Another Brenly looking to find his place in baseball

PEORIA - The name is Brenly. The game is catching.

Most baseball fans associate the two with Bob Brenly, a former standout major-league catcher and current TV analyst for the Cubs.

There is another Brenly on the rise. His name is Michael Brenly, and he catches for the Peoria Chiefs, the Cubs' Class A farm club.

Michael, 22, is Bob's son and a 36th-round draft choice of the Cubs last year.

The comparisons between father and son will always be there, and that's OK with Michael, who knows that the game is more important than the name.

"I do have a pretty recognizable last name in the baseball world, but I'm trying to step out of the background, the shadow, and make a Mike Brenly shadow," he said. "Hopefully, I can do that. I'm starting to pave the way for that. It's always good to be on a good team. It's good to be in a pennant race like we are. I'm never not going to be Bob Brenly's son, but hopefully I can make my own path and become Mike Brenly."

Michael says he talks with his dad "every day, just going over things we've always gone over." And if you approach Bob before a Cubs game about what his son did the night before, Bob's way ahead of you, having already checked out the game online or read about it in the morning.

"It's awesome," said Michael, who took a .266 batting average and 4 homers into Monday. "Obviously, I go to him for advice. I know he's listening to every game. If my mom's at a game, I always see her texting him or calling him and keeping him informed.

"Just as proud as he is of me, I am of him. He's done great stuff as an undrafted major-leaguer. He made an all-star team and won a World Series as a manager. I couldn't be prouder of my last name and my parents and how they brought me up. I'm just trying to live in what my dad taught me and everything like that."

As a 36th-round draft choice, the odds seem to be against Michael making "the show," but the game is full of low-rounders who are stars now.

"He's steady," said farm director Oneri Fleita. "You know what you're going to get every day. He catches a good game. He calls a good game. Pitchers like throwing to him. He knows how to handle the bat, and he'll do the little things that help you win.

"Guys like that play in the major leagues. That's what we all want to see."