP award in the team’s Fourth of July tournament.5

In his junior year, Fordyce repeated as Player of the Year on the Southeastern Connecticut All-Star team, batting .446 with six doubles, seven homers, and 32 RBIs.6 He capped off his summer American Legion season with two home runs for the Connecticut American Legion All-Star team in an 11-2 win over the Honduras national team. “It was an experience for me,” Fordyce said. “They were very intense ballplayers.”7

Before his senior season, Fordyce signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Clemson University. “Right now, college is a given. If the draft comes, we’ll work from there,” he said. “It all depends on whether going pro is worth my while.”8 The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Fordyce batted .415 his senior season with six home runs and was named to the District IV All-Star team that was to play in the four-team Connecticut High School Coaches Association Senior All-Star Baseball Festival in mid-June. He had also been chosen to play for an all-star baseball team that was scheduled to tour Japan and Hawaii for two weeks in mid-July.9

Fordyce was selected to the All-American High School team, an all-senior squad sponsored by Converse, the shoe company. Fellow honorees included future major leaguers Tyler Houston, Rich Aude, Greg Blosser, Jeff Juden, and Roger Salkeld.

But Fordyce’s plans to play overseas in Japan and Hawaii changed on June 5 when the New York Mets selected him in the third round of the 1989 MLB Amateur Draft. “I’m ready to go play,” Fordyce said.10 He signed for an $80,000 bonus11 with Mets Northeastern Scouting Director Paul Baretta and was assigned to Kingsport (Tennessee) in the rookie Appalachian League.

Fordyce got off to a slow start but heated up in June and July. He finished with a batting line of .327/.405/.513 over 226 at-bats with 15 doubles and nine home runs. He was named to the All-Appalachian League all-star team at catcher.

Fordyce was further honored as he was named to the Topps-National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues’ All-Rookie League first team.12 The 12-man squad was comprised of players from the six rookie leagues. After the season, Fordyce participated in the Mets’ Instructional Camp, in which 43 of the organization’s best young prospects competed in Kissimmee, Florida. “It’s a reward for the players we consider major league prospects,” director of minor league operations Gerry Hunsicker said.13

The Mets moved Fordyce to Single-A Columbia (South Carolina) in the South Atlantic League. Before the 1990 season started, Columbia manager Bill Stein said, “He’s a fine-looking young player. He’s a major league prospect right now.”14 Early in the spring, Hunsicker said, “We feel he has the potential to be another Gary Carter.”15

Fordyce played in the ‘Sally’ League’s All-Star Game and did his part, doubling in two runs in an 8-0 Southern Division victory.16 He played a key role for Columbia during the season, batting .315/.378/.478 in 104 games. He was named to the South Atlantic League All-Star team and led his team to the SAL Southern Division playoffs, where they were knocked out in two games by the Savannah Cardinals. The second-year pro was named to the Mets’ Florida Instructional League roster and was tabbed as the fifth-best prospect in the South Atlantic League by Baseball America.17

In 1991, Fordyce played at High-A St. Lucie (Florida) in the Florida State League. During spring training, Baseball America named the catcher the 47th best prospect in the minor leagues.18 He was once again selected to play in the midseason All-Star Game and played well, throwing out a potential base stealer and going 2-for-2 at the plate in a 9-2 win for the National League farmhands.19 The player nicknamed ‘Dyce’ was chosen for the FSL All-Star team despite batting only .239, although his 55 RBIs were tied for 10th best in the league. Once again, Fordyce played in the Florida Instructional League and wowed opponents as he threw out seven of 10 baserunners attempting to steal.20

For the first time in his career, Fordyce was added to the Mets’ 40-man roster after the 1991 season. He started the next year at Double-A Binghamton (New York) in the Eastern League. On the last day of April, Fordyce hit two home runs, including an inside-the-park job after Canton-Akron pitcher Wally Trice threw behind Fordyce, who took several steps toward the mound and voiced his displeasure. “[Trice] made a statement, then I made a statement,” Fordyce said. “Two, actually. The first one verbal and the second one…”21

Over the summer, the talk in the major leagues was about the upcoming expansion draft. New York Post writer John Harper speculated that Fordyce would be on the Mets’ list of 15 protected players.22  The day the story came out in print, Fordyce went 3-for-4; then the next day he set a Binghamton Mets record when he collected five hits in a 3-2, 11-inning win over Canton-Akron.23 Fordyce ended the year with a batting line of .278/.337/.426, with 11 home runs and 61 RBIs. He didn’t let up in the postseason, as he had a two-run double and a pair of singles in Binghamton’s 5-2 win over nemesis Canton-Akron in the final game of the best-of-five series that made the Mets Eastern League champions.24

Fordyce and Binghamton teammate Gregg Langbehn, a left-handed pitcher, were invited to play in the new Arizona Fall League.25 Los Angeles Dodger rookie Mike Piazza was one of Fordyce’s catching partners on the Sun Cities Solar Sox, along with rookie Derek Parks of the Minnesota Twins.26

When the protected lists came out on November 11, Fordyce was one of the 15 New York Mets  on the list, along with fellow catcher Todd Hundley.27 A couple of weeks later, the Solar Sox defeated the Phoenix Saguaros, two games to one, to win the Arizona Fall League championship.28

In 1993, Fordyce was expected to play at Triple-A Norfolk (Virginia) in the International League, although one of the main questions in the Mets camp was: would Hundley hit well enough to keep the starting job behind the plate at Shea Stadium?29 Fordyce did his best to ignore the camp scuttlebutt. “I’m going to relax and have my mind set for Triple-A,” Fordyce said. “It’s no loss to go to Triple-A at 22 years old. I’m way ahead of my schedule.”30 Prior to spring training, Baseball America rated Fordyce number three in the Mets’ Top 10 prospects.31

Fordyce had a hot and cold start in Norfolk, but over the final three months of the season he hit.289 to raise his final batting numbers to .259/.307/.335 across 409 at-bats, with only two home runs. Despite his second half hot streak, Fordyce did not get a September call-up. “Maybe it’s just as well I didn’t go,” Fordyce said. “From what we were told it wasn’t a good situation in New York.”32 The Mets entered September with a record of 46-86, 37 games behind the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies. “Just look at the record,” Fordyce said years later.33  

Once again, he was invited to play in the Arizona Fall League, this time with the Tucson Javelinas. Splitting time behind the plate with Eric Wedge and fellow Met Alan Zinter, Fordyce batted just .231 in 56 at-bats. “I didn’t get enough at-bats, but I worked on things I had to work on and saw improvement,” Fordyce said. “I think it could only help me.”34 The Mets added to their catcher depth by signing Greg Olson just before Christmas. Also on the 40-man roster were catchers Joe Kmak, Kelly Stinnett, Hundley, and Fordyce.35

Fordyce had a simple strategy for the 1994 season. “Go out and have fun. Play hard and open some eyes in the front office and managerial spots,” Fordyce said in spring training. “I’m going to play hard and hopefully soon they can see me helping them out on the major league level.”36 However, Fordyce began the year at Triple-A Norfolk again. His manager was Bobby Valentine, who had a 10-year major league career as a player and spent eight years as the Texas Rangers’ manager. “Brook Fordyce has nothing to worry about,” Valentine said.37

By then in his sixth professional season, Fordyce was off to a solid start when he developed a staph infection in his left knee in mid-June.38 He went on the 10-day disabled list and returned to the lineup in early July. Fordyce played a handful of games and was doing well (9-for-28) in July when he had outpatient surgery on the knee and went back on the DL.39 That stint ended Fordyce’s regular season; he batted .262/.320/.384 in just 66 games. That winter, he played for Ciudad Obregón in the Mexican Winter League.

Fordyce broke camp as the Mets’ third catcher in 1995. “Whether he can stay, I don’t know,” Mets manager Dallas Green said. “I’m not a three-catcher guy. We’re lucky to have a 28-man roster40 because he can fit in and maybe get a chance to play, but right now, Todd [Hundley] and Kelly [Stinnett] are a little ahead of him.”41

Fordyce made his major league debut on April 26 in an 11-9 loss in 14 innings in Colorado at Coors Field. He pinch-ran for David Segui in the top of the eighth inning with no one out but was stranded at first. Fordyce got his first big-league at-bat two days later at Shea Stadium against St. Louis.  Pinch-hitting for Bret Saberhagen in the fifth inning, Fordyce drew a walk from Allen Watson, advanced to third on a walk and infield bunt single by José Vizcaíno , and then scored on a grounder to third as third baseman Scott Cooper’s throw to home plate was offline. In his last game as a Met, on May 12, Fordyce doubled to right-center off the Montreal Expos’ Jeff Fassero in the sixth inning of a 9-6 loss for his first big-league hit.

Three days later the Mets placed Fordyce on waivers. The Cleveland Indians claimed him and then designated him for assignment, with the hope of sending him to Triple-A Buffalo in the American Association. Fordyce cleared waivers and was assigned to Buffalo, where he split time behind the plate with Jesse Levis. Fordyce finished the season with a batting line of .250/.313/.324 across 176 at-bats. “That was a terrible situation,” Fordyce said after the season. “I wasn’t happy there at all.”42 

After the season ended, Fordyce married Jacqueline “Jaci” Gent on October 26.43 He also once again played winter ball for Ciudad Obregón. In early December, the Cincinnati Reds signed Fordyce to a minor league contract.

Fordyce began the 1996 campaign at Triple-A Indianapolis and had one of his best seasons, setting career highs with 16 homers and 64 RBIs while batting .275/.319/.473. He got called up in September but got into only four contests with the Reds, including his best game to that point. On September 22, he went 2-for-2 with a double, RBI, and two walks in a 6-3 win over St. Louis.

In 1997, Reds starting catcher Joe Oliver suffered a torn ligament in his left thumb in mid-March, making room on the Opening Day roster for both Eddie Taubensee and Fordyce. “I’m just going about my business,” Fordyce said. “Put me in the lineup and I’ll play. I’m one of those guys that do what they tell me to do.”44 Taubensee and Fordyce split playing time until Oliver returned in early May, and then Fordyce became the odd man out. He was placed on the disabled list in mid-July with a strained left hip flexor.45 Fordyce played sparingly, appearing in only 47 games and getting 96 at-bats. He was the ‘designated catcher’ of ceremonial first pitches, and, in fact, received an expensive engraved pen from Cincinnati management. “I should have had a clause written into my contract for appearances and made ceremonial first pitches part of it,” Fordyce joked.46

After the 1997 season, Oliver turned down a two-year contract with the Reds and signed with the Detroit Tigers, leaving Taubensee and Fordyce to share the Reds’ catching job. The duo began the season as a tandem, but Fordyce started only 27 of the Reds’ first 92 contests before he was injured on July 12 in a play at the plate with Arizona’s Karim García. Fordyce suffered a strained left shoulder and went on the 15-day disabled list.47 After a short rehab stint in Triple-A, he returned to the Reds in mid-August. On August 16, he went 2-for-5 against Montreal to raise his batting average to a season-high .278. He finished the year with a .253 average in just 57 games.

In January 1999, the Reds signed catcher Brian Johnson, bumping Fordyce down to third string. Two months later, Cincinnati traded him to the Chicago White Sox for minor league pitcher Jake Meyer. “I feel rejuvenated,” Fordyce said. “Going there is an opportunity of a lifetime…and I get the opportunity to play at Fenway, too.”48 Fenway Park was only an hour’s drive from Fordyce’s hometown of Uncasville, Connecticut.

Fordyce platooned with Mark Johnson behind the plate for the White Sox. Despite batting .310/.345/.473 with 19 extra-base hits in early July, he was not named to the American League All-Star team. Iván Rodríguez was selected by fans as the starter, while Detroit’s Brad Ausmus was named as a reserve by AL manager Joe Torre. Fordyce had one of his best seasons, setting career highs with 99 hits, 25 doubles, and 49 RBIs. His hitting line for the season was .297/.343/.459 across 333 at-bats.

Fordyce was having a solid spring in 2000 but suffered a broken left foot after he fouled a ball off it in late February. He missed two months before beginning a rehab assignment in the minors. In an exhibition game for the White Sox against Double-A Birmingham in his first game back, Fordyce went 4-for-4 with two doubles and a home run.49

He did even better on his return to the bigs, as he hammered a three-run homer off the Yankees’ Roger Clemens on May 23. Beyond that, Fordyce struggled as he started out 4-for-33 over his first 10 games. But he picked up the pace, batting .326 over his next 92 at-bats. On July 29, Fordyce was traded with three minor league pitchers to the Baltimore Orioles for designated hitter Harold Baines and catcher Charles Johnson.

“It’s the majors, it’s baseball, and I’m playing a lot [in Baltimore],” Fordyce said in early August. “It’s fun. [The White Sox] just felt they needed to go a different way to get some experience, and I don’t blame them.”50 Across 177 at-bats for Baltimore, Fordyce batted .322/.361/.537, all career highs. For the season, he batted a combined .301/.341/.507 with 14 homers and 49 RBIs.

After the 2000 season, Fordyce signed a three-year, $7.725 million contract with the Orioles. He was handed the starting catching job in 2001 but got off to a slow start, batting only .200 as the calendar flipped to June. He lost his starting job to Fernando Lunar and finished the year with a batting line of .209/.268/.322 over 292 at-bats. It was one of the worst years of his career. “Unfortunately, I didn’t have the season that I wanted, not even close. I just didn’t come through,” Fordyce said. “I’ll come back into spring training next year with the understanding that I’ll have to play for a job.”51

In late January 2002, Fordyce lost five pints of blood when an artery between his esophagus and stomach burst. He spent four days in the ICU but recovered quickly. “The doctors are confident that it was a freak thing and that it has healed,” Fordyce said. “Going out on the field and doing what I have to do has eased my mind.”52 Although he recovered from the loss of blood, his season was similar to the previous one, as Fordyce batted .231/.301/.315 in just 56 games behind new starter Gerónimo Gil.

Prior to the 2003 campaign, the Orioles wooed free agent catcher Pudge Rodriguez, but the Marlins signed him to a one year, $10 million contract. Fordyce started the season as a backup in Baltimore, but after Gil struggled in the early going, Fordyce took over the starting role. He finished the season with a batting line of .273/.311/.371 over a career-high 348 at-bats. After the season, the Orioles declined a club option of $4 million, instead offering Fordyce a $500,000 buyout.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays signed Fordyce to a one-year contract just before the end of the year.53 He was signed to back up catcher Toby Hall in 2004 and provide depth on the bench. “I think I fit in here,” Fordyce said. “I know Toby Hall is here and he does a great job. I just want to be a part of this thing.”54 Fordyce started 46 games behind the plate and played in 54 games overall. The Devils Rays and Fordyce went their separate ways after the season and the player filed for free agency in late October.

After the season, Fordyce got a nibble from the New York Yankees, who were looking for a third-string catcher. According to the New York Post, Fordyce said he would rather retire if a 25-man roster spot was not assured.55 He did retire, ending his 10-year career with a batting line of .258/.309/.388 with 41 home runs and 188 RBIs over 623 games (1,807 at-bats).

After he retired, Fordyce opened Frozen Ropes Baseball Academy in Chester, New York. In the early 2010s, he coached an elite travel team and spent two seasons as the co-coach for the Benjamin High School team, located in the Palm Beach area. Since 2018, Fordyce has led the baseball team at Keiser University, an NAIA school in Fort Lauderdale, boasting a record of 270-149-1 through the 2025 season.

Fordyce is divorced and lives in Jensen Beach, Florida. He has two daughters, Blake and Parker.

Last revised: April 8, 2026

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Brook Fordyce for his input via email and text messages, July-December 2025 and March 2026.

This biography was reviewed by Rory Costello and David Bilmes and checked for accuracy by SABR’s fact-checking team.

Photo credit: Brook Fordyce, Trading Card Database.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org.

Notes

1 Fordyce scored 22, 24, and 23 points, respectively, in the three-game tournament, per stories in the New London Day, February 27-March 1, 1985.

2 Bill Toscano, “Fordyce: A young ‘veteran’,” New London (Connecticut) Day, April 29, 1987: E3.

3 Brook Fordyce text messages to author, August 2025 and March 2026.

4 Jack Cruise, “Day names all-area baseball squad,” New London Day, June 22, 1987: D4.

5 “Niantic American Legion wins its first tournament,” New London Day, July 6, 1987: D4.

6 Jack Cruise, “The Day’s All-Area team statistics speak for themselves,” New London Day, June 13, 1998: B3.

7 Roberto Gonzalez, “Fordyce hits two home runs, All-Stars beat Honduras, 11-2,” Hartford (Connecticut) Courant, August 24, 1998: F3.

8 Jack Cruise, “Saints’ Fordyce picks Clemson over UConn,” New London Day, April 26, 1989: E1.

9 “SB’s Fordyce is chosen for trip to Japan,” New London Day, February 9, 1989: E3.

10 Madeline Butcher, “Mets choose Fordyce,” New London Day, June 6, 1989: C1.

11 Brook Fordyce text message to author, August 2025

12 Tom Yantz, “Fordyce named to rookie team,” Hartland Courant, November 11, 1989: C4.

13 Toni Monkovic, “Future bright for Mets’ Fordyce,” New London Day, October 3, 1989: F3.

14 Neil White, “Speed, youth will be trademark of ’90 Mets,” Columbia (South Carolina) State, April 3, 1990: 2-C.

15 Ed Christine, “Jackson farm club has a bumper crop of talent on the way,” White Plains (New York) Journal-News, April 8, 1990: C11.

16 Frank Kibler, “SAL South all-stars claim 8-0 victory,” Thomasville (North Carolina) Times, June 26, 1990: 7A.

17 “Fordyce rated fifth,” Norwich Bulletin, September 26, 1990: D1.

18 David Wren, “Appy alumni working their way to big leagues,” Martinsville (Virginia) Bulletin, April 11, 1991: 1-B.

19 Jeff Cercone, “Fordyce a hit when it counted,” Stuart (Florida) News, June 30, 1991: C9.

20 “Mets have sights on Bonilla,” Norwich Bulletin, November 13, 1991: D5.

21 Kevin Stevens, “Twice real nice for Mets’ Fordyce,” Binghamton (New York) Press and Sun-Bulletin, May 1, 1992: 1C.

22 John W. Fox, “Mets’ catcher worth protection,” Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin, June 21, 1992: 12C.

23 “Fordyce breaks Binghamton mark,” Norwich Bulletin, June 15, 1992: D1.

24 “Binghamton wins title behind Fordyce,” Norwich Bulletin, September 13, 1992: C1.

25 “Ariz. Winter work lures Mets’ pair,” Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin, September 4, 1992: 1C.

26 “Arizona Fall League Rosters,” Arizona (Tucson, Arizona) Daily Star, September 24, 1992: D5.

27 “The Draft Untouchables,” Newsday (New York City), November 11, 1992: 157.

28 “League president is satisfied with inaugural season,” Arizona Daily Star, December 12, 1992: 6C.

29 Jim Corbett, “Hundley: Hit or miss?” Port Chester (New York) Daily Item, March 4, 1993: 8D.

30 Dave Davis, “Fordyce in no rush,” Norwich Bulletin, February 13, 1993: D1.

31 John W. Fox, “Triple Cities’ past to have presence,” Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin, February 28, 1993: 3C.

32 Peter Abraham, “Fordyce, Walker headed to Arizona Fall League,” Norwich Bulletin, September 8, 1993: D1.

33 Brook Fordyce text messages to author, April 4, 2026.

34 Jim Konrad, “Walker makes his pitch in Arizona,” Norwich Bulletin, December 9, 1993: D1.

35 “Mets sign Olson for one year,” Norwich Bulletin, December 21, 1993: D6.

36 Gavin Keefe, “Fordyce and Walker are ‘making it happen’ in training camp,” New London Day, February 22, 1994: C8.

37 Mike DiMauro, “Fordyce continues his drive to the bigs,” New London Day, May 21, 1994: F1.

38 “Fordyce on disabled list,” Norwich Bulletin, June 26, 1994: C5.

39 “Fordyce on disabled list,” Norwich Bulletin, July 24, 1994: C5.

40 Major league teams were allowed to have a 28-man roster until May 15 due to the 1994-95 work stoppage.

41 Bill Tavares, “Fordyce plans to stick around,” Norwich Bulletin, April 29, 1995: D1.

42 “Fordyce signs with Cincinnati,” Norwich Bulletin, December 8, 1995: D1.

43 Baltimore Orioles 2001 media guide.

44 Hal McCoy, “Fordyce catches a break,” Dayton (Ohio) Daily News, March 25, 1997: 1C.

45 Hal McCoy, “Strained hip flexor lands Fordyce on DL,” Dayton Daily News, July 19, 1997: 4D.

46 Hal McCoy, “Rose not on Bowden’s shopping list,” Dayton Daily News, August 9, 1997: 3D.

47 “Fordyce on DL,” Marysville (Ohio) Journal-Tribune, July 18, 1998: 8.

48 Jeff Horrigan, “Trades well received by Fordyce, Nunnally,” Cincinnati Post, March 26, 1999: 6C.

49 Paul Sullivan, “Foulke forgoes appeal, will serve suspension,” Chicago Tribune, May 6, 2000, Section 3, Page 3.

50 “No complaints from Fordyce,” Carroll County Times (Westminster, Maryland), August 4, 2000: B1.

51 “Orioles seeking new life without Ripken,” Star-Democrat (Easton, Maryland), October 9, 2001: 3B.

52 Peter Schmuck, “Medical all-clear relief for Fordyce,” Baltimore Sun, March 7, 2002: 4D.

53 “Fordyce finds new home in Tampa,” New London Day, December 30, 2003: D8.

54 Tom Jones, “Rays find bounty of joy in Fordyce,” Tampa Bay Times, March 11, 2004: 1C.

55 John Moorhouse, “Strawberry stands out as K-Met alumnus,” Kingsport (Tennessee) Times-News, February 27, 2005: 2C.